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Monday, September 1, 1980

1980 Hugo Award Nominees

Location: Noreascon II in Boston, Massachusetts.

Comments: In 1980 the "Best Related Work" category (technically, the "Best Nonfiction Book" category) was added to the slate of Hugo Awards, and it promptly took its amorphous undefined shape with a slate of nominees that included an encyclopedia, two art books, a memoir, and an essay collection. The encyclopedia won. This category has always been something of a conundrum. The sorts of related books that reflect on the field of science fiction and fantasy, but are not themselves fiction, do deserve recognition. But having them all in one category seems to create a hodgepodge slate of unrelated kinds of books requiring the voters to essentially compare apples and oranges and decide which is better. On the other hand, I can understand the desire to avoid a proliferation of too specific categories, resulting in (as has happened with some Locus Award categories) a single series, editor, or author dominating the award.

In the Best Dramatic Presentation category the science fiction horror film Alien won, beating out some decent competition including Star Trek: The Motion Picture. However, the most important thing about the 1980 Best Dramatic Presentation ballot is that The Muppet Movie was nominated for the award. Because of this nomination, I can declare that the Muppets, and all things they appear in, are science fiction or fantasy, and hence are suitable for review on a science fiction and fantasy blog.

Best Novel

Winner:
The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke

Other Nominees:
Harpist in the Wind by Patricia A. McKillip
Jem by Frederik Pohl
On Wings of Song by Thomas M. Disch
Titan by John Varley

Best Novella

Winner:
Enemy Mine by Barry B. Longyear

Other Nominees:
The Battle of the Abaco Reefs by Hilbert Schenck
Ker-Plop by Ted Reynolds
The Moon Goddess and the Son by Donald M. Kingsbury
Songhouse by Orson Scott Card

Best Novelette

Winner:
Sandkings by George R.R. Martin

Other Nominees:
Fireflood by Vonda N. McIntyre
Homecoming by Barry B. Longyear
The Locusts by Larry Niven and Steve Barnes
Options by John Varley
Palely Loitering by Christopher Priest

Best Short Story

Winner:
The Way of Cross and Dragon by George R.R. Martin

Other Nominees:
Can These Bones Live? by Ted Reynolds
Daisy, In the Sun by Connie Willis
giANTS by Edward Bryant
Unaccompanied Sonata by Orson Scott Card

Best Nonfiction, Related, or Reference Book

Winner:
The Science Fiction Encyclopedia edited by Peter Nicholls

Other Nominees:
In Memory Yet Green by Isaac Asimov
The Language of the Night by Ursula K. Le Guin edited by Susan Wood
Wonderworks by Michael Whelan

Best Dramatic Presentation

Winner:
Alien

Other Nominees:
The Black Hole
The Muppet Movie
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Time After Time

Best Professional Editor

Winner:
George H. Scithers

Other Nominees:
Jim Baen
Ben Bova
Edward L. Ferman
Stanley Schmidt

Best Professional Artist

Winner:
Michael Whelan

Other Nominees:
Vincent Di Fate
Steve Fabian
Paul Lehr
Boris Vallejo

Best Fanzine

Winner:
Locus edited by Charles N. Brown

Other Nominees:
File 770 edited by Mike Glyer
Janus edited by Janice Bogstad and Jeanne Gomoll
Science Fiction Review edited by Richard E. Geis
Thrust edited by Doug Fratz

Best Fan Writer

Winner:
Bob Shaw

Other Nominees:
Richard E. Geis
Mike Glyer
Arthur D. Hlavaty
David Langford

Best Fan Artist

Winner:
Alexis Gilliland

Other Nominees:
Jeanne Gomoll
Joan Hanke-Woods
Victoria Poyser
Bill Rotsler
Stu Shiffman

John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer

Winner:
Barry B. Longyear

Other Nominees:
Lynn Abbey
Diane Duane
Karen Jollie
Alan Ryan
Somtow Sucharitkul

What Are the Hugo Awards?

Go to previous year's nominees: 1979
Go to subsequent year's nominees: 1981

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