Using Awards Lists As a RA Tool: Hugo and Nebula Awards Editions

This is part of my ongoing series on using Awards Lists as a RA tool. Click here for all posts in the series in reverse chronological order. Click here for the first post which outlines the details how to use awards lists as a RA tool.  

Both of the major Science Fiction and Fantasy Awards announced their finalists in the last month or so. I know that many library workers confuse them and even blend them when promoting to readers, which for most of our purposes is fine. Simply knowing that these are award nominated titles in SF and FSY is enough to suggest them to readers.

Plus-- two similar awards means double the suggestions for us to supply confidently. I am posting them together to double the impact of each.

But there are differences, even when titles overlap. Today I will have the links to both and their backlist direct access as well. But before I get to that, remember to check the link at the top for the first post in this series and use these for displays, collection development, lists and more.

First up, the Nebula Awards are given out by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association. Their process is very similar to the Bram Stoker Awards as they are voted on by the active and lifetime members. From the 2025 announcement back in March:

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) is pleased to announce the finalists for the 60th Annual Nebula Awards®! Our congratulations go out to each and every finalist for the recognition of their excellent works published in 2024. 

Here are the Novel nominees:

Nebula Award for Novel

• Sleeping Worlds Have No Memory, Yaroslav Barsukov (Caezik SF & Fantasy)
• Rakesfall, Vajra Chandrasekera (Tordotcom; Solaris UK)
• Asunder, Kerstin Hall (Tordotcom)
• A Sorceress Comes to Call, T. Kingfisher (Tor; Titan UK)
• The Book of Love, Kelly Link (Random House; Ad Astra UK)
• Someone You Can Build a Nest In, John Wiswell (DAW; Arcadia UK)

You can click here to see all of the nominees in 7 categories. 

SFWA offers two easy ways to search the backlist. Click here to search by year. Or, click here to search by award and add a year if you want to the search.

Second we have the Hugo Award Finalists. The Hugo Awards are based on those attending Worldcon each year. Here is the announcement for 2025; I have copied the intro so you understand the process on this one.

Seattle Worldcon 2025, the 83rd World Science Fiction Convention, is delighted to announce the finalists for the 2025 Hugo Awards, Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book, and Astounding Award for Best New Writer.

1,338* valid electronic nominating ballots were received by the deadline of March 14 at 11:59 p.m. PDT and counted from the members of the 2024 and 2025 World Science Fiction Conventions for the 2025 Hugo Awards. ​​Unfortunately, two mailed ballots were received 2.5 weeks later on April 3 after the deadline of receipt. Voting on the final ballot will open during April 2025.

Only Seattle Worldcon 2025 WSFS members will be able to vote on the final ballot and choose the winners for the 2025 Awards. The 2025 Hugo Awards, the Lodestar Award, and the Astounding Award will be presented on Saturday evening, August 16, 2025, at a formal ceremony at Seattle Worldcon 2025.

Questions about the Hugo Awards process may be directed to hugo-help@seattlein2025.org.

* Initial publication had an error of 1,738 ballots instead of the correct number of 1,338.

Because the Hugo process is more amorphous and the voting pool changes year to year,  

Best Novel

• Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Orbit US, Tor UK)
• The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (Avid Reader Press, Sceptre)
• Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Tordotcom)
• Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell (DAW)
• A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher (Tor)
• The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (Del Rey, Hodderscape UK)

1078 ballots cast for 554 nominees, finalists range 90 to 157

You can click here to see all of the nominees in 21(!) categories, including a slew of categories for "fan" created works. 

Now the backlist access to the Hugos is less intuitive precisely because it ties to each year's convention, which is always at a different site. However, Locus Magazine has an excellent dataset of all speculative awards which they make searchable in numerous ways. Here is their page for the Hugos awards. Click here for access to the entire Locus Magazine Awards Database.

Interestingly, despite the widely different processes for niminating titles, two novels made both lists: Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell (DAW) and A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher (Tor). There is also overlap in other categories. You can use the links provided to see them all.

It is very common for there to be overlap. I like to look at these titles, where the fans and the writers agree, as the best place to begin with your suggestions to the average reader looking for something good and new in SF or FSY. Pay special attention to those works and make sure you have them ordered.

I would recommend that every library in America have, at the very least, each of the current slate of nominated novels for their collections. You should do this every year. It is the easiest way to make sure you have a vibrant and responsive collection in SF and FSY. 

And finally, award nomination time is also a great time to get up some displays featuring your Science Fiction and Fantasy. One of my favorite display ideas to put both together is to title is something fun like "Aliens vs Dragons" or "Robots vs Fairies." Something that makes it clear that they are different genres but also together.

Make sure you represent the breadth of each genre as well-- both in the subgenres covered and the identities of the authors who are witting them. And encourage all departments to put up a similar display. So in Youth, Teen, and Media. Use the same title throughout the library. Every department has titles to fill a display with SF and FSY. Show your patrons that you are one library, working together to highlight similar materials across your entire collection. Also when something is repeated, people pay more attention.

Now take your service up a notch and make the whole library experience interactive as well but getting your patrons involved in fun. Put up a voting box at each display, on every service desk, and encourage voting via comments in all of your online spaces (post pics of the displays with links to titles on Libby or to a list created in your catalog). Ask people to vote for SF or FSY. Even use the title of your display on a small paper ballot. You can use language like:

Join us at Smithville Public Library as we celebrate our Science Fiction and Fantasy offerings across all departments. Vote for the genre you prefer. Let your voice be heard:

    □ Aliens 

    □ Dragons

Have fun with it.  

And always remember-- awards lists are a great tool for you to use to not only help your readers, but also to create fun interactive displays and increase awareness on titles that are great but often get lost in the stacks and/or amidst the noise of whatever is shiny and new.