Hugo Winners for Best Short Story

Short stories have always had a central place in science fiction. For much of the history of the genre, the main expression was in the pulp periodicals which covered the newsstands from the 1930s through the 1950s and into the 1970s. Some still exist - Analog Science Fiction and Fact, Asimov's Science Fiction, Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Interzone to name a few. Some short fiction outlets have sprung up online too - the online magazine Clarkesworld is a prime example.

Because of the importance of short stories, it should come as no surprise that one of the most consistent honors handed out at the Hugo Awards has been the award for Best Short Story. Although this was not a category in the first Hugo Awards in 1953, the award has been given out at every Worldcon since (with the singular exception of 1957, a year in which no fiction awards were given). For purposes of the award, a short story is defined as a work of fiction of fewer than 7,500 words in length.

Clicking on the year will take you to a page listing all of the nominees for the Hugo Award for that year. Five short stories have been awarded "Retro Hugos", and are listed here in red, with the year the award was actually given noted in parenthesis.

1939: How We Went to Mars by Arthur C. Clarke (awarded in 2014)
1941: Robbie by Isaac Asimov (awarded in 2016) (reviewed in I, Robot)
1943: The Twonky by C.L. Moore and Henry Kuttner (awarded in 2018)
1944: King of the Gray Spaces (aka R is for Rocket) by Ray Bradbury (awarded in 2019)
1945: I, Rocket by Ray Bradbury (awarded in 2020)
1946: Uncommon Sense by Hal Clement (awarded in 1996)
1951: To Serve Man by Damon Knight (awarded in 2001)

1954: The Nine Billion Names of God by Arthur C. Clarke (awarded in 2004) (reviewed in The Nine Billion Names of God and The Science Fiction Hall of Fame: Volume I, 1929-1964)

1955: Allamagoosa by Eric Frank Russell (reviewed in The Hugo Winners, Volume 1)

1956: The Star by Arthur C. Clarke (reviewed in The Hugo Winners, Volume 1 and The Nine Billion Names of God)

1958: Or All the Seas with Oysters by Avram Davidson (reviewed in The Hugo Winners, Volume 1)

1959: That Hell-Bound Train by Robert Bloch (reviewed in The Hugo Winners, Volume 1 and Fantasy & Science Fiction: Volume 116, No. 3 (March 2009))

1960: Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (reviewed in The Hugo Winners, Volume 1 and The Science Fiction Hall of Fame: Volume I, 1929-1964)

1961: The Longest Voyage by Poul Anderson (reviewed in The Hugo Winners, Volume 1)

1962: Hothouse by Brian W. Aldiss
1963: The Dragon Masters by Jack Vance
1964: No Truce with Kings by Poul Anderson
1965: Soldier, Ask Not by Gordon R. Dickson
1966: "Repent Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman by Harlan Ellison
1967: Neutron Star by Larry Niven

1968: I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison (reviewed in More Stories from the Hugo Winners, Volume II)

1969: The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World by Harlan Ellison (reviewed in More Stories from the Hugo Winners, Volume II)

1970: Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones by Samuel R. Delany (reviewed in More Stories from the Hugo Winners, Volume II)

1971: Slow Sculpture by Theodore Sturgeon (reviewed in The Hugo Winners: Volume 3, Book 1)

1972: Inconstant Moon by Larry Niven (reviewed in The Hugo Winners: Volume 3, Book 1)

1973: (tie) Eurema's Dam by R.A. Lafferty (reviewed in The Hugo Winners: Volume 3, Book 2)

          (tie) The Meeting by Frederik Pohl and Cyril M. Kornbluth (reviewed in The Hugo Winners: Volume 3, Book 2)

1974: The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin (reviewed in The Hugo Winners: Volume 3, Book 2)

1975: The Hole Man by Larry Niven (reviewed in The Hugo Winners: Volume 3, Book 2)

1976: Catch That Zeppelin! by Fritz Leiber
1977: Tricentennial by Joe Haldeman
1978: Jeffty Is Five by Harlan Ellison
1979: Cassandra by C.J. Cherryh
1980: The Way of Cross and Dragon by George R.R. Martin
1981: Grotto of the Dancing Deer by Clifford D. Simak
1982: The Pusher by John Varley
1983: Melancholy Elephants by Spider Robinson
1984: Speech Sounds by Octavia E. Butler
1985: The Crystal Spheres by David Brin
1986: Fermi and Frost by Frederik Pohl
1987: Tangents by Greg Bear
1988: Why I Left Harry's All-Night Hamburgers by Lawrence Watt-Evans
1989: Kirinyaga by Mike Resnick
1990: Boobs by Suzy McKee Charnas
1991: Bears Discover Fire by Terry Bisson
1992: A Walk in the Sun by Geoffrey A. Landis
1993: Even the Queen by Connie Willis
1994: Death on the Nile by Connie Willis
1995: None So Blind by Joe Haldeman
1996: The Lincoln Train by Maureen F. McHugh

1997: The Soul Selects Her Own Society: Invasion and Repulsion: A Chronological Reinterpretation of Two of Emily Dickinson's Poems: A Wellsian Perspective by Connie Willis

1998: The 43 Antarean Dynasties by Mike Resnick
1999: The Very Pulse of the Machine by Michael Swanwick
2000: Scherzo with Tyrannosaur by Michael Swanwick
2001: Different Kinds of Darkness by David Langford
2002: The Dog Said Bow-Wow by Michael Swanwick
2003: Falling Onto Mars by Geoffrey A. Landis
2004: A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman
2005: Travels with My Cats by Mike Resnick
2006: Tk 'tk 'tk by David D. Levine
2007: Impossible Dreams by Tim Pratt
2008: Tideline by Elizabeth Bear
2009: Exhalation by Ted Chiang
2010: Bridesicle by Will McIntosh

2011: For Want of a Nail by Mary Robinette Kowal (reviewed in Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 34, No. 9 (September 2010))

2012: The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu
2013: Mono no Aware by Ken Liu

2014: The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere by John Chu (reviewed in 2014 Hugo Voting - Best Short Story)

2015: No Award

2016: Cat Pictures Please by Naomi Kritzer (reviewed in Clarkesworld: Issue 100 (January 2015) and 2016 Hugo Voting - Best Short Story)

2017: Seasons of Glass and Iron by Amal El-Mohtar

2018: Welcome to your Authentic Indian Experience™ by Rebecca Roanhorse

2019: A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies by Alix E. Harrow

2020: As the Last I May Know by S.L. Huang

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