John W. Campbell Award Winners for Excellence in Writing, Best Nonfiction Book, and Retrospective Awards

The John W. Campbell, Jr. Memorial Awards are generally only given as an honor to the best science fiction novel of the year. Unlike many other genre awards, the Campbell Award doesn't have multiple categories, and as a result there is usually only one winner in a given year. However, on three occasions, the judges who decide these awards have seen fit to hand out additional awards on a one-time only basis.

There appears to be no rhyme or reason behind granting of these extra awards. One was bestowed for "Special Excellence in Writing", and another was given to the "Best Nonfiction Book" for that year. In both of those cases, those awards were given in addition to the regular award for best science fiction novel. In 1976, however, the judges decided not to award the regular award for best science fiction novel and instead, for unexplained reasons, bestow a Retrospective Award upon Wilson Tucker's 1970 novel The Year of the Quiet Sun.

1973: Dying Inside by Robert Silverberg (Special Award for Excellence in Writing)
1974: The Cosmic Connection by Carl Sagan (Best Nonfiction Book)
1976: The Year of the Quiet Sun by Wilson Tucker (Retrospective Award)

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