Hugo Awards
Table of Contents
The Hugo Award® is the leading award for excellence in the field of science fiction and fantasy. The Hugos were first presented in 1953 and have been awarded every year since 1955 by the members of the World Science Fiction Society (Worldcon members) at the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon). The complete list of Hugo Award winners can be found at the official Hugo Award website. The current rules for the Hugo Awards are contained in Article 3 of the WSFS Constitution.
The 2024 Hugo Awards, the Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book, and the Astounding Award for Best New Writer, were presented at the Hugo Awards Ceremony, taking place on Sunday night (11 August) at Glasgow 2024. We also streamed the ceremony around the world. The Hugo Award Winners can be found here.
Glasgow 2024 has issued two formal documents alongside the winners list:
- An Administrator’s report, detailing the decisions made by the Hugo Administrator in line with our commitment to transparency.
- Full statistics for the nominating and final ballots
15th February, 2024 – Glasgow 2024 has released a statement from the Chair in regards to the Hugo Awards.
22nd July, 2024 – Glasgow 2024 has issued a formal statement following the disqualification of 377 fraudulent ballots submitted in the final ballot for the 2024 Hugo Awards.
The Awards
As the current year’s Worldcon, Glasgow 2024 is responsible for presenting the following awards for work published in 2023 (see the Constitution for detailed category and eligibility definitions).
- The Hugo Awards
- The Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book
- The Astounding Award for Best New Writer
(The Lodestar and Astounding Awards are not Hugos but are selected and presented alongside them at the Worldcon).
Glasgow 2024 has the right to also award the 1949 Retro Hugo Awards (for works published in 1948). Glasgow 2024 has decided that rather than focusing narrowly on works from 1948 via formal Retro Hugo Awards, we prefer to honour science fiction and fantasy creators of that era with a historical retrospective that will showcase written works, art, music and film of post-war fandom (1946-1949). And in line with Glasgow 2024’s theme ‘A Worldcon for our Futures’, we will also be extending our imagination into what Science Fiction and Fantasy might look like 75 years from now, at the end of this century. We want to celebrate our past as well as create space for explorations into the future.
Voting Process
Voting for the Hugo Awards takes place in two stages. The first stage, nomination, was open to anyone who had a Supporting or Attending membership in the previous or current Worldcon as of January 31, 2024. For Glasgow 2024, this meant members of Chengdu 2023 (the 2023 Worldcon) and Glasgow 2024 itself. During this stage, members were able to nominate any eligible work or person.
The second stage of voting is the final ballot. This stage is only open to Glasgow 2024 members (including those who joined after January 31, 2024 and at any point prior to the close of voting). In the final ballot, members choose between the shortlisted finalists in each category. The final ballot is now closed. The final ballot deadline was Saturday, 20th July 2024, 20:17 GMT (55 years to the minute after Apollo 11 successfully landed on the moon).
Our Commitment to Transparency
Following the statement issued by the Chair on 15th February, 2024, Glasgow 2024 has committed to the following steps to ensure transparency and redress the loss of trust in the administration of the Awards.
1) When our final ballot is published by Glasgow 2024, in late March or early April 2024, we will also publish the reasons for any disqualifications of potential finalists, and any withdrawals of potential finalists from the ballot.
2) Full voting results, nominating statistics and voting statistics will be published immediately after the Awards ceremony on 11th August 2024.
3) The Hugo administration subcommittee will also publish a log explaining the decisions that they have made in interpreting the WSFS Constitution immediately after the Awards ceremony on 11th August 2024.
Hugo Awards Voter Packet
The Hugo Awards Voter Packet is a collection of material to help members decide how to vote in the final ballot for this year’s Hugo Awards. The reading material, artwork, and videos have been generously provided by the finalists and their publishers and other copyright holders. The material is no longer available since the final ballot deadline has passed.
Consultative Vote
Between Monday, July 22 and Monday, August 5, Glasgow 2024 conducted a consultative online vote on a proposed change to the Hugo Awards categories, enabling all WSFS members to express their view on this proposal.
The 2024 Finalists
The 2024 Finalists were announced on Friday, 29 March, during the UK National SF Convention (Eastercon), Levitation, held in Telford, UK. You can watch the video announcement below.
The History of the Hugos
Full information on the history of the Hugos, including a list of all past winners and finalists, can be found on the official Hugo Awards website.
We have also provided this introduction, with particular focus on the Glasgow 2024 Hugos and those from previous Glasgow Worldcons.
2024 Trophy Designs
The Hugo Award “rocket” has a standard form from year to year. However the Hugo Award trophy base, and the design of the Lodestar Award, are chosen by each year’s Worldcon, typically reflecting the host site.
We are delighted to announce that Iain J. Clark will be designing the 2024 Hugo Award base, and that Sara Felix will be designing the 2024 Lodestar Award. Full information on the 2024 designers, and past bases, can be found here.