2025 Hugo Awards – The Finalists

It’s that time of year! The nominees for the 2025 Hugo Awards have been announced, and this year I’ve actually read and reviewed three of the Hugo nominees, plus one of the Lodestar nominees for best YA novel! Check out the full list below (which will be updated on a regular basis as I get around to reading the rest of them).

2025 Hugo Award Finalists

Best Novel

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

Best Novella

• Navigational Entanglements, Aliette de Bodard (Tordotcom)
• What Feasts at Night, T. Kingfisher (Nightfire) PG Review
• The Butcher of the Forest, Premee Mohamed (Tordotcom; Titan UK) PG Review
• The Tusks of Extinction, Ray Nayler (Tordotcom)
• The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain, Sofia Samatar (Tordotcom)
• The Brides of High Hill, Nghi Vo (Tordotcom)

Best Novelette

• “The Brotherhood of Montague St. Video”, Thomas Ha (Clarkesworld 5/24)
• “The Four Sisters Overlooking the Sea”, Naomi Kritzer (Asimov’s 9-10/24)
• “Lake of Souls”, Ann Leckie (Lake of Souls)
• “By Salt, by Sea, by Light of Stars”, Premee Mohamed (Strange Horizons 6/9/24)
• “Signs of Life”, Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny 7-8/24)
• “Loneliness Universe”, Eugenia Triantafyllou (Uncanny 5-6/24)

Best Short Story

• “Five Views of the Planet Tartarus”, Rachael K. Jones (Lightspeed 1/24)
• “Why Don’t We Just Kill the Kid in the Omelas Hole”, Isabel J. Kim (Clarkesworld 2/24)
• “Marginalia”, Mary Robinette Kowal (Uncanny 1-2/24)
• “Three Faces of a Beheading”, Arkady Martine (Uncanny 5-6/24)
• “Stitched to Skin Like Family Is”, Nghi Vo (Uncanny 2/24)
• “We Will Teach You How to Read | We Will Teach You How to Read”, Caroline M. Yoachim (Lightspeed 5/24)

Best Series

• InCryptid, Seanan McGuire (DAW; Tor)
• Between Earth and Sky, Rebecca Roanhorse (Saga) PG Reviews
• The Stormlight Archive, Brandon Sanderson (Tor; Gollancz)
• The Burning Kingdoms, Tasha Suri (Orbit)
• The Tyrant Philosophers, Adrian Tchaikovsky (Head of Zeus)
• Southern Reach, Jeff VanderMeer (Farrar, Straus, Giroux; Fourth Estate UK)

Best Graphic Story or Comic

• The Deep Dark, Molly Knox Ostertag (Graphix)
• The Hunger and the Dusk: Vol 1, written by G. Willow Wilson, art by Chris Wildgoose (IDW Publishing)
• Monstress, Vol. 9: The Possessed, written by Marjorie Liu, art by Sana Takeda (Image)
• My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Book Two, Emil Ferris (Fantagraphics)
• Star Trek: Lower Decks: Warp Your Own Way written by Ryan North, art by Chris Fenoglio (IDW Publishing)
• We Called Them Giants, written by Kieron Gillen, art by Stephanie Hans, lettering by Clayton Cowles (Image)

Best Related Work

• “The 2023 Hugo Awards: A Report on Censorship and Exclusion”, Chris M. Barkley & Jason Sanford (Genre Grapevine and File 770 2/14/24)
• Speculative Whiteness: Science Fiction and the Alt-Right, Jordan S. Carroll (University of Minnesota Press)
• “Charting the Cliff: An Investigation into the 2023 Hugo Nomination Statistics”, Camestros Felapton & Heather Rose Jones (File 770 2/22/24)
• r/Fantasy’s 2024 Bingo Reading Challenge (r/Fantasy on Reddit), presented by the r/Fantasy Bingo team: Alexandra Forrest (happy_book_bee), Amanda E. (Lyrrael), Arka (RuinEleint), Ashley Rollins (oboist73), Christine Sandquist (eriophora), David H. (FarragutCircle), Diana H. (HeLiBeB), Dianthaa, Dylan H. (RAAAImmaSunGod), Dylan Kilby (an_altar_of_plagues), Elsa (ullsi), Emma Surridge (PlantLady32), Gillian Gray (thequeensownfool), Kahlia (cubansombrero), Kevin James, Kopratic, Kristina (Cassandra_sanguine), Lauren Mulcahy (Valkhyrie), Lisa Richardson, Megan, Megan Creemers (Megan_Dawn), Melissa S. (wishforagiraffe), Mike De Palatis (MikeOfThePalace), Para (improperly_paranoid), Sham, The_Real_JS
• The Spectacular Failure of the Star Wars Hotel, Jenny Nicholson (YouTube)
• Track Changes, Abigail Nussbaum (Briardene)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form

• Dune: Part Two, screenplay by Denis Villeneuve & Jon Spaihts, directed by Denis Villeneuve (Legendary Pictures / Warner Bros. Pictures)
• Flow, screenplay by Gints Zilbalodis & Matīss Kaža, directed by Gints Zilbalodis (Dream Well Studio)
• Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, screenplay by George Miller and Nick Lathouris, directed by George Miller (Warner Bros. Pictures)
• I Saw the TV Glow, screenplay by Jane Schoenbrun, directed by Jane Schoenbrun (Fruit Tree / Smudge Films / A24)
• Wicked, screenplay by Winnie Holzman & Dana Fox, directed by Jon M. Chu (Universal Pictures)
• The Wild Robot, screenplay by Chris Sanders & Peter Brown, directed by Chris Sanders (DreamWorks Animation)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form

• Fallout: “The Beginning”, written by Gursimran Sandhu, directed by Wayne Che Yip (Amazon Prime Video)
• Agatha All Along: “Death’s Hand in Mine”, written by Gia King & Cameron Squires, directed by Jac Schaeffer (Marvel; Disney+)
• Doctor Who: “Dot and Bubble”, written by Russell T Davies, directed by Dylan Holmes Williams (BBC; Disney+)
• Star Trek: Lower Decks: “Fissure Quest”, created by Mike McMahan, written by Lauren McGuire, based on Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry, directed by Brandon Williams (CBS Eye Animation Productions for Paramount+)
• Star Trek: Lower Decks: “The New Next Generation”, created and written by Mike McMahan, based on Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry, directed by Megan Lloyd (CBS Eye Animation Productions for Paramount+)
• Doctor Who: “73 Yards”, written by Russell T Davies, directed by Dylan Holmes Williams (BBC; Disney+)

Best Game or Interactive Work

• 1000xRESIST, developed by sunset visitor 斜陽過客, published by Fellow Traveller
• Caves of Qud, co-creators Brian Bucklew & Jason Grinblat; contributors Nick DeCapua, Corey Frang, Craig Hamilton, Autumn McDonell, Bastia Rosen, Caelyn Sandel, Samuel Wilson (Freehold Games); sound design A Shell in the Pit; publisher Kitfox Games
• Dragon Age: The Veilguard, produced by BioWare
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, produced by Nintendo
• Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, produced by Simogo
• Tactical Breach Wizards, developed by Suspicious Developments

Best Editor Short Form

• Scott H. Andrews
• Jennifer Brozek
• Neil Clarke
• Jonathan Strahan
• Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas
• Sheila Williams

Best Editor Long Form

• Carl Engle-Laird
• Ali Fisher
• Lee Harris
• David Thomas Moore
• Diana M. Pho
• Stephanie Stein

Best Professional Artist

• Micaela Alcaino
• Audrey Benjaminsen
• Rovina Cai
• Maurizio Manzieri
• Tran Nguyen
• Alyssa Winans

Best Semiprozine

• The Deadlands, publisher Sean Markey; editors E. Catherine Tobler, Nicasio Andres Reed, David Gilmore, Laura Blackwell, Annika Barranti Klein; proofreader Josephine Stewart; columnist Amanda Downum; art and design Cory Skerry, Christine M. Scott; social media Felicia Martínez; assistant Shana Du Bois.
• Escape Pod, editors Mur Lafferty & Valerie Valdes, assistant editors Premee Mohamed & Kevin Wabaunsee, hosts Tina Connolly & Alasdair Stuart, producers Summer Brooks & Adam Pracht; and the entire Escape Pod team
• FIYAH, publisher and executive editor DaVaun Sanders, poetry editor B. Sharise Moore, art director Christian Ivey, acquiring editors Rebecca McGee, Kerine Wint, Egbiameje Omole, Emmalia Harrington, Genine Tyson, Tonya R. Moore, sponsor coordinator Nelson Rolon
• khōréō, Zhui Ning Chang, Aleksandra Hill, Danai Christopoulou, Isabella Kestermann, Kanika Agrawal, Sachiko Ragosta, Lian Xia Rose, Jenelle DeCosta, Melissa Ren, Elaine Ho, Ambi Sun, Cyrus Chin, Nivair H. Gabriel, Jeané Ridges, Lilivette Domínguez, Isaree Thatchaichawalit, Jei D. Marcade, M. L. Krishnan, Ysabella Maglanque, Aaron Voigt, Adialyz Del Valle Berríos, Adil Mian, Akilah White, Alexandra Millatmal, Anselma Widha Prihandita, E. Broderick, K. S. Walker, Katarzyna Nowacka, Katie McIvor, Kelsea Yu, Lynn D. Jung, Madeleine Vigneron, Marie Croke, Merulai Femi, Phoebe Low, S. R. Westvik, Sanjna Bhartiya, Sara Messenger, Sophia Uy, Tina Zhu, Yuvashri Harish, Zohar Jacobs
• Strange Horizons, the Strange Horizons Editorial Collective
• Uncanny, publishers and editors-in-chief Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas; managing editor Monte Lin; poetry editor Betsy Aoki, podcast producers Erika Ensign & Steven Schapansky

Best Fanzine

• Ancillary Review of Books, editors Jake Casella Brookins, Zachary Gillan, Lane Gillespie, Misha Grifka Wander, Gareth A. Reeves, Bianca Skrinyár, Cynthia Zhang
• Black Nerd Problems, editors William Evans & Omar Holmon
• The Full Lid, written by Alasdair Stuart, edited by Marguerite Kenner
• Galactic Journey, founder Gideon Marcus, editor Janice L. Newman, associate writers Cora Buhlert, Jessica Holmes, Kerrie Dougherty, Kris Vyas-Myall, Natalie Devitt, and the rest of
  the Journey team
• Journey Planet, edited by Allison Hartman Adams, Amanda Wakurak, Ann Gry, Jean Martin,
  Sara Felix, Sarah Gulde, Chuck Serface, David Ferguson, Olav Rokne, Paul Weimer, Steven H
  Silver, Christopher J. Garcia, James Bacon
• Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog, editors Olav Rokne & Amanda Wakaruk

Best Fancast

• The Coode Street Podcast, presented by Jonathan Strahan & Gary K. Wolfe, producer Jonathan Strahan
• Eight Days of Diana Wynne Jones, presented by Emily Tesh & Rebecca Fraimow
• Hugo, Girl!, presented by Haley Zapal, Amy Salley, Lori Anderson, Kevin Anderson
• Hugos There, presented by Seth Heasley
• A Meal of Thorns, presented by Jake Casella Brookins
• Worldbuilding for Masochists, presented by Marshall Ryan Maresca, Cass Morris, Natania
  Barron

Best Fan Writer

• Camestros Felapton
• Abigail Nussbaum
• Roseanna Pendlebury
• Jason Sanford
• Alasdair Stuart
• Örjan Westin

Best Fan Artist

• Iain J. Clark
• Sara Felix
• Meg Frank
• Michelle Morrell
• Alison Scott
• España Sheriff

Best Poem

• “Your Visiting Dragon”, Devan Barlow (Strange Horizons 6/9/24)
• “A War of Words”, Marie Brennan (Strange Horizons 9/16/24)
• “We Drink Lava”, Ai Jiang (Uncanny 3-4/24)
• Calypso, Oliver K. Langmead (Titan)
• “there are no taxis for the dead”, Angela Liu (Uncanny 5-6/24)
• “Ever Noir”, Mari Ness (Haven Spec 7/24)

Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book [Not a Hugo Award]

• The Feast Makers, H.A. Clarke (Erewhon)
• So Let Them Burn, Kamilah Cole (Little, Brown; Atom UK)
• The Maid and the Crocodile, Jordan Ifueko (Amulet; Hot Key UK)
• Moonstorm, Yoon Ha Lee (Delacorte; Solaris UK)
• Sheine Lende, Darcie Little Badger (Levine Querido)
• Heavenly Tyrant, Xiran Jay Zhao (Tundra)

Astounding Award for Best New Writer [Not a Hugo Award]

• Moniquill Blackgoose*
• Bethany Jacobs*
• Hannah Kaner*
• Angela Liu*
• Jared Pechaček
• Tia Tashiro*

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

• Lodestar Award: Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White (Peachtree Teen)
• Best Semiprozine: Beneath Ceaseless Skies

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

• Best Series: The Singing Hills Cycle, by Nghi Vo (fewer than 240,000 words in total)
• Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: Dune, the Musical (first performed in 2023

Thank you to Locus Magazine for the full list of nominees.