LAcon V Announces 2026 Hugo Awards Finalists

LAcon V, the 84th World Science Fiction Convention, announced the finalists for the 2026 Hugo Awards, the most prestigious honors for excellence in science fiction and fantasy, on April 21.

First presented in 1953, the Hugo Awards recognize outstanding works and achievements in speculative fiction across a wide range of categories. Finalists are chosen by members of the annual Worldcon through a democratic nomination process. Winners will be announced at a live ceremony held at the World Science Fiction Convention, LAcon V, on August 30, 2026.

2026 HUGO, LODESTAR & ASTOUNDING AWARD FINALISTS

The members of the 2025 and 2026 World Science Fiction Conventions cast 1,488 valid nominating ballots, including 6 paper ballots, for the 2026 Hugo Awards. The nominators made 23,543 nominations for 4,299 works and individuals across 21 categories.

Voting on the final ballot will open in early May 2026. Only LAcon V WSFS members will be able to vote on the final ballot and choose the winners for the 2026 Awards.

The 2026 Hugo Awards, the Lodestar Award, and the Astounding Award will be presented on Sunday evening, August 30, 2025 at a formal ceremony at LAcon V.

BEST NOVEL

1,153 ballots cast for 555 nominees. Finalists range 126-210.

• A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett (Del Rey; Hodderscape)
• Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor (William Morrow; Gollancz)
• Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Tor UK; Orbit US)
• The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow (Tor US; Tor UK)
• The Incandescent by Emily Tesh (Tor US; Orbit UK)
• The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson (Orbit US; Hodderscape)

BEST NOVELLA

807 ballots cast for 172 nominees. Finalists range 90-241.

• Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz (Tordotcom)
• Cinder House by Freya Marske (Tordotcom; Tor UK)
• Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite (Tordotcom)
• The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar (Tordotcom; Arcadia UK)
• The Summer War by Naomi Novik (Del Rey US; Del Rey UK)
• What Stalks the Deep by T. Kingfisher (Nightfire; Titan UK)

BEST NOVELETTE

414 ballots cast for 144 nominees. Finalists range 36-64. 

• “Kaiju Agonistes” by Scott Lynch (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 62)
• “Never Eaten Vegetables” by H.H. Pak (Clarkesworld, Issue 220)
• “Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy” by Martha Wells (Reactor, July 10, 2025)
• “The Girl That My Mother Is Leaving Me For” by Cameron Reed (Reactor, April 2, 2025)
• “The Millay Illusion” by Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 67)
• “When He Calls Your Name” by Catherynne M. Valente (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 65)

BEST SHORT STORY

507 ballots cast for 549 nominees. Finalists range 26-60.

• “10 Visions of the Future; or, Self-Care for the End of Days” by Samantha Mills (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 63)
• “In My Country” by Thomas Ha (Clarkesworld, Issue 223)
• “Laser Eyes Ain’t Everything” by Effie Seiberg (Diabolical Plots, May 16, 2025)
• “Missing Helen” by Tia Tashiro (Clarkesworld, Issue 226)
• “Six People to Revise You” by J.R. Dawson (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 62)
• “Wire Mother” by Isabel J. Kim (Clarkesworld, Issue 229)

BEST SERIES

687 ballots cast for 185 nominees. Finalists range 52-136. 

• Emily Wilde by Heather Fawcett (Del Rey US; Orbit UK)
• October Daye by Seanan McGuire (Tor US; DAW)
• Old Man’s War by John Scalzi (Tor US; Tor UK)
• The Chronicles of Osreth by Katherine Addison (Tor US; Solaris UK; Subterranean)
• The Craft Wars by Max Gladstone (Tor; Tordotcom)
• White Space by Elizabeth Bear (Saga Press; Gollancz)

BEST GRAPHIC STORY OR COMIC

362 ballots cast for 243 nominees. Finalists range 19-42.

• Absolute Wonder Woman Vol. 1: The Last Amazon, written by Kelly Thompson, art by Hayden Sherman and Mattia de Iulis, coloring by Jordie Bellaire, lettering by Becca Carey (DC Comics)
• A Girl and Her Fed, written by KB Spangler, art by Ale Presser (www.agirlandherfed.com)
• A Wizard of Earthsea: A Graphic Novel, written by Ursula K. Le Guin, adapted and art by Fred Fordham (Clarion Books; Walker UK)
• The Invisible Parade by Leigh Bardugo and John Picacio (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Orion UK)
• The Power Fantasy Volume 1: The Superpowers, written by Kieron Gillen, art by Caspar Wijngaard, lettering by Clayton Cowles (Image Comics)
• The Space Cat, written by Nnedi Okorafor, art by Tana Ford (First Second)

BEST RELATED WORK

479 ballots cast for 250 nominees. Finalists range 31-70.

• Colourfields: Writing About Writing About Science Fiction by Paul Kincaid (Briardene Books)
• Inventing the Renaissance by Ada Palmer (University of Chicago Press US, Head of Zeus UK)
• Last War in Albion: “The Cuddled Little Vice (Sandman)” by Elizabeth Sandifer (Eruditorum Press)
• Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler by Susana M. Morris (Amistad)
• “Ragnarök vs the Long Night”by Ashaya and Aziz (History of Westeros Podcast, August 10, 2025) 
• The Hugo Spreadsheet of Doom, maintained by Renay (Google Spreadsheet)

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION, LONG FORM

650 ballots cast for 149 nominees. Finalists range 85-313.

• Andor (Season 2), written by Tom Bissell, Dan Gilroy, Tony Gilroy, and Beau Willimon, directed by Ariel Kleiman, Janus Metz, Alonso Ruizpalacios, (Disney+)
• Frankenstein, screenplay by Guillermo del Toro, directed by Guillermo del Toro (Netflix)
• KPop Demon Hunters, screenplay by Danya Jimenez & Hannah McMechan, Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans; directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans (Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix)
• Mickey 17, screenplay by Bong Joon Ho, directed by Bong Joon Ho (Warner Bros. Pictures)
• Sinners,screenplay by Ryan Coogler, directed by Ryan Coogler (Proximity Media, Warner Bros. Pictures)
• Superman, screenplay by James Gunn, directed by James Gunn (DC Studios)

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION, SHORT FORM

471 ballots cast for 249 nominees. Finalists range 40-98.

• Doctor Who: “The Story & the Engine”, written by Inua Ellams, directed by Makalla McPherson (BBC One, Disney +)
• Murderbot: “All Systems Red”, written by Paul Weitz & Chris Weitz, directed by Roseanne Liang, based on the book All Systems Red by Martha Wells (Apple TV)
• Murderbot: “The Perimeter”, written Chris Weitz & Paul Weitz, directed by Paul Weitz, based on the book  All Systems Red by Martha Wells (Apple TV)
• Pluribus: “We Is Us”, written and directed by Vince Gilligan, directed by Vince Gilligan (Apple TV)
• Severance: “Cold Harbor”, written by Dan Erickson, directed by Ben Stiller (Apple TV)
• The Wheel of Time: “The Road to the Spear”,written by Rafe Lee Judkins, directed by Thomas Napper, based on the book The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan (Amazon Prime Video)

BEST GAME OR INTERACTIVE WORK

357 ballots cast for 159 nominees. Finalists range 29-110. (924 raw noms)

• Blue Prince, developed by Dogubomb, published by Raw Fury
• Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector, developed by Jump Over the Age, published by Fellow Traveller
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, developed by Sandfall Interactive, published by Kepler Interactive
• Dispatch, developed and published AdHoc Studio
• Hades II, developed and published by Supergiant Games
• Hollow Knight: Silksong, developed and published by Team Cherry

BEST EDITOR SHORT FORM

305 ballots cast for 128 nominees. Finalists range 30-84. 

• Scott H. Andrews
• Jennifer Brozek
• Neil Clarke
• Lee Harris
• Michael Damian Thomas
• Sheila Williams

BEST EDITOR LONG FORM

234 ballots cast for 95 nominees. Finalists range 27-74.

• Carl Engle-Laird
• Jaymee Goh
• Lee Harris
• Jenni Hill
• Joe Monti
• Diana M. Pho

BEST PROFESSIONAL ARTIST

228 ballots cast for 220 nominees. Finalists range 10-28.

• Lulu Chen
• Kelly Chong
• Dave Kellett
• Tran Nguyen
• John Picacio
• Tom Roberts 

BEST SEMIPROZINE

324 ballots cast for 93 nominees. Finalists range 34-100.

• Escape Pod, editors Mur Lafferty and Valerie Valdes, assistant editors Kevin Wabaunsee and Phoebe Barton, hosts Tina Connolly and Alasdair Stuart, producers Summer Brooks and Adam Pracht, and associate editors Marcus Tsong, Filip Hajdar Drnovšek Zorko, Ewen Ma, Christine Amsden, Rick Danforth, Michael A. Pepin, EA Crawley, Abhijeet Sathe, Sarah Loch, Phoenix Alexander and Casey Lawrence.
• khōréō magazine, by team khōréō (publisher Aleksandra Hill; editor-in-chief Zhui Ning Chang; editors Kanika Agrawal, Isabella Kestermann, Danai Christopoulou; audio Lian Xia Rose, Jenelle DeCosta, Grayson Norman, Aaron Kling, E.B.; marketing M.L. Krishnan, Ashley Thompson; art Ambi Sun; copyeditors Jeané Ridges, Eleanor Glewwe, Derek Yen, Ariya Bandy; proofreader Cyrus Chin; first readers Adialyz Del Valle Berríos, Sanjna Bhartiya, Kelsey Costa, Merulai Femi, A.R. Frederiksen, Yuvashri Harish, Zohar Jacobs, Lynn D. Jung, Phoebe Low, Katie McIvor, Adil Mian, Katarzyna Nowacka, A.W. Prihandita, Helena Ramsaroop, Jin Hui Saw, Aditya Sundararajan, Sophia Uy, Madeleine Vigneron, Aaron Voigt, K.S. Walker, Akilah White, MJ Woods, Kelsea Yu, Lilia Zhang, Tina Zhu)
• On Spec: The Canadian Magazine of the Fantastic, published by the Copper Pig Writers’ Society; managing editor/art director Diane L. Walton; poetry editors Colleen Anderson and Bob Stallworthy; fiction editors Barb Galler-Smith, Ann Marston, Virginia O’Dine, Constantine Kaoukakis, Susan MacGregor, Alyssa Kulchisky, Amanda Wells, Ashley Alton, Lorina Stephens, Lareina Abbott, Matthew Stobie Jackman, Cheryl Merkel, Dan Gyoba, Ethan Zou, Jade Mah-Vierling, Jessica Zdril, Kathleen Phul, Krystle McGrath, Thomas Schwarz, and William Thompson; interviewers Roberta Laurie and Cat McDonald; proofreaders Ashlin McCartney, Isaac Calon, and Mya Colwell
• Strange Horizons, by the Strange Horizons Editorial Collective
• The Deadlands, publisher Sean Markey, editor in chief E. Catherine Tobler, poetry editor Nicasio Andres Reed, nonfiction editor David Gilmore, necromancer Amanda Downum, art director Cory Skerry, copy editors Laura Blackwell and Annika Barranti Klein, proofreader Josephine Stewart, designer Christine M. Scott, and social media skeleton Felicia Martínez
• Uncanny Magazine, publisher and editor-in-chief: Michael Damian Thomas; managing editor Monte Lin; poetry editor Betsy Aoki, podcast producers Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky

BEST FANZINE

224 ballots cast for 61 nominees. Finalists range 33-66. 

• Ancillary Review of Books, editors Jake Casella Brookins, Misha Grifka Wander, Bianca Skrinyár, Zachary Gillan, Cynthia Zhang, Lyz Bush-Peel
• An Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog, editors Olav Rokne and Amanda Wakaruk
• Galactic Journey, founder Gideon Marcus, editor Janice L. Newman, staff David Levinson, Jessica Dickinson Goodman, Tam Phan, Andi Dukleth
• Intergalactic Mixtape, edited by Renay
• Journey Planet, edited by Allison Hartman Adams, Jean Martin, Steven H Silver, Christopher J. Garcia, James Bacon
• nerds of a feather, flock together, editors Roseanna Pendlebury, Arturo Serrano, Paul Weimer; senior editors Joe Sherry, G. Brown, Vance Kotrla

BEST FANCAST

370 ballots cast for 198 nominees. Finalists range 31-69.

• A Meal of Thorns, presented by Jake Casella Brookins
• Eating the Fantastic, hosted by Scott Edelman
• Hugo, Girl!, presented by Haley Zapal, Amy Salley, Lori Anderson, and Kevin Anderson
• Octothorpe, presented by John Coxon, Alison Scott, and Liz Batty
• The Coode Street Podcast, presented by Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe
• Worldbuilding for Masochists, presented by Marshall Ryan Maresca, Cass Morris, and Natania Barron

BEST FAN WRITER

308 ballots cast for 158 nominees. Finalists range 22-54. 

• Jay Brantner (a.k.a. “Tar Vol”)
• Alex Brown
• James Davis Nicoll
• Roseanna Pendlebury
• Jason Sanford 
• Örjan Westin

BEST FAN ARTIST

176 ballots cast for 137 nominees. Finalists range 12-22.

• Terri Ash
• Geneva Bowers
• Sara Felix
• Richard Man
• España Sheriff
• Yuumei

BEST POEM 

202 ballots cast for 229 nominees. Finalists range 12-35.

• “Care for Lightning” by Mari Ness (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 62)
• “Hex Supply Customer Support Log” by Elis Montgomery (Strange Horizons, Issue 25 August 2025)
• “How to Become a Sea Witch” by Theodora Goss (The Orange & Bee, Issue 5)
• “Landing: Seattle” by Brandon O’Brien (Seattle Worldcon 2025 Opening Ceremony)
• “The Mourning Robot” by Angela Liu (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 66) 
• “The World to Come” by Jennifer Hudak (Strange Horizons, Issue 22 December 2025)

LODESTAR AWARD FOR BEST YA BOOK

244 ballots cast for 169 nominees. Finalists range 12-48.

• Among Ghosts by Rachel Hartman (Random House Books for Young Readers)
• Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe by C.B. Lee (Feiwel & Friends)
• Holy Terrors by Margaret Owen (Henry Holt; Hodderscape UK)
• Oathbound by Tracy Deonn (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)
• Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic Press)
• They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran (Bloomsbury US; Bloomsbury UK)

ASTOUNDING AWARD FOR BEST NEW WRITER (sponsored by Must Read Books)

290 ballots cast for 156 nominees. Finalists range 17-76.

• Sophie Burnham (2nd year of eligibility)
• Kamilah Cole (2nd year of eligibility)
• Antonia Hodgson (1st year of eligibility)
• Molly O’Neill (1st year of eligibility)
• H.H. Pak (2nd year of eligibility)
• Jared Pechaček (2nd year of eligibility)

DISQUALIFICATIONS AND WITHDRAWLS. The following nominees received enough votes to qualify for the final ballot, but were found to be ineligible:

Best Series: 

• Lady Astronaut, by Mary Robinette Kowal (fewer than 240,000 new words since last appearance on the ballot)
• The Singing Hills Cycle, by Nghi Vo (fewer than 240,000 words in total)

Astounding Award:

• Silvia Park (had qualifying publication prior to 2024)
• Barbara Truelove (had qualifying publication prior to 2024)

 The following nominees received enough votes to qualify for the final ballot, but declined nominations:

Best Editor, Long Form: Lindsey Hall

Best Semiprozine: Beneath Ceaseless Skies

The following nominee received enough votes to qualify for the final ballot, but was withdrawn by the showrunners to abide by the limitation on number of episodes of the same show allowed in the category.

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: Murderbot: “Free Commerce”

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS AND INFORMATION. “The 2026 Hugo Award ballot reflects the wide spectrum of contemporary science fiction and fantasy,” said convention chair Joyce Lloyd. “This shortlist highlights established voices and emerging creators. These are works that comfort us in hard times and challenge us to not only envision, but to work towards, better tomorrows and more inclusive worlds.”  

All members of the World Science Fiction Convention are able to vote on the Hugo Awards, including those who have memberships in the virtual portion of the convention. Voting on the final ballot will begin in early May. Information about registration is available at lacon.org/register. In addition to the traditional categories, the 2026 awards will again include a Best Poem category, following a trial run in 2025.

“There was a lot of enthusiasm for the Best Poem category in Seattle,” Hugo Administrator Tammy Coxen said. “We felt that running the category for an additional year would help provide data about its long-term viability before the business meeting chooses whether or not to ratify the amendment and add Best Poem to the Hugo Awards as a permanent category.”

LAcon V, the 2026 World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), is presented by the Southern California Institute for Fan Interests (SCIFI), Inc., a California 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.

“World Science Fiction Society”, “WSFS”, “World Science Fiction Convention”, “Worldcon”, “NASFiC”, “Lodestar Award”, “The Hugo Award”, the Hugo Award Logo, and the distinctive design of the Hugo Award Rocket are service marks of Worldcon Intellectual Property, a California non-profit corporation managed by the Mark Protection Committee of the World Science Fiction Society, an unincorporated literary society.

[Based on a press release.]

Update 04/26/2026: Incorporated changes submitted by LAcon V committee.