# Astounding Award for Best New Writer

The Astounding Award for Best New Writer (formerly the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer) is given annually to the best new writer whose first professional work of science fiction or fantasy was published within the two previous calendar years. It is named after Astounding Science Fiction (now Analog Science Fiction and Fact), a foundational science fiction magazine. The award is sponsored by Dell Magazines, which publishes Analog.
Between its founding in 1973 and 2019, the award was named after Astounding's long-time editor John W. Campbell, one of the most influential figures in the early history of science fiction. In the aftermath of 2019 winner Jeannette Ng's acceptance speech, in which she described Campbell as a fascist, the science fiction fandom community discussed whether it was appropriate to continue honoring Campbell in this way; the editor of Analog subsequently announced that the award had been renamed.
The nomination and selection process is administered by the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS), represented by the current Worldcon committee, and the award is presented at the Hugo Award ceremony at the Worldcon, although it is not itself a Hugo Award. All nominees receive a pin, while the winner receives a plaque. Beginning in 2005, the award has also included a tiara; created at the behest of 2004 winner Jay Lake and 2005 winner Elizabeth Bear, the tiara is passed from each year's winner to the next.

## Eligibility and voting

Writers are eligible for the Astounding Award for two years, and become eligible once they have a work of science fiction or fantasy published in a professional publication. Final decisions on eligibility are decided by the Hugo Administrators while qualification criteria are set by the sponsor, Dell Magazine. The eligibility criteria for what counts as a professional publication are roughly similar to those of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA). As of 2023, qualifying publications must meet at least one of the following criteria: be accepted by SFWA; have at least 10,000 readers; pay the writer at least 8 cents a word and a total of at least US$80; or be self-published or published through a small press, with earnings for the author of at least US$3,000 in one year.
Members of the current and previous Worldcon are eligible to nominate new writers under the same procedures as the Hugo Awards. Initial nominations are made by members in January through March, at which point a shortlist is made of the six most-nominated writers—five prior to 2017—with additional nominees possible in the case of ties. Voting on the ballot of six nominations is performed roughly in April through July, subject to change depending on when that year's Worldcon is held.
Works by winners and nominees of the award were collected in the New Voices series of anthologies, edited by George R. R. Martin, which had five volumes covering the awards from 1973 through 1977 and which were published between 1977 and 1984. Michael A. Burstein, who was nominated in 1996 and won in 1997, commented that the largest effect of winning or being nominated is not on sales but instead that it gives credibility with established authors and publishers. Criticism has been raised about the award that due to the eligibility requirements it honors writers who become well-known quickly, rather than necessarily the best or most influential authors from a historical perspective.
Over the 52 years the award has been active, 218 writers have been nominated. Of these, 53 authors have won, including one tie. There have been 60 writers who were nominated twice, 21 of whom won the award in their second nomination.

## Winners and nominees

In the following table, the years correspond to the date of the ceremony, rather than the year when the writer's eligible work was first published. Each year links to the corresponding "year in literature". Although the award is not given explicitly for any particular work, and such works are not recorded by the World Science Fiction Society or Dell Magazines, a selection of works that the writer in question published in the eligibility period are listed. This list includes novels and short stories, and is not intended to be comprehensive. Entries with a yellow background and an asterisk (*) next to the writer's name have won the award; those with a gray background are the other nominees on the shortlist.
* Winners and joint winners
Winners and nominees :
| Year | Writer | Work(s) |
| 1973 | Jerry Pournelle* | "Peace with Honor", A Spaceship for the King |
| 1973 | George Alec Effinger | "The Eight Thirty to Nine Slot", What Entropy Means to Me |
| 1973 | Ruth Berman | "Stretch of Time" |
| 1973 | George R. R. Martin | "The Hero" |
| 1973 | Robert Thurston | "Stop Me before I Tell More" |
| 1973 | Lisa Tuttle | "Stranger in the House" |
| 1974 | Spider Robinson* | "The Guy with the Eyes" |
| 1974 | Lisa Tuttle* | "Stranger in the House" |
| 1974 | Jesse Miller | "Pigeon City" |
| 1974 | Thomas F. Monteleone | "Wendigo's Child" |
| 1974 | Guy Snyder | Testament XXI |
| 1975 | P. J. Plauger* | "Epicycle" |
| 1975 | Alan Brennert | "Nostalgia Tripping" |
| 1975 | Suzy McKee Charnas | Walk to the End of the World |
| 1975 | Felix C. Gotschalk | "Outer Concentric", "The Examination" |
| 1975 | Brenda Pearce | "Hot Spot" |
| 1975 | John Varley | "Picnic on Nearside" |
| 1976 | Tom Reamy* | "Twilla", "San Diego Lightfoot Sue" |
| 1976 | John Varley | "Picnic on Nearside" |
| 1976 | Arsen Darnay | "The Splendid Freedom", "Helium" |
| 1976 | Joan D. Vinge | Tin Soldier |
| 1976 | M. A. Foster | The Warriors of Dawn |
| 1977 | C. J. Cherryh* | Gate of Ivrel |
| 1977 | Jack L. Chalker | A Jungle of Stars |
| 1977 | M. A. Foster | The Warriors of Dawn |
| 1977 | Carter Scholz | "Closed Circuit" |
| 1978 | Orson Scott Card* | "Ender's Game" |
| 1978 | Stephen R. Donaldson | Lord Foul's Bane |
| 1978 | Jack L. Chalker | A Jungle of Stars |
| 1978 | Elizabeth A. Lynn | "We All Have to Go" |
| 1978 | Bruce Sterling | "Man-Made Self", Involution Ocean |
| 1979 | Stephen R. Donaldson* | Lord Foul's Bane |
| 1979 | James P. Hogan | Inherit the Stars |
| 1979 | Elizabeth A. Lynn | "We All Have to Go" |
| 1979 | Cynthia Felice | "Longshanks", Godsfire |
| 1979 | Barry B. Longyear | "The Tryouts" |
| 1979 | Charles Sheffield | "What Song the Sirens Sang" |
| 1980 | Barry B. Longyear* | "The Tryouts", Enemy Mine |
| 1980 | Somtow Sucharitkul | "Sunsteps" |
| 1980 | Diane Duane | The Door into Fire |
| 1980 | Lynn Abbey | Daughter of the Bright Moon |
| 1980 | Karen G. Jollie | "The Works of His Hand, Made Manifest" |
| 1980 | Alan Ryan | "Dragon Story" |
| 1981 | Somtow Sucharitkul* | "Sunsteps" |
| 1981 | Robert L. Forward | "The Singing Diamond", Dragon's Egg |
| 1981 | Susan C. Petrey | "Spareen Among the Tartars" |
| 1981 | Diane Duane | The Door into Fire |
| 1981 | Robert Stallman | The Orphan |
| 1981 | Kevin Christensen | "A Dragon in the Man" |
| 1982 | Alexis A. Gilliland* | The Revolution from Rosinante, Long Shot for Rosinante |
| 1982 | Robert Stallman | The Orphan |
| 1982 | David Brin | Sundiver |
| 1982 | Paul O. Williams | The Breaking of Northwall, The Ends of the Circle |
| 1982 | Michael Swanwick | "The Feast of St Janis", "Ginungagap" |
| 1983 | Paul O. Williams* | The Breaking of Northwall, The Ends of the Circle |
| 1983 | Lisa Goldstein | The Red Magician |
| 1983 | David R. Palmer | "Emergence" |
| 1983 | Joseph H. Delaney | "Brainchild" |
| 1983 | Sandra Miesel | Dreamrider |
| 1983 | Warren Norwood | An Image of Voices |
| 1984 | R. A. MacAvoy* | Tea with the Black Dragon |
| 1984 | Joseph H. Delaney | "Brainchild", "In the Face of My Enemy" |
| 1984 | Lisa Goldstein | The Red Magician |
| 1984 | Warren Norwood | An Image of Voices, Flexing the Warp |
| 1984 | Sheri S. Tepper | King's Blood Four |
| 1984 | Joel Rosenberg | The Sleeping Dragon |
| 1985 | Lucius Shepard* | "The Taylorsville Reconstruction" |
| 1985 | Melissa Scott | The Game Beyond |
| 1985 | Geoffrey A. Landis | "Elemental" |
| 1985 | Elissa Malcohn | "Lazuli" |
| 1985 | Bradley Denton | "Music of the Spheres" |
| 1985 | Ian McDonald | "The Islands of the Dead" |
| 1986 | Melissa Scott* | The Game Beyond |
| 1986 | Guy Gavriel Kay | The Summer Tree |
| 1986 | Carl Sagan | Contact |
| 1986 | Karen Joy Fowler | "Recalling Cinderella" |
| 1986 | Tad Williams | Tailchaser's Song |
| 1986 | David Zindell | "Shanidar" |
| 1987 | Karen Joy Fowler* | "Recalling Cinderella", "Face Value" |
| 1987 | Lois McMaster Bujold | Shards of Honor |
| 1987 | Katharine Eliska Kimbriel | Fire Sanctuary |
| 1987 | Rebecca Ore | "Projectile Weapons and Wild Alien Water" |
| 1987 | Leo Frankowski | The Cross-Time Engineer |
| 1987 | Robert Reed | "Mudpuppies" |
| 1988 | Judith Moffett* | "Surviving", Pennterra |
| 1988 | Rebecca Ore | "Projectile Weapons and Wild Alien Water" |
| 1988 | Martha Soukup | "Dress Rehearsal" |
| 1988 | C. S. Friedman | In Conquest Born |
| 1988 | Loren J. MacGregor | The Net |
| 1989 | Michaela Roessner* | Walkabout Woman |
| 1989 | Delia Sherman | Through a Brazen Mirror |
| 1989 | Christopher Hinz | Liege-Killer |
| 1989 | Kristine Kathryn Rusch | "Sing" |
| 1989 | Melanie Rawn | Dragon Prince |
| 1989 | P. J. Beese | The Guardsman |
| 1989 | Todd Cameron Hamilton | The Guardsman |
| 1989 | William Sanders | Journey to Fusang |
| 1990 | Kristine Kathryn Rusch* | "Sing" |
| 1990 | Allen Steele | "Live from the Mars Hotel", Orbital Decay |
| 1990 | Nancy A. Collins | Sunglasses After Dark |
| 1990 | John G. Cramer | Twistor |
| 1990 | Katherine Neville | The Eight |
| 1991 | Julia Ecklar* | "The Music Box", The Kobayashi Maru |
| 1991 | Nancy A. Collins | Sunglasses After Dark |
| 1991 | John G. Cramer | Twistor |
| 1991 | Michael Kandel | Strange Invasion, In Between Dragons |
| 1991 | Scott Cupp | "Thirteen Days of Glory" |
| 1992 | Ted Chiang* | "Tower of Babylon", "Understand" |
| 1992 | Laura Resnick | "No Room for the Unicorn" |
| 1992 | Barbara Delaplace | "Wings" |
| 1992 | Michelle Sagara | Into the Dark Lands |
| 1992 | Greer Ilene Gilman | Moonwise |
| 1993 | Laura Resnick* | "No Room for the Unicorn" |
| 1993 | Nicholas A. DiChario | "The Winterberry" |
| 1993 | Barbara Delaplace | "Wings" |
| 1993 | Michelle Sagara | Into the Dark Lands |
| 1993 | Holly Lisle | Fire in the Mist |
| 1993 | Carrie Richerson | "Apotheosis" |
| 1994 | Amy Thomson* | Virtual Girl |
| 1994 | Holly Lisle | Fire in the Mist |
| 1994 | Carrie Richerson | "Apotheosis" |
| 1994 | Elizabeth Willey | The Well-Favored Man |
| 1994 | Jack Nimersheim | "A Fireside Chat" |
| 1995 | Jeff Noon* | Vurt |
| 1995 | Felicity Savage | "Ash Minette" |
| 1995 | Linda J. Dunn | "Sibling Rivalry" |
| 1995 | David Feintuch | Midshipman's Hope |
| 1995 | Daniel Marcus | "Heart of Molten Stone" |
| 1996 | David Feintuch* | Midshipman's Hope, Challenger's Hope |
| 1996 | Felicity Savage | "Ash Minette" |
| 1996 | Michael A. Burstein | "TeleAbsence" |
| 1996 | Sharon Shinn | The Shape-Changer's Wife |
| 1996 | Tricia Sullivan | Lethe |
| 1997 | Michael A. Burstein* | "TeleAbsence" |
| 1997 | Sharon Shinn | The Shape-Changer's Wife |
| 1997 | Richard Garfinkle | Celestial Matters |
| 1997 | Raphael Carter | The Fortunate Fall |
| 1997 | Katya Reimann | Wind From a Foreign Sky |
| 1998 | Mary Doria Russell* | The Sparrow |
| 1998 | Susan R. Matthews | An Exchange of Hostages |
| 1998 | Andy Duncan | "Beluthahatchie" |
| 1998 | Richard Garfinkle | Celestial Matters |
| 1998 | Raphael Carter | The Fortunate Fall |
| 1999 | Nalo Hopkinson* | Brown Girl in the Ring |
| 1999 | Kage Baker | In the Garden of Iden |
| 1999 | Julie E. Czerneda | "First Contact" |
| 1999 | Susan R. Matthews | An Exchange of Hostages |
| 1999 | James Van Pelt | "The Big One" |
| 2000 | Cory Doctorow* | "Craphound" |
| 2000 | Ellen Klages | "Time Gypsy" |
| 2000 | Shane Tourtellotte | "I Don't Know and I Don't Care" |
| 2000 | Kristine Smith | Code of Conduct |
| 2000 | Thomas Harlan | The Shadow of Ararat |
| 2001 | Kristine Smith* | Code of Conduct |
| 2001 | Jo Walton | The King's Peace |
| 2001 | Thomas Harlan | The Shadow of Ararat |
| 2001 | Douglas Smith | "State of Disorder" |
| 2001 | James L. Cambias | "A Diagram of Rapture" |
| 2002 | Jo Walton* | The King's Peace |
| 2002 | Alexander C. Irvine | "Rossetti Song" |
| 2002 | Ken Wharton | Divine Intervention |
| 2002 | Wen Spencer | Alien Taste |
| 2002 | Tobias S. Buckell | "Fish Merchant" |
| 2003 | Wen Spencer* | Alien Taste |
| 2003 | Charles Coleman Finlay | "The Political Officer" |
| 2003 | Ken Wharton | Divine Intervention |
| 2003 | Karin Lowachee | Warchild |
| 2003 | David D. Levine | "Nucleon" |
| 2004 | Jay Lake* | "Into the Gardens of Sweet Night" |
| 2004 | David D. Levine | "Nucleon" |
| 2004 | Karin Lowachee | Warchild |
| 2004 | Tim Pratt | "Little Gods" |
| 2004 | Chris Moriarty | Spin State |
| 2005 | Elizabeth Bear* | Hammered |
| 2005 | Steph Swainston | The Year of Our War |
| 2005 | K. J. Bishop | The Etched City |
| 2005 | Chris Roberson | "O One" |
| 2005 | David Moles | "The Third Party" |
| 2006 | John Scalzi* | Old Man's War |
| 2006 | K. J. Bishop | The Etched City |
| 2006 | Sarah Monette | Mélusine |
| 2006 | Chris Roberson | "O One", Here, There & Everywhere |
| 2006 | Brandon Sanderson | Elantris |
| 2006 | Steph Swainston | The Year of Our War |
| 2007 | Naomi Novik* | His Majesty's Dragon |
| 2007 | Scott Lynch | The Lies of Locke Lamora |
| 2007 | Sarah Monette | Mélusine |
| 2007 | Brandon Sanderson | Elantris, Mistborn: The Final Empire |
| 2007 | Lawrence M. Schoen | The Sky's the Limit |
| 2008 | Mary Robinette Kowal* | "Portrait of Ari" |
| 2008 | Scott Lynch | The Lies of Locke Lamora |
| 2008 | David Louis Edelman | Infoquake |
| 2008 | Joe Abercrombie | The Blade Itself |
| 2008 | Jon Armstrong | Grey |
| 2008 | David Anthony Durham | Acacia: The War with the Mein |
| 2009 | David Anthony Durham* | Acacia: The War with the Mein |
| 2009 | Aliette de Bodard | "Butterfly, Falling At Dawn" |
| 2009 | Felix Gilman | Thunderer |
| 2009 | Tony Pi | "Metamorphoses in Amber" |
| 2009 | Gord Sellar | "Lester Young and the Jupiter's Moons' Blues" |
| 2010 | Seanan McGuire* | Rosemary and Rue |
| 2010 | Felix Gilman | Thunderer |
| 2010 | Gail Carriger | Soulless |
| 2010 | Lezli Robyn | "Soulmates" |
| 2010 | Saladin Ahmed | "Hooves and the Hovel of Abdel Jameela" |
| 2011 | Lev Grossman* | The Magicians |
| 2011 | Saladin Ahmed | "Hooves and the Hovel of Abdel Jameela" |
| 2011 | Lauren Beukes | Zoo City |
| 2011 | Larry Correia | Monster Hunter International |
| 2011 | Dan Wells | I Am Not a Serial Killer |
| 2012 | E. Lily Yu* | "The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees" |
| 2012 | Mur Lafferty | "1963: The Argument Against Louis Pasteur" |
| 2012 | Stina Leicht | Of Blood and Honey |
| 2012 | Karen Lord | Redemption in Indigo |
| 2012 | Brad R. Torgersen | "Ray of Light" |
| 2013 | Mur Lafferty* | "1963: The Argument Against Louis Pasteur" |
| 2013 | Zen Cho | The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo |
| 2013 | Max Gladstone | Three Parts Dead |
| 2013 | Stina Leicht | Of Blood and Honey, And Blue Skies From Pain |
| 2013 | Chuck Wendig | Blackbirds |
| 2014 | Sofia Samatar* | A Stranger in Olondria |
| 2014 | Wesley Chu | The Lives of Tao |
| 2014 | Max Gladstone | Three Parts Dead |
| 2014 | Ramez Naam | Nexus |
| 2014 | Benjanun Sriduangkaew | Chang'e Dashes from the Moon |
| 2015 | Wesley Chu* | The Lives of Tao |
| 2015 | Jason Cordova | Kaiju Apocalypse |
| 2015 | Kary English | "Totaled" |
| 2015 | Rolf Nelson | "Shakedown Cruise" |
| 2015 | Eric S. Raymond | "Sucker Punch" |
| 2016 | Andy Weir* | The Martian |
| 2016 | Pierce Brown | Red Rising |
| 2016 | Sebastien de Castell | Traitor's Blade |
| 2016 | Brian Niemeier | Nethereal |
| 2016 | Alyssa Wong | "The Fisher Queen", "Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers" |
| 2017 | Ada Palmer* | Too Like the Lightning |
| 2017 | Sarah Gailey | "Haunted", "Of Blood and Bronze" |
| 2017 | J. Mulrooney | An Equation of Almost Infinite Complexity |
| 2017 | Malka Older | Infomocracy |
| 2017 | Laurie Penny | Everything Belongs to the Future |
| 2017 | Kelly Robson | "Waters of Versailles", "Two-Year Man", "The Three Resurrections of Jessica Churchill" |
| 2018 | Rebecca Roanhorse* | "Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™" |
| 2018 | Katherine Arden | The Bear and the Nightingale |
| 2018 | Sarah Kuhn | Heroine Complex |
| 2018 | Jeannette Ng | Under the Pendulum Sun |
| 2018 | Vina Jie-Min Prasad | "A Series of Steaks", "Fandom for Robots" |
| 2018 | Rivers Solomon | An Unkindness of Ghosts |
| 2019 | Jeannette Ng* | Under the Pendulum Sun |
| 2019 | Katherine Arden | The Bear and the Nightingale |
| 2019 | S. A. Chakraborty | The City of Brass |
| 2019 | R. F. Kuang | The Poppy War |
| 2019 | Vina Jie-Min Prasad | "A Series of Steaks", "Fandom for Robots" |
| 2019 | Rivers Solomon | An Unkindness of Ghosts |
| 2020 | R. F. Kuang* | The Poppy War |
| 2020 | Sam Hawke | City of Lies |
| 2020 | Jenn Lyons | The Ruin of Kings |
| 2020 | Nibedita Sen | "Advice for Your First Time at the Faerie Market" |
| 2020 | Tasha Suri | Empire of Sand |
| 2020 | Emily Tesh | Silver in the Wood |
| 2021 | Emily Tesh* | Silver in the Wood |
| 2021 | Lindsay Ellis | Axiom's End |
| 2021 | Simon Jimenez | The Vanished Birds |
| 2021 | Micaiah Johnson | The Space Between Worlds |
| 2021 | A. K. Larkwood | The Unspoken Name |
| 2021 | Jenn Lyons | The Ruin of Kings |
| 2022 | Shelley Parker-Chan* | She Who Became the Sun |
| 2022 | Tracy Deonn | Legendborn |
| 2022 | Micaiah Johnson | The Space Between Worlds |
| 2022 | A. K. Larkwood | The Unspoken Name |
| 2022 | Everina Maxwell | Winter's Orbit |
| 2022 | Xiran Jay Zhao | Iron Widow |
| 2023 | Travis Baldree* | Legends & Lattes |
| 2023 | Naseem Jamnia | The Bruising of Qilwa |
| 2023 | Isabel J. Kim | "Christopher Mills, Return to Sender" |
| 2023 | Maijia Liu | Comes Slowly |
| 2023 | Everina Maxwell | Ocean's Echo |
| 2023 | Weimu Xin | |
| 2024 | Xiran Jay Zhao* | Iron Widow |
| 2024 | Moniquill Blackgoose | To Shape a Dragon's Breath |
| 2024 | Sunyi Dean | The Book Eaters |
| 2024 | Ai Jiang | I AM AI |
| 2024 | Hannah Kaner | Godkiller |
| 2024 | Em X. Liu | The Death I Gave Him |