The Hugos

The Hugo Award® is the leading award for excellence in the field of science fiction and fantasy. The Hugos are awarded each year by the World Science Fiction Society, at the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon). All members are entitled to make nominations and to vote on who receives the Awards, which are presented in a public ceremony which is always one of the highlights of the Worldcon.

Hugo Categories A full list of the current award categories with definitions is available here. In summary, however, the ongoing categories, for which Hugos are presented every year, are: Best Novel Best Novella Best Novelette Best Short Story Best Related Work Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form Best Editor (Long Form) Best Editor (Short Form) Best Professional Artist Best SemiProzine Best Fanzine Best Fan Writer Best Fan Artist Best Graphic Story The category Best Graphic Story is currently undergoing something of a trial period. This award was ratified at Anticipation, the 2009 Worldcon, and will be awarded for the next three years. However, it must be re-ratified at the Business Meeting of the 2012 Worldcon or it will automatically "sunset" and be removed as a category. Each Worldcon is also entitled to create one additional Hugo category which has the same weight and is awarded through the same process as the ongoing categories. Renovation has not yet decided whether to take up this option.

Hugo Design and Hugo Bases

The basic design of the Hugo (see picture above) is a chrome rocket ship created by Jack McKnight and Ben Jason as modified by Peter Weston. The design of the base on which the ship is mounted is left up to each individual Worldcon, so each year's Hugos look slightly different. Designs often reflect the location of the Worldcon, so past designs have included both a miniature Ayers Rock (Aussiecon II, 1999) and a map of Texas (LoneStarCon, 1998).

A photographic archive of many of the Hugo designs is available here.

Hugo History, Nomination and Voting

We have provided a separate FAQ containing more information on the Hugos, their history, nomination and voting rules.

For a comprehensive guide, including the full history of the awards, rocket designs, winners lists and a guide on how to vote, there is an official site at www.thehugoawards.org.