The Expanse, Good Omens among winners at George R.R. Martin-hosted 2020 Hugo Awards

The 2020 Hugo Awards, hosted by George R.R. Martin and recognizing high achievement in science fiction and fantasy, were presented online August 1st by CoNZealand, this year's home for the 78th Annual World Science Fiction Convention and the first ever Virtual WorldCon. The winners, in categories ranging from Best Dramatic Presentation Longform to Best Fanzine as usual celebrate the creative output of the entire sci-fi community worldwide, touching on high profile shows like Neil Gaiman's Good Omens series (the winner in the former category) and fan creations like Ana Grilo and Thea James's The Book Smugglers fanzine, winner of the latter. The awards were broadcast live from Wellington, New Zealand August 1st local time, which was the evening of July 31st across the continental US. 

George R.R. Martin, presumably taking a non-fan-approved break from working on Winds of Winter, served as toastmaster of a WorldCon ceremony that in itself would have seemed like an invention of science fiction to the creators of the first Hugo Awards in 1953. Broadcast live on screens of every size all over the world to the homes of fans hemmed in by a global pandemic, the scenario itself meets or exceeds any expectation 1950s era writers could have had about life 70 years in the future. Next year's finalists may well reflect our new reality back to us, but for now, here are some of the pieces of work chosen from the time before. 

Good Omens beat out an incredibly rich and talented field of creations to win the Best Dramatic Longform prize: Jordan Peele's Us, Natasha Lyonne's Russian Doll, and Marvel's Captain Marvel to name just a few. Existential questions of a semi-spiritual nature won again with the Best Dramatic Presentation Shortform prize, as The Good Place's Season 4 episode "The Answer," took the statue home, beating out stiff competition like two Watchmen eps and a Taiki Waititi directed episode of The Mandalorian. Best series went to James S.A. Corey's The Expanse, in a category rich with the Planetfall series and the Wormwood trilogy, among others, and Best Graphic Story or Comic went to Nnedi Okorafor and Tana Ford's LaGuardia. 

You can check out the full list of 2020 Hugo nominees and winners (in bold) below.

Best Novel

• A Memory Called Empire, by Arkady Martine (Tor; Tor UK)
• Middlegame, by Seanan McGuire (Tor.com Publishing)
• Gideon the Ninth, by Tamsyn Muir (Tor.com Publishing)
• The Light Brigade, by Kameron Hurley (Saga; Angry Robot UK)
• The City in the Middle of the Night, by Charlie Jane Anders (Tor; Titan)
• The Ten Thousand Doors of January, by Alix E. Harrow (Redhook; Orbit UK)

Best Novella

• This Is How You Lose the Time War, by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (Saga Press; Jo Fletcher Books)
• In an Absent Dream, by Seanan McGuire (Tor.com Publishing)
• To Be Taught, If Fortunate, by Becky Chambers (Harper Voyager; Hodder & Stoughton)
• The Haunting of Tram Car 015, by P. Djèlí Clark (Tor.com Publishing)
• “Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom”, by Ted Chiang (Exhalation (Borzoi/Alfred A. Knopf; Picador))
• The Deep, by Rivers Solomon, with Daveed Diggs, William Hutson & Jonathan Snipes (Saga Press/Gallery)

Best Novelette

• Emergency Skin, by N.K. Jemisin (Forward Collection (Amazon))
• “Omphalos”, by Ted Chiang (Exhalation (Borzoi/Alfred A. Knopf; Picador))
• “Away With the Wolves”, by Sarah Gailey (Uncanny Magazine: Disabled People Destroy Fantasy Special Issue, September/October 2019)
• “For He Can Creep”, by Siobhan Carroll (Tor.com, 10 July 2019)
• “The Blur in the Corner of Your Eye”, by Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny Magazine, July-August 2019)
• “The Archronology of Love”, by Caroline M. Yoachim (Lightspeed, April 2019)

Best Short Story

• “As the Last I May Know”, by S.L. Huang (Tor.com, 23 October 2019)
• “Do Not Look Back, My Lion”, by Alix E. Harrow (Beneath Ceaseless Skies, January 2019)
• “And Now His Lordship Is Laughing”, by Shiv Ramdas (Strange Horizons, 9 September 2019)
• “A Catalog of Storms”, by Fran Wilde (Uncanny Magazine, January/February 2019)
• “Blood Is Another Word for Hunger”, by Rivers Solomon (Tor.com, 24 July 2019)
• “Ten Excerpts from an Annotated Bibliography on the Cannibal Women of Ratnabar Island”, by Nibedita Sen (Nightmare Magazine, May 2019)

Best Series

• The Expanse, by James S. A. Corey (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
• InCryptid, by Seanan McGuire (DAW)
• Planetfall series, by Emma Newman (Ace; Gollancz)
• Winternight Trilogy, by Katherine Arden (Del Rey; Del Rey UK)
• The Wormwood Trilogy, by Tade Thompson (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
• Luna, by Ian McDonald (Tor; Gollancz)

Best Related Work

• “2019 John W. Campbell Award Acceptance Speech”, by Jeannette Ng
• Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin, produced and directed by Arwen Curry
• The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick, by Mallory O’Meara (Hanover Square)
• Becoming Superman: My Journey from Poverty to Hollywood, by J. Michael Straczynski (Harper Voyager US)
• The Pleasant Profession of Robert A. Heinlein, by Farah Mendlesohn (Unbound)
• Joanna Russ, by Gwyneth Jones (University of Illinois Press (Modern Masters of Science Fiction))

Best Graphic Story or Comic

• LaGuardia, written by Nnedi Okorafor, art by Tana Ford, colours by James Devlin (Berger Books; Dark Horse)
• Monstress, Volume 4: The Chosen, written by Marjorie Liu, art by Sana Takeda (Image)
• Mooncakes, by Wendy Xu and Suzanne Walker, letters by Joamette Gil (Oni Press; Lion Forge)
• Paper Girls, Volume 6, written by Brian K. Vaughan, drawn by Cliff Chiang, colours by Matt Wilson, letters by Jared K. Fletcher (Image)
• The Wicked + The Divine, Volume 9: “Okay”, by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie, colours by Matt Wilson, letters by Clayton Cowles (Image)
• Die, Volume 1: Fantasy Heartbreaker, by Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans, letters by Clayton Cowles (Image)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form

• Good Omens, written by Neil Gaiman, directed by Douglas Mackinnon (Amazon Studios/BBC Studios/Narrativia/The Blank Corporation)
• Captain Marvel, screenplay by Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck and Geneva Robertson-Dworet, directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (Walt Disney Pictures/Marvel Studios/Animal Logic (Australia))
• Russian Doll (Season One), created by Natasha Lyonne, Leslye Headland and Amy Poehler, directed by Leslye Headland, Jamie Babbit and Natasha Lyonne (3 Arts Entertainment/Jax Media/Netflix/Paper Kite Productions/Universal Television)
• Us, written and directed by Jordan Peele (Monkeypaw Productions/Universal Pictures)
• Avengers: Endgame, screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo (Marvel Studios)
• Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, screenplay by Chris Terrio and J.J. Abrams, directed by J.J. Abrams (Walt Disney Pictures/Lucasfilm/Bad Robot)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form

• The Good Place: “The Answer”, written by Daniel Schofield, directed by Valeria Migliassi Collins (Fremulon/3 Arts Entertainment/Universal Television)
• (tie) Watchmen: “A God Walks into Abar”, written by Jeff Jensen and Damon Lindelof, directed by Nicole Kassell (HBO)
• (tie) The Mandalorian: “Redemption”, written by Jon Favreau, directed by Taika Waititi (Disney+)
• The Expanse: “Cibola Burn”, written by Daniel Abraham & Ty Franck and Naren Shankar, directed by Breck Eisner (Amazon Prime Video)
• Doctor Who: “Resolution”, written by Chris Chibnall, directed by Wayne Yip (BBC)
• Watchmen: “This Extraordinary Being”, written by Damon Lindelof and Cord Jefferson, directed by Stephen Williams (HBO)
• Note: Watchmen and The Mandalorian tied for second place.

Best Editor, Short Form

• Ellen Datlow
• Jonathan Strahan
• Sheila Williams
• (tie) Neil Clarke
• (tie) Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas
• C.C. Finlay
• Note: Neil Clarke and Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas tied for fourth place.

Best Editor, Long Form

• Navah Wolfe
• Diana M. Pho
• Sheila E. Gilbert
• Devi Pillai
• Miriam Weinberg
• Brit Hvide

Best Professional Artist

• John Picacio
• Galen Dara
• Yuko Shimizu
• Rovina Cai
• Tommy Arnold
• Alyssa Winans

Best Semiprozine

• Uncanny Magazine, editors-in-chief Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas, nonfiction/managing editor Michi Trota, managing editor Chimedum Ohaegbu, podcast producers Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky
• FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction, executive editor Troy L. Wiggins, editors Eboni Dunbar, Brent Lambert, L.D. Lewis, Danny Lore, Brandon O’Brien and Kaleb Russell
• Strange Horizons, Vanessa Rose Phin, Catherine Krahe, AJ Odasso, Dan Hartland, Joyce Chng, Dante Luiz and the Strange Horizons staff
• Escape Pod, editors Mur Lafferty and S.B. Divya, assistant editor Benjamin C. Kinney, audio producers Adam Pracht and Summer Brooks, hosts Tina Connolly and Alasdair Stuart
• Beneath Ceaseless Skies, editor Scott H. Andrews
• Fireside Magazine, editor Julia Rios, managing editor Elsa Sjunneson, copyeditor Chelle Parker, social coordinator Meg Frank, publisher & art director Pablo Defendini, founding editor Brian White

Best Fanzine

• The Book Smugglers, editors Ana Grilo and Thea James
• nerds of a feather, flock together, editors Adri Joy, Joe Sherry, Vance Kotrla, and The G
• Journey Planet, editors James Bacon, Christopher J Garcia, Alissa McKersie, Ann Gry, Chuck Serface, John Coxon and Steven H Silver
• Galactic Journey, founder Gideon Marcus, editor Janice Marcus, senior writers Rosemary Benton, Lorelei Marcus and Victoria Silverwolf
• Quick Sip Reviews, editor Charles Payseur
• The Rec Center, editors Elizabeth Minkel and Gavia Baker-Whitelaw

Best Fancast

• Our Opinions Are Correct, presented by Annalee Newitz and Charlie Jane Anders
• Galactic Suburbia, presented by Alisa Krasnostein, Alexandra Pierce and Tansy Rayner Roberts, producer Andrew Finch
• The Coode Street Podcast, presented by Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe
• The Skiffy and Fanty Show, presented by Jen Zink and Shaun Duke
• Be The Serpent, presented by Alexandra Rowland, Freya Marske and Jennifer Mace
• Claire Rousseau’s YouTube channel, produced & presented by Claire Rousseau

Best Fan Writer

• Bogi Takács
• Cora Buhlert
• Alasdair Stuart
• James Davis Nicoll
• Paul Weimer
• Adam Whitehead

Best Fan Artist

• Elise Matthesen
• Sara Felix
• Iain Clark
• Meg Frank
• Grace P. Fong
• Ariela Housman

Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book (not a Hugo)

• Catfishing on CatNet, by Naomi Kritzer (Tor Teen)
• Minor Mage, by T. Kingfisher (Argyll)
• Dragon Pearl, by Yoon Ha Lee (Disney/Hyperion)
• Riverland, by Fran Wilde (Amulet)
• Deeplight, by Frances Hardinge (Macmillan)
• The Wicked King, by Holly Black (Little, Brown; Hot Key)

Astounding Award for Best New Writer, sponsored by Dell Magazines (not a Hugo)

R.F. Kuang (2nd year of eligibility)

• Nibedita Sen (2nd year of eligibility)
• Tasha Suri (2nd year of eligibility)
• Emily Tesh (1st year of eligibility)
• Sam Hawke (2nd year of eligibility)
• Jenn Lyons (1st year of eligibility)

1945 RETROSPECTIVE HUGO AWARDS

Best Novel

• “Shadow Over Mars” (The Nemesis from Terra), by Leigh Brackett (Startling Stories, Fall 1944)
• The Golden Fleece (Hercules, My Shipmate), by Robert Graves (Cassell)
• Sirius: A Fantasy of Love and Discord, by Olaf Stapledon (Secker & Warburg)
• “The Winged Man”, by A.E. van Vogt and E. Mayne Hull (Astounding Science Fiction, May-June 1944)
• The Golden Fleece (Hercules, My Shipmate), by Robert Graves (Cassell)
• Land of Terror, by Edgar Rice Burroughs (Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.)
• The Wind on the Moon, by Eric Linklater (Macmillan)

Best Novella

• “Killdozer!”, by Theodore Sturgeon (Astounding Science Fiction, November 1944)
• “The Jewel of Bas”, by Leigh Brackett (Planet Stories, Spring 1944)
• “The Changeling”, by A.E. van Vogt (Astounding Science Fiction, April 1944)
• “Trog”, by Murray Leinster (Astounding Science Fiction, June 1944)
• “A God Named Kroo”, by Henry Kuttner (Thrilling Wonder Stories, Winter 1944)
• “Intruders from the Stars”, by Ross Rocklynne (Amazing Stories, January 1944)

Best Novelette

• “City”, by Clifford D. Simak (Astounding Science Fiction, May 1944)
• “No Woman Born”, by C.L. Moore (Astounding Science Fiction, December 1944)
• “Arena”, by Fredric Brown (Astounding Science Fiction, June 1944)
• “When the Bough Breaks”, by Lewis Padgett (C.L. Moore and Henry Kuttner) (Astounding Science Fiction, November 1944)
• “The Big and the Little” (“The Merchant Princes”), by Isaac Asimov (Astounding Science Fiction, August 1944)
• “The Children’s Hour”, by Lawrence O’Donnell (C.L. Moore and Henry Kuttner) (Astounding Science Fiction, March 1944)
• Note: “The Big and the Little” and “The Children’s Hour tied for fifth place.

Best Short Story

• “I, Rocket”, by Ray Bradbury (Amazing Stories, May 1944)
• “Desertion”, by Clifford D. Simak (Astounding Science Fiction, November 1944)
• “Huddling Place”, by Clifford D. Simak (Astounding Science Fiction, July 1944)
• “The Wedge” (“The Traders”), by Isaac Asimov (Astounding Science Fiction, October 1944)
• “And the Gods Laughed”, by Fredric Brown (Planet Stories, Spring 1944)
• “Far Centaurus”, by A. E. van Vogt (Astounding Science Fiction, January 1944)

Best Series

• The Cthulhu Mythos, by H. P. Lovecraft, August Derleth, and others
• Pellucidar, by Edgar Rice Burroughs
• Doc Savage, by Kenneth Robeson/Lester Dent
• The Shadow, by Maxwell Grant (Walter B. Gibson)
• Captain Future, by Brett Sterling (Edmond Hamilton)
• Jules de Grandin, by Seabury Quinn

Best Related Work

• “The Science-Fiction Field”, by Leigh Brackett (Writer’s Digest, July 1944)
• Fancyclopedia, by Jack Speer (Forrest J. Ackerman)
• “The Works of H.P. Lovecraft: Suggestions for a Critical Appraisal”, by Fritz Leiber (The Acolyte, Fall 1944)
• Rockets: The Future of Travel Beyond the Stratosphere, by Willy Ley (Viking Press)
• Mr. Tompkins Explores the Atom, by George Gamow (Cambridge University Press)
• ’42 To ’44: A Contemporary Memoir Upon Human Behavior During the Crisis of the World Revolution, by H.G. Wells (Secker & Warburg)

Best Graphic Story or Comic

• Superman: “The Mysterious Mr. Mxyztplk”, by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster (Detective Comics, Inc.)
• Donald Duck: “The Mad Chemist”, by Carl Barks (Dell Comics)
• The Spirit: “For the Love of Clara Defoe”, by Manly Wade Wellman, Lou Fine and Don Komisarow (Register and Tribune Syndicate)
• Buck Rogers: “Hollow Planetoid”, by Dick Calkins (National Newspaper Service)
• Flash Gordon: “Battle for Tropica”, by Don Moore and Alex Raymond (King Features Syndicate)
• Flash Gordon: “Triumph in Tropica”, by Don Moore and Alex Raymond (King Features Syndicate)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form

• (tie) The Canterville Ghost, screenplay by Edwin Harvey Blum from a story by Oscar Wilde, directed by Jules Dassin (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM))
• (tie) The Curse of the Cat People, written by DeWitt Bodeen, directed by Gunther V. Fritsch and Robert Wise (RKO Radio Pictures)
• Donovan’s Brain, adapted by Robert L. Richards from a story by Curt Siodmak, producer, director and editor William Spier (CBS Radio Network)
• It Happened Tomorrow, screenplay and adaptation by Dudley Nichols and René Clair, directed by René Clair (Arnold Pressburger Films)
• House of Frankenstein, screenplay by Edward T. Lowe, Jr. from a story by Curt Siodmak, directed by Erle C. Kenton (Universal Pictures)
• The Invisible Man’s Revenge, written by Bertram Millhauser, directed by Ford Beebe (Universal Pictures)

Best Editor, Short Form

• John W. Campbell, Jr.
• Dorothy McIlwraith
• Mary Gnaedinger
• Raymond A. Palmer
• Oscar J. Friend
• W. Scott Peacock

Best Professional Artist

• Margaret Brundage
• Earle K. Bergey
• Boris Dolgov
• Paul Orban
• William Timmins
• Matt Fox

Best Fanzine

• Voice of the Imagi-Nation, edited by Forrest J. Ackerman and Myrtle R. Douglas
• Le Zombie, edited by Bob Tucker and E.E. Evans
• Futurian War Digest, edited by J. Michael Rosenblum
• The Acolyte, edited by Francis T. Laney and Samuel D. Russell
• Shangri L’Affaires, edited by Charles Burbee
• Diablerie, edited by Bill Watson

Best Fan Writer

• Fritz Leiber
• Bob Tucker
• Morojo/Myrtle R. Douglas
• Jack Speer
• Harry Warner, Jr.
• J. Michael Rosenblum