The finalists for the Hugo Awards 2023, Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book, and Astounding Award for Best New Writer were announced on Thursday, July 6, 2023.
The Hugo and Astounding Awards, organized by the World Science Fiction Society, are awarded for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. Named after the founder of science fiction magazine Amazing Stories Hugo Gernsback, they are handed out at the annual World Science Fiction Convention. Previous winners include Isaac Asimov, Larry Niven, Arthur C. Clarke, and J. K. Rowling, Nnedi Okorafor, N.K. Jemisin, and many more.
The finalists for this year’s awards were announced at the World Science Fiction Convention, hosted in Chengdu, China on Thursday. These are the writers of African descent (African or Black) in the running for the awards;
Best Novella
- Even Though I Knew the End, C.L. Polk (Tordotcom)
Best Novelette
- “A Dream of Electric Mothers”, Wole Talabi (Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction, Tordotcom)
Best Editor, Short Form
- Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki
- Sheree Renée Thomas
Best Semiprozine
- FIYAH, edited by the entire FIYAH team
Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book (presented by the World Science Fiction Society)
- Akata Woman (The Nsibidi Scripts), Nnedi Okorafor (Viking Books for Young Readers)
- Bloodmarked, Tracy Deonn (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)
Best Fan Writer
- Chris M. Barkley
Reactions:
“AKATA WOMAN, the 3rd book in THE NSIBIDI SCRIPTS SERIES, is a Lodestar Award Finalist, 😊🇳🇬🧙🏾♀️✨. And this year’s finalist list for the Lodestar is powerful. I’m honored to be on it! #HugoAwards #africanjujuism” Nnedi Okorafor
“Even Though I Knew The End is on the Hugo Ballot in the novella category. I am grateful to all of you who nominated it for this award. Thank you! So many wonderful people whose work I also admire have made the ballot too! Congratulations to all of you! Now it’s time for writing remarks in case ETIKTE actually wins, and it’s been on my mind for a bit.” C.L. Polk
“Well now its official. I’m incredibly honored to be a ⭐ Hugo award finalist ⭐ for my novelette “A Dream Of Electric Mothers”. Pretty damn awesome. Thank you everyone that read, shared & campaigned for this story. You guys made this happen. And congrats to my fellow nominees.” Wole Talabi
“So I’m a finalist in the Hugo award, the first Black man, and first African to be nominated in the best editor, short form category. This will be my 2nd time in a row being nominated, and 2nd time as editor. It’ll be my third nomination in 2 years. 🙂🥰” Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki.
“And I’m honored to be a 2023 Hugo Award Finalist for Year’s Best Editor! What an honor, thank you! This is also my first time seeing my name in Chinese😍 Congrats to all the Finalists!” Sheree Renée Thomas.
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