Comments: 1957 was perhaps the oddest year for the Hugo Awards. For some inexplicable reason, the Award committee declined to extend awards for any categories including works of fiction, and instead only three awards were given: Best American Professional Magazine, Best British Magazine, and Best Fanzine. As usual, Astounding won an award, adding yet another trophy to John W. Campbell, Jr.'s shelf. Because of the structure of the Retro Hugo eligibility requirements, the fact that these awards were given blocks off even the possibility that such retroactive awards might be given for fiction from 1957.
This is also the first year for which we have records of the non-winning finalists, although given that the only awards bestowed were for periodicals, the fact that we know Fantasy & Science Fiction, Galaxy, and Infinity lost to Astounding is not nearly as interesting as knowing who the runners up for Best Novel in 1956 would be. The fact that other finalists are listed does indicate that no fiction categories were even voted on, because in later years in which no single work qualified as a winner in a particular category, the finalists were still listed.
Best American Professional Magazine
Astounding edited by John W. Campbell, Jr.
Finalists:
Fantasy & Science Fiction edited by Anthony Boucher
Galaxy edited by H.L. Gold
Infinity edited by Larry T. Shaw
Best British Professional Magazine
New Worlds edited by John Carnell
Other Finalists:
Nebula edited by Peter Hamilton
Best Fanzine
Science-Fiction Times edited by James V. Taurasi, Sr., Ray Van Houten, and Frank R. Prieto, Jr.
Other Finalists:
Hyphen edited by Walt Willis and Chuck Harris
Inside edited Ron Smith
What Are the Hugo Awards?
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