59th Nebula Award Finalists Announced

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) has announced the finalists for the 59th annual Nebula Awards, recognizing excellence in works published in 2023. Founded by Damon Knight in 1965 as the Science Fiction Writers of America, the organization has been awarding the Nebulas for eligible works published in the previous year.

In 2005, SFWA added the Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction, with the Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation added in 2009, followed by the 2018 addition for Best Game Writing. Winning pieces of short fiction and runners-up are included in an anthology published every year by SFWA.

Novel

• The Saint of Bright Doors, Vajra Chandrasekera (Tordotcom)
• The Water Outlaws, S.L. Huang (Tordotcom; Solaris UK)
• Translation State, Ann Leckie (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
• The Terraformers, Annalee Newitz (Tor; Orbit UK)
• Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon, Wole Talabi (DAW, Gollancz)
• Witch King, Martha Wells (Tordotcom)

Author Martha Wells was nominated as a novel finalist for System Collapse (2022 Tordotcom), but declined the accolade as well as the nomination for novella the previous year, saying the Murderbot Diaries series had already received “incredible praise” from her peers. Wells wanted to open an opportunity for other works to be highlighted.

 

Novella

• The Crane Husband,  Kelly Barnhill (Tordotcom)
• “Linghun”,  Ai Jiang (Linghun)
• Thornhedge, T. Kingfisher (Tor; Titan UK)
• Untethered Sky,  Fonda Lee (Tordotcom)
• The Mimicking of Known Successes,  Malka Older (Tordotcom)
• Mammoths at the Gates,  Nghi Vo (Tordotcom)

Novelette

• “A Short Biography of a Conscious Chair“, Renan Bernardo (Samovar 2/23)
• I Am AI, Ai Jiang (Shortwave)
• “The Year Without Sunshine“, Naomi Kritzer (Uncanny 11-12/23) 
• “Imagine: Purple-Haired Girl Shooting Down The Moon“,  Angela Liu (Clarkesworld 6/23)
• “Saturday’s Song“, Wole Talabi (Lightspeed 5/23)
• “Six Versions of My Brother Found Under the Bridge“, Eugenia Triantafyllou (Uncanny 9-10/23)

Short Story

• “Once Upon a Time at The Oakmont“, P.A. Cornell (Fantasy 10/23)
• “Tantie Merle and the Farmhand 4200“, R.S.A Garcia (Uncanny 7-8/23)
• “Window Boy“, Thomas Ha (Clarkesworld 8/23)
• “The Sound of Children Screaming”,  Rachael K. Jones (Nightmare 10/23)
• “Better Living Through Algorithms”, Naomi Kritzer (Clarkesworld 5/23)
• “Bad Doors”, John Wiswell (Uncanny 1-2/23)

Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction

• To Shape a Dragon’s Breath, Moniquill Blackgoose (Del Rey) 
• The Inn at the Amethyst Lantern, J. Dianne Dotson (Android)
• Liberty’s Daughter, Naomi Kritzer (Fairwood) 
• The Ghost Job, Greg van Eekhout (Harper)

Game Writing

• The Bread Must Rise, Stewart C Baker, James Beamon (Choice of Games)
• Alan Wake II, Sam Lake, Clay Murphy, Tyler Burton Smith, Sinikka Annala (Remedy Entertainment, Epic Games Publishing)
• Ninefox Gambit: Machineries of Empire Roleplaying Game, Yoon Ha Lee, Marie Brennan(Android) 
• Dredge, Joel Mason (Black Salt Games, Team 17)
• Chants of Sennaar, Julien Moya, Thomas Panuel (Rundisc, Focus Entertainment)
• Baldur’s Gate 3, Adam Smith, Adrienne Law, Baudelaire Welch, Chrystal Ding, Ella McConnell, Ine Van Hamme, Jan Van Dosselaer, John Corocran, Kevin VanOrd, Lawrence Schick, Martin Docherty, Rachel Quirke, Ruairí Moore, Sarah Baylus, Stephen Rooney, Swen Vincke (Larian Studios) 

Ray Bradbury Nebula Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation

• Nimona, Robert L. Baird, Lloyd Taylor, Pamela Ribon, Marc Haimes, Nick Bruno, Troy Quane, Keith Bunin, Nate Stevenson (Annapurna Animation, Annapurna Pictures)
• The Last of Us: “Long, Long Time”, Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin (HBOMax)
• Barbie, Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach (Warner Bros., Heyday Films, LuckyChap Entertainment)
• Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley, Michael Gilio, Chris McKay (Paramount Pictures, Entertainment One, Allspark Pictures)
• Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Dave Callaham (Columbia Pictures, Marvel Entertainment, Avi Arad Productions)
• The Boy and the Heron,  Hayao Miyazaki (Studio Ghibli, Toho Company)

 

The awards will be presented Saturday, June 8 as part of the 2024 Nebula Conference Online, June 6-9, 2024. The ceremony will be held in person in Pasadena, CA, as well as streamed live. Winners are determined by the vote of Full, Associate, and Senior members of SFWA.