Hugo Award for Best Poem

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Hugo Award for Best Poem
Awarded forThe best science fiction or fantasy poem published in the prior calendar year
Presented byWorld Science Fiction Society
Most recent winnerMarie Brennan (A War of Words)
Websitethehugoawards.org

The Hugo Award for Best Poem is a special category of the Hugo Awards given in 2025 for science fiction or fantasy poems at least three lines in length published or translated into English during the previous calendar year. It was chosen by Seattle Worldcon as its optional "Additional Category"[1] (pursuant to Rule 3.3.20 of the Constitution of the World Science Fiction Society, as of August 12, 2024).[2]

The LA WorldCon chose to repeat the special award, the adminstrator saying “We felt that running the category for an additional year would help provide data about its long-term viability before the business meeting chooses whether or not to ratify the amendment and add Best Poem to the Hugo Awards as a permanent category.”[3]

Selection

Hugo Award nominees and winners are chosen by supporting or attending members of the annual World Science Fiction Convention, or Worldcon, and the presentation evening constitutes its central event. The selection process is defined in the World Science Fiction Society Constitution as instant-runoff voting with six finalists, except in the case of a tie. [4] Initial nominations are made by members in January through March, while voting on the ballot of six finalists is performed roughly in April through July, subject to change depending on when that year's Worldcon is held.[5] Worldcons are generally held near Labor Day, and are held in a different city around the world each year.[6][7]

Winners and finalists

In the following table, the years correspond to the date of the ceremony, rather than when the poem was first published. Each year links to the corresponding "year in literature" article. Entries with a yellow background have won the award; those with a grey background are the finalists on the short-list. If the poem was originally published in a book with other stories rather than by itself or in a magazine, the book title is included after the publisher's name.

  *   Winners and joint winners   +   No winner selected

Winners and finalists
Year Author(s) Poem Publisher or publication Ref.
2025 Marie Brennan*"A War of Words"Strange Horizons [8]
Oliver K. LangmeadCalypsoTitan Books [8]
Mari Ness"Ever Noir"Haven Spec Magazine [8]
Angela Liu"there are no taxis for the dead"Uncanny Magazine [8]
Ai Jiang"We Drink Lava"Uncanny Magazine [8]
Devan Barlow"Your Visiting Dragon"Strange Horizons [8]
2026 Mari Ness"Care for Lightning"Uncanny Magazine [9]
Elis Montgomery"Hex Supply Customer Support Log"Strange Horizons [9]
Theodora Goss"How to Become a Sea Witch"The Orange & Bee [9]
Brandon O’Brien"Landing: Seattle"Seattle Worldcon 2025 Opening Ceremony [9]
Angela Liu"The Mourning Robot"Uncanny Magazine [9]
Jennifer Hudak"The World to Come"Strange Horizons [9]

References

  1. "Newsletter August 2024: Announcing Special Hugo Award for Best Poem". Seattle Worldcon. 14 August 2024. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  2. "Constitution of the World Science Fiction Society as of August 12, 2024" (PDF). World Science Fiction Society (WSFS). Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  3. "2026 Hugo Award, Lodestar Award, and Astounding Finalists Announced". 2026-04-21. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  4. "The Hugo Awards: FAQ". World Science Fiction Society. 19 July 2007. Archived from the original on 2011-05-07. Retrieved 2010-04-20.
  5. "The Hugo Awards: Introduction". World Science Fiction Society. 18 July 2007. Archived from the original on 2011-05-07. Retrieved 2010-04-20.
  6. "The Locus index to SF Awards: About the Hugo Awards". Locus. Archived from the original on 2010-01-03. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
  7. "World Science Fiction Society / Worldcon". World Science Fiction Society. Archived from the original on 2009-04-14. Retrieved 2010-04-20.
  8. "2025 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. 2025-04-10. Retrieved 2025-04-10.
  9. "2026 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. 2026-04-21. Retrieved 2026-06-09.