Literary award · United States · since 1966

Nebula Award

Literature prize for science fiction and fantasy works from the United States. Established 1966.

About Nebula Award

The Nebula Awards annually recognize the best works of science fiction or fantasy published in the United States. The awards are organized and awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA), a nonprofit association of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. They were first presented in 1966 and are awarded in four categories for literary works of different lengths. A fifth category for film and television episode scripts was given 1974–78 and 2000–09, and a sixth category for game writing was begun in 2018. In 2019 SFWA announced that two awards that were previously run under the same rules but not considered Nebula awards—the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction and the Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation—were to be considered official Nebula awards. Awards for Comics and Poetry were added in 2026.

From the Wikipedia article “Nebula Award”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Recent winners

YearWinnerWinning work
2025Ashlan Chidester—
2018Bobak Ferdowsi—
2007Guillermo del ToroPan's Labyrinth
2005Ellen KlagesBasement Magic
1970Theodore Sturgeon—
—Jane Yolen—
—Carol Emshwiller—
—Richard Wilson—
—Alan Brennert—
—Eric James Stone—
—Anne Harris—
—Eugie Foster—
—Leslie What—
—Martha Soukup—
—Mary Turzillo—

From Wikidata; the list may be incomplete for some years.

Eligibility and entering

Check the official rules of the Nebula Award for the current eligibility window, accepted formats, residency or language requirements and any entry fee. For most established prizes the publisher submits on the author's behalf, often with a limit on entries per imprint.

If you are self-published, look for an explicit statement that independently published books are accepted, and budget for entry fees and copies for judges.

Sources & data