Comments: The 1982 Hugo ballot for Best Dramatic Presentation is the first slate in that category that I can say that I saw all of in the movie theater when they were initially released. And looking at the list, on which the western in space Outland was probably the weakest member, one can only marvel at how great a year this had been for genre fans. The victory by Raiders of the Lost Ark was probably inevitable given that film's box office popularity, but given that Raiders really only has one fantasy element that crops up at the very close of the movie, I would have preferred something more clearly rooted in the science fiction or fantasy genre to have taken home the trophy, and all the other nominees were clearly genre fiction. I have a soft spot for the surreal Time Bandits, but that may be just an idiosyncrasy of mine.
In the more traditional categories, C.J. Cherryh took home the prize for Best Novel for her book Downbelow Station, but her victory highlights a somewhat odd trend: a woman winning against a slate of other nominees who are all men. When one looks at the list of nominees across the categories, there are only a handful of women among them, which is a pattern that wasn't really new. A handful of women got on the Hugo ballots of this era, and seem to have had disproportionate success at winning awards. The only explanation that I can come up with is that while publishers and editors were willing to consider work by women, they would only let the best female writers through the gates, whereas mediocre male writers could much more easily get their work through the hoops necessary to get to the market.
Best Novel
Downbelow Station by C.J. Cherryh
Other Nominees:
The Claw of the Conciliator by Gene Wolfe
Little, Big by John Crowley
The Many-Colored Land by Julian May
Project Pope by Clifford D. Simak
Best Novella
The Saturn Game by Poul Anderson
Other Nominees:
Blue Champagne by John Varley
Emergence by David R. Palmer
In the Western Tradition by Phyllis Eisenstein
True Names by Vernor Vinge
With Thimbles, With Forks and Hope by Kate Wilhelm
Best Novelette
Unicorn Variation by Roger Zelazny
Other Nominees:
The Fire When It Comes by Parke Godwin
Guardians by George R.R. Martin
The Quickening by Michael Bishop
The Thermals of August by Edward Bryant
Best Short Story
The Pusher by John Varley
Other Nominees:
Absent Thee from Felicity Awhile by Somtow Sucharitkul
The Quiet by George Florance-Guthridge
The Woman the Unicorn Loved by Gene Wolfe
Best Nonfiction, Related, or Reference Work
Danse Macabre by Stephen King
Other Nominees:
After Man by Dougal Dixon
Anatomy of Wonder, 2nd Edition edited by Neil Barron
The Art of Leo & Diane Dillon by Leo Dillon and Diane Dillon, edited by Byron Preiss
The Grand Tour by Ron Miller and William K. Hartmann
Best Dramatic Presentation
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Other Nominees:
Dragonslayer
Excalibur
Outland
Time Bandits
Best Professional Editor
Edward L. Ferman
Other Nominees:
Terry Carr
David G. Hartwell
Stanley Schmidt
George Scithers
Best Professional Artist
Michael Whelan
Other Nominees:
Vincent Di Fate
Carl Lundgren
Don Maitz
Rowena Morrill
Best Fanzine
Locus edited by Charles N. Brown
Other Nominees:
File 770 edited by Mike Glyer
Science Fiction Chronicle edited by Andrew Porter
Science Fiction Review edited by Richard E. Geis
Best Fan Writer
Richard E. Geis
Other Nominees:
Mike Glyer
Arthur D. Hlavaty
Dave Langford
Best Fan Artist
Victoria Poyser
Other Nominees:
Alexis Gilliland
Joan Hanke-Woods
Bill Rotsler
Stu Shiffman
John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer
Alexis Gilliland
Other Nominees:
David Brin
Robert Stallman
Michael Swanwick
Paul O. Williams
What Are the Hugo Awards?
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