Hugo Award for Best Short Story

Christchurch City Libraries lists literary prize winners and links to catalogue searches, but we may not hold copies of all titles mentioned.

The Hugo Awards, presented annually since 1955, are awarded for science fiction and fantasy writing. The Hugo Awards are voted on by members of the World Science Fiction Convention and administered by the World Science Fiction Society.

The best short story award is "for science fiction or fantasy story of less than seven thousand five hundred (7,500) words". From 1960-1966 the award was for "short fiction".

Some of these will be published online. If there isn’t a link or you don't find it in our catalogue try searching for the title in your preferred search engine.

Note: It is possible for Hugo voters to vote "No Award" if they don't think that any of the nominees warrant an award. In years where "No Award" receives the most votes no award is given in that category.

See other Hugo Award category winners.

See more literary prize winners.

2024

“Better Living Through Algorithms”, Naomi Kritzer (Clarkesworld 5/23) Winner
美食三品, 宝树 / “Tasting the Future Delicacy Three Times”, Baoshu (银河边缘013：黑域密室 / Galaxy’s Edge Vol. 13: Secret Room in the Black Domain)
“How to Raise a Kraken in Your Bathtub”, P. Djèlí Clark (Uncanny 1-2/23)
“The Mausoleum’s Children”, Aliette de Bodard (Uncanny 5-6/23)
“The Sound of Children Screaming”, Rachael K. Jones (Nightmare 10/23)
“Answerless Journey”, Han Song / 没有答案的航程, 韩松, translated by Alex Woodend (Adventures in Space: New Short stories by Chinese & English Science Fiction Writers)

2023

“Rabbit Test”, by Samantha Mills (Uncanny Magazine, November-December 2022) Winner
“D.I.Y.”, by John Wiswell (Tor.com, August 2022)
“On the Razor’s Edge”, by Jiang Bo (Science Fiction World, January 2022)
“Resurrection”, by Ren Qing, translated by Blake Stone-Banks (Future Fiction/Science Fiction World, December 2022)
“The White Cliff”, by Lu Ban (Science Fiction World, May 2022)
“Zhurong on Mars”, by Regina Kanyu Wang (Frontiers, September 2022)

2022

“Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather” Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny Magazine, Mar/Apr 2021) Winner
“Mr. Death” Alix E. Harrow (Apex Magazine, Feb 2021)
“Proof by Induction” José Pablo Iriarte (Uncanny Magazine, May/Jun 2021)
“The Sin of America” Catherynne M. Valente (Uncanny Magazine, Mar/Apr 2021)
“Tangles” Seanan McGuire (Magicthegathering.com: Magic Story, Sep 2021)
“Unknown Number” Blue Neustifter (Twitter, Jul 2021)

2021

“Metal Like Blood in the Dark”, T. Kingfisher (Uncanny Magazine, September/October 2020) Winner
“Badass Moms in the Zombie Apocalypse”, Rae Carson (Uncanny Magazine, January/February 2020)
“A Guide for Working Breeds”, Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Made to Order: Robots and Revolution, ed. Jonathan Strahan (Solaris))
Little Free Library, Naomi Kritzer (Tor.com)
“The Mermaid Astronaut”, Yoon Ha Lee (Beneath Ceaseless Skies, February 2020)
“Open House on Haunted Hill”, John Wiswell (Diabolical Plots – 2020, ed. David Steffen)

2020

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

2019

“A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies,” by Alix E. Harrow (Apex Magazine, February 2018) Winner
“The Court Magician,” by Sarah Pinsker (Lightspeed, January 2018)
“The Rose MacGregor Drinking and Admiration Society,” by T. Kingfisher (Uncanny Magazine 25, November-December 2018)
“The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington,” by P. Djèlí Clark (Fireside Magazine, February 2018)
“STET,” by Sarah Gailey (Fireside Magazine, October 2018)
“The Tale of the Three Beautiful Raptor Sisters, and the Prince Who Was Made of Meat,” by Brooke Bolander (Uncanny Magazine 23, July-August 2018)

2018

“Welcome to your Authentic Indian Experience™,” by Rebecca Roanhorse (Apex, August 2017) Winner
“Carnival Nine,” by Caroline M. Yoachim (Beneath Ceaseless Skies, May 2017)
“Clearly Lettered in a Mostly Steady Hand,” by Fran Wilde (Uncanny, September 2017)
“Fandom for Robots,” by Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Uncanny, September/October 2017)
“The Martian Obelisk,” by Linda Nagata (Tor.com, July 19, 2017)
“Sun, Moon, Dust” by Ursula Vernon, (Uncanny, May/June 2017)

2017

“Seasons of Glass and Iron”, by Amal El-Mohtar (The Starlit Wood: New Fairy Tales, Saga Press) Winner
“The City Born Great”, by N. K. Jemisin (Tor.com, September 2016)
“A Fist of Permutations in Lightning and Wildflowers”, by Alyssa Wong (Tor.com, March 2016)
“Our Talons Can Crush Galaxies”, by Brooke Bolander (Uncanny Magazine, November 2016)
“Seasons of Glass and Iron”, by Amal El-Mohtar (The Starlit Wood: New Fairy Tales, Saga Press)
“That Game We Played During the War”, by Carrie Vaughn (Tor.com, March 2016)
“An Unimaginable Light”, by John C. Wright

2016

“Asymmetrical Warfare” by S. R. Algernon (Nature, Mar 2015)
“Cat Pictures Please” by Naomi Kritzer (Clarkesworld, January 2015) Winner
“If You Were an Award, My Love” by Juan Tabo and S. Harris (voxday.blogspot.com, Jun 2015)
“Seven Kill Tiger” by Charles Shao (There Will Be War Volume X, Castalia House)
"Space Raptor Butt Invasion" by Chuck Tingle (Amazon Digital Services)

2015

No Award
“Totaled”, Kary English (Galaxy’s Edge Magazine, 07-2014)
“A Single Samurai”, Steven Diamond (The Baen Big Book of Monsters, Baen Books)
“Turncoat”, Steve Rzasa (Riding the Red Horse, Castalia House)
“On A Spiritual Plain”, Lou Antonelli (Sci Phi Journal #2, 11-2014)
“The Parliament of Beasts and Birds”, John C. Wright (The Book of Feasts & Seasons, Castalia House)