Nebula Award

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For the astronomical object, see nebula

The Nebula is an award given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), for the best science fiction/fantasy fiction published in the United States during the two previous years (see rolling eligibility below). There is no cash prize associated with the award, the award itself being a transparent block with an embedded glitter spiral nebula; however, publishers seldom fail to mention that a novel won the award, and as a mark of acclaim by other science fiction writers, it seems reasonable that the Nebula, like the Hugo Award, leads to increased sales.[citation needed]

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[edit] Award categories

The fiction Nebulas are awarded in five different categories: novel, novella, novelette, short story, and script. The categories are defined by length in words, as follows:

  • Novel: a work of 40,000 words or more
  • Novella: a work of at least 17,500 words but under 40,000 words
  • Novelette: a work of at least 7,500 words but under 17,500 words
  • Short story: a work of under 7,500 words
  • Script: a script for movie, tv or radio show, play

In addition, a Nebula has been awarded for best dramatic script every year since 1999, but SFWA membership is divided about the appropriateness of the award, and the category may not continue long into the future.

[edit] Rolling eligibility

As opposed to the Hugo Award ballot, which is limited to works published during a specific calendar year, the Nebula Awards employ a rolling eligibility system. Each work is eligible to qualify for the ballot for one year following its date of publication. During this one-year window, SFWA members can "recommend" the work for the Nebula ballot. When a work has received ten recommendations, it immediately qualifies for the current year's preliminary Nebula ballot. Early the following year, SFWA members vote on the works on the preliminary ballot, narrowing the field down to (usually) a final ballot of five works in each category. Special Nebula juries are permitted, but not required, to add one deserving but overlooked work to the final ballot in each category. SFWA members then vote on the final ballot.

As a consequence of rolling eligibility, a work published one year can end up on the subsequent year's Nebula ballot, which is voted on in the year following that. For example, William Shunn's novelette "Dance of the Yellow-Breasted Luddites" was published in July 2000. It was eligible to be recommended for the preliminary ballot from its date of publication until the end of June, 2001. As it happened, the work did not receive the needed tenth recommendation until 2001, so despite its 2000 publication date, it ended up on the 2001 preliminary ballot (and, subsequently, the final ballot). The 2001 final ballot was then voted upon by SFWA members in 2002.

[edit] History

The first Nebulas were given for the year 1965. Frank Herbert's Dune won as best novel.

Subsequent notable winners have included

Isaac Asimov, Greg Bear (thrice), Orson Scott Card (twice), Arthur C. Clarke (twice), Samuel R. Delany (twice), Harlan Ellison (thrice), Neil Gaiman (twice), William Gibson, Joe Haldeman (four times), Ursula K. Le Guin (thrice), Vonda McIntyre (twice), Lois McMaster Bujold (thrice), Larry Niven, Frederik Pohl (twice), Kim Stanley Robinson, Theodore Sturgeon, Connie Willis, and Roger Zelazny (thrice).

[edit] Lists of Nebula Award Winners

[edit] Other Nebula Ceremony Awards

Though not officially Nebula Awards, a number of other honors and awards are presented at the Nebula ceremony, though not necessarily every year. They are the Author Emeritus for contributions to the field, the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award for lifetime achievement, the Bradbury Award for excellence in screenwriting, the Service to SFWA Award, and the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy.

[edit] Related awards

There are other science fiction awards. The Hugo award is voted on by science fiction fans, and the awards are handed out at the annual World Science Fiction Convention ("Worldcon"). The World Science Fiction Convention also awards the John W. Campbell Award for the Best New Writer in Science Fiction. This award is sponsored by the publishers of Analog, the magazine Campbell edited. There is also the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, a jury-selected prize not associated with the Worldcon.

[edit] Trademark notice

Nebula Awards is a registered trademark of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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