The Hugo Awards, presented annually by the World Science Fiction Society, honor exceptional achievements in science fiction and fantasy. In 2025, they were awarded at Seattle Worldcon 2025, showcasing remarkable works published or released in 2024.
Fiction Categories
Best Novel
The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
In an empire fortified against colossal sea leviathans, assistant Dinios Kol aids brilliant investigator Ana Dolabra in probing a grotesque murder where a tree erupts from the victim. Their pursuit exposes a conspiracy jeopardizing the realm’s survival, blending mystery with fantastical biology in a richly imagined world.
Best Novella
The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler
Scientists revive woolly mammoths in future Russia, implanting slain conservationist Damira’s mind into the matriarch to instill survival behaviors. As poachers and affluent hunters endanger the herd, Damira confronts human greed and her waning humanity in a tense ecological thriller.
Best Novelette
“The Four Sisters Overlooking the Sea” by Naomi Kritzer
Academic Morgan relocates to a seaside town, observing seals amid selkie folklore while unearthing spousal betrayal in her past research. This introspective narrative merges everyday life with subtle enchantment, exploring empowerment and retribution.
Best Short Story
“Stitched to Skin Like Family Is” by Nghi Vo
A Chinese woman traversing 1930s America senses garment histories to trace her vanished brother. Offering mending services reveals his grim destiny amid prejudice, culminating in supernatural vengeance rooted in familial devotion.
Best Series
Between Earth and Sky by Rebecca Roanhorse
Inspired by pre-Columbian Americas, this trilogy follows scarred avatar Serapio’s voyage to eclipse-bound Tova, ferried by Teek captain Xiala, as Sun Priest Naranpa maneuvers clan politics. Gods stir, prophecies clash, and fates entwine in an exploration of authority, heritage, and uprising.
Graphic Story or Comic
Star Trek: Lower Decks: Warp Your Own Way by Ryan North, art by Chris Fenoglio
Ensign Mariner endures looping calamities aboard the U.S.S. Cerritos, from Borg assaults to alien incursions, resetting daily. Readers navigate branching tales, exposing reality glitches in this interactive graphic novel that ingeniously incorporates the format into a humorous, multiverse-spanning Star Trek yarn.
Related Work
Speculative Whiteness: Science Fiction and the Alt-Right by Jordan S. Carroll
This analysis dissects white supremacists’ co-opting of SF for fascist agendas, from envisioning Aryan futures to interpreting classics as endorsing racial hierarchies. It contrasts these with antifascist fandom efforts, framing representation debates as contests over tomorrow’s vision.
Dramatic Presentation Categories
Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form
Dune: Part Two
Paul Atreides allies with Arrakis’ Fremen, mastering their traditions and romancing Chani while avenging his kin. Harnessing prescient abilities and igniting rebellion against Harkonnens and the Emperor, Paul unleashes a cosmic crusade in a breathtaking saga of fate and conquest.
Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form
Star Trek: Lower Decks: “The New Next Generation”
The Cerritos crew confronts reality-warping portals birthing alternate selves. Boimler emulates a bolder variant, Tendi vies for promotion, and Mariner steers crises involving Klingons and Cardassians. This finale fuses comedy, emotion, and Trek heritage in a chaotic, heartfelt climax.
Other Categories
Best Game or Interactive Work
Caves of Qud
Delve into a procedurally crafted science-fantasy realm as mutant or pure-human, navigating biomes, mutations, and layered civilizations. Unearth lore in a brutally challenging roguelike where choices forge emergent tales of survival and discovery.
Best Young Adult Book
Sheine Lende by Darcie Little Badger
Lipan Apache teen Shane employs spectral hounds to locate the lost. When her mother vanishes near a fairy ring, Shane rallies kin and companions for a mystical pursuit blending Apache lore, enchantment, and themes of displacement, mourning, and resilience.
Best Poem
“A War of Words” by Marie Brennan
Invaders plunder vocabulary in seaside skirmishes, stripping concepts like triumph and the dividing sea. The narrator laments eroding expression, foreseeing utter muteness in this metaphorical clash over language’s dominion.
Best New Writer
Professional Categories
Best Professional Artist
Best Editor, Short Form
Best Editor, Long Form
Best Semiprozine
Uncanny Magazine
Best Fanzine
Black Nerd Problems
Fan Categories
Best Fancast
Eight Days of Diana Wynne Jones
Best Fan Writer
Best Fan Artist
Summary
The 2025 Hugos showcased innovative narratives and diverse creators, from Roanhorse’s indigenous-inspired epic to Little Badger’s magical YA quest. Cinematic triumphs like Dune: Part Two and interactive feats like Caves of Qud pushed boundaries, affirming the genre’s vitality and inclusivity.
