The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America have released their list of nominees for the 2016 Nebula Awards, and it’s an impressive, diverse list of the best science fiction and fantasy stories of the year.
Awarded annually since 1966, the Nebulas recognize the best novels, novellas, novelettes, and short stories within genre publishing. Two additional awards, the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy and the Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation, add a few extra categories. SFWA members nominate their favorites, then vote on the finalists. The Nebulas are primarily industry and professional awards, stemming from peer recognition, rather than the fan recognition that produces the better-known Hugo Awards.
The winners will be announced during this year’s Nebula conference, held between May 18th and 21st in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
This year’s nominees are notable for the acclaim they’ve already gotten. There are a handful of obvious entries, such as the novel All the Birds in the Sky, by former io9 editor-in-chief (and current Snowpiercer TV screenwriter) Charlie Jane Anders, or The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin. But similarly praised novels such as Mischell Baker’s Borderline and Nisi Shawl’s Everfair likewise made the final cut. All these novels appeared on our 11 best science fiction and fantasy novels of 2016 list in December.