2003 Hugo Longlist

One of the questions that arises often is "what do awards tell us". Some people seem to think that awards can tell you what books and stories are good, and to a certain extent that may be true, but only to a certain extent. What awards really tell you is what the people voting on the award believed were good books and stories. Who wins awards, including the Hugo Award, is interesting, but generally not as interesting to me as who fans nominated as a whole. The winner is a single datapoint, and usually represents a compromise between several different options - especially with the instant runoff voting system used by the Hugo Awards. The winner in a category usually has a fair amount of support from people who really liked them, but what pushes each winner over the top are voters for whom the work was a second, third, or even fourth choice. The winner is a consensus choice, but using just the winners as indicators of what people thought were superior works is, in my opinion, overly simplistic.

Consequently, I am usually much more interested in the full array of finalists in a Hugo category, and with the longlist information, interested in the array of nominees who reached the longlist as well. If one wants to see what Hugo voting fandom was thinking about genre fiction in a particular year, the only way to get a fully accurate sense is to look at both the finalists and the longlisted nominees. If one only looks at the finalists, for example, one can readily see that Michael Swanwick had a very good year at the Hugos in 2003, as he garnered four slots on the ballot. What one would not necessarily notice just looking at the list of finalists is that Charles Coleman Finlay also had an excellent showing in the 2003 Hugos, with one story making the finalists, a slot on the Campbell Award ballot, and two more stories on the longlist. Further, if one were only looking at the finalists, one might entirely miss the strong year that Charles Stross had, with only one story on the list of finalists, but three more stories on the longlist. Finally, if one were only looking at the finalists, Alastair Reynolds would be invisible, as he had no stories reach the list of finalists, but three stories on the longlist.

The point it, one needs to look at the whole landscape of the voting in order to get a complete picture of what voters were thinking. This is why I think the longlist is valuable: It puts the list of finalists into a more complete context. Without the longlist, one only has an incomplete view of the mindset of the elctorate.

Best Novel

Finalists:
Bones of the Earth by Michael Swanwick
Hominids by Robert J. Sawyer [winner]
Kiln People by David Brin
The Scar by China Mieville
The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson

Longlisted Nominees:
Chindi by Jack McDevitt
Coyote by Allen M. Steele
Dance for the Ivory Madonna by Don Sakers
Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
Light by M. John Harrison
Night Watch by Terry Pratchett
Permanence by Karl Schroeder
Probability Space by Nancy Kress
Redemption Ark by Alastair Reynolds
Ruled Britannia by Harry Turtledove

Best Novella

Finalists:
Breathmoss by Ian R. MacLeod
Bronte's Egg by Richard Chwedyk
Coraline by Neil Gaiman [winner]
The Political Officer by Charles Coleman Finlay
In Spirit by Pat Forde
A Year in the Linear City by Paul Di Filippo

Longlisted Nominees:
A Democracy of Trolls by Charles Coleman Finlay
The Drive-In Puerto Rico by Lucius Shepard
The Human Front by Ken MacLeod
Jury Service by Charles Stross and Cory Doctorow
Paradises Lost by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Potter of Bones by Eleanor Arnason
Router by Charles Stross
Stories for Men by John Kessel
Turquoise Days by Alastair Reynolds
Unseen Demons by Adam-Troy Castro
Veritas by Robert Reed

Best Novelette

Finalists:
Halo by Charles Stross
Liking What You See: A Documentary by Ted Chiang [nomination declined]
Madonna of the Maquiladora by Gregory Frost
Presence by Maureen F. McHugh
Slow Life by Michael Swanwick [winner]
The Wild Girls by Ursula K. Le Guin

Longlisted Nominees
First to the Moon by Stephen Baxter and Simon Bradshaw
In Her Image by Michael A. Burstein
Isabel of the Fall by Ian R. MacLeod
Look Away by Stephen L. Burns
Lull by Kelly Link
The Old Cosmonaut and the Construction Worker Dream of Mars by Ian McDonald
Ownz0red by Cory Doctorow
The Passenger by Paul McAuley
The Real Story by Alastair Reynolds
Tourist by Charles Stross
We Come Not to Praise Washington by Charles Coleman Finlay

Best Short Story

Finalists:
Creation by Jeffrey Ford
Falling Onto Mars by Geoffrey A. Landis [winner]
'Hello,' Said the Stick by Michael Swanwick
Lambing Season by Molly Gloss
The Little Cat Laughed to See Such Sport by Michael Swanwick

Longlisted Nominees
At Dorado by Geoffrey A. Landis
Flight Correction by Ken Wharton
In Paradise by Bruce Sterling
Knapsack Poems by Eleanor Arnason
Little Gods by Tim Pratt
Reflections in Black Granite by Mike Resnick and Michael A. Burstein
Social Dreaming of the Frin by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Waif by Gene Wolfe
What I Didn't See by Karen Joy Fowler

Best Related Work

Finalists:
The Battle of the Sexes in Science Fiction by Justine Larbelestier

Better to Have Loved: The Life of Judith Merril by Judith Merril and Emily Pohl-Weary [winner]

Dragonhenge by Bob Eggleton and John Grant
Ray Bradbury: An Illustrated Life by Jerry Wiest

Spectrum 9: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art edited by Cathy Fenner and Arnie Fenner

Longlisted Nominees:
Adventures in the Dream Trade by Neil Gaiman
The Art of Jeffrey Jones by Jeffrey Jones
Bad Astronomy by Philip Plait
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Visual Companion by Jude Fisher
The Making of the Movie Trilogy: Lord of the Rings by Brian Sibley
Mapping Mars by Oliver Morton
Paper Tiger Fantasy Art Gallery edited by Paul Barnett
The Science Fiction Art of Vincent di Fate by Vincent di Fate
The Science Fiction Professional by Mike Resnick

The Science of Discworld II: The Globe Emury by Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart, and Jack Cohen

Tomorrow Now: Envisioning the Next 50 Years by Bruce Sterling

Best Dramatic Presentation: Long Form

Finalists:
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers [winner]
Minority Report
Spider-Man
Spirited Away

Longlisted Nominees:
Ice Age
Lilo and Stitch
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (extended edition)
Men in Black II
Metropolis
Signs
Solaris
Star Trek: Nemesis
Star Wars: Attack of the Clones
Taken
Treasure Planet

Best Dramatic Presentation: Short Form

Finalists:
Angel: Waiting in the Wings
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Conversations with Dead People [winner]
Firefly: Serenity
Star Trek - Enterprise: Carbon Creek
Star Trek - Enterprise: A Night in Sickbay

Longlisted Nominees:
Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Normal Again
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Selfless
ConJose Masquerade Half-Time Show
Farscape: Unrealized Reality
Firefly: Objects in Space
Futurama: Where No Fan Has Gone Before

Lord of the Piercing (Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Extended DVD Easter Egg)

Smallville: Ryan
A Walk on the Windy Side (from Windycon)

Best Professional Editor

Finalists:
Ellen Datlow
Gardner Dozois [winner]
David G. Hartwell
Stanley Schmidt
Gordon van Gelder

Longlisted Nominees:
A.J. Budrys
Martin H. Greenberg
Warren Lapine
Shawna McCarthy
Betsy Mitchell
Mary Anne Mohanraj
Patrick Nielsen Hayden
David Pringle
Ian Randall Strock
Terry Windling

Best Professional Artist

Finalists:
Jim Burns
David A. Cherry
Bob Eggleton [winner]
Frank Kelly Freas
Donato Giancola

Longlisted Nominees:
Thomas Canty
Kinuko Y. Craft
Vincent di Fate
Phil Foglio
Tom Kidd
Jody Lee
Don Maitz
John Jude Palencar
Alan Pollack
Omar Rayyan
Ron Walotsky
Michael Whelan
Stephen Youll

Best Semi-Prozine

Finalists:
Ansible edited by Dave Langford
Interzone edited by David Pringle

Locus edited by Charles N. Brown, Kirsten Gong-Wong, and Jennifer A. Hall [winner]

The New York Review of Science Fiction edited by Kathryn Cramer, David G. Hartwell, and Kevin J. Maroney

Speculations edited by Kent Brewster

Longlisted Nominees:
Absolute Magnitude edited by Warren Lapine
Artemis edited by Ian Randal Strock
Ideomancer edited by Chris Clarke and Mikal Trimm
On Spec edited by Diane Walton
SF Chronicle edited by John R. Douglas
Spectrum SF edited by Paul Fraser
Starlog edited by David McDonnell
Strange Horizons edited by Susan Marie Groppi, Jed Hartman, and Karen Meisner
Talebones edited by Patrick Swenson
The Third Alternative edited by Andy Cox

Best Fanzine

Finalists:
Challenger edited by Guy H. Lillian, III
Emerald City edited by Cheryl Morgan
File 770 edited by Mike Glyer
Mimosa edited by Rich Lynch and Nicki Lynch [winner]
Plokta edited by Alison Scott, Steve Davies, and Mike Scott

Longlisted Nominees:
Banana Wings edited by Claire Brialey and Mark Plummer
Bento edited by Kate Yule and David D. Levine
Devniad edited by Robert E. Devney
The Knarley Knews edited by Henry L. Welch
Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet edited by Gavin Grant and Kelly Link
SF Revu edited by Gayle Surrette
Steam Engine Time edited by Bruce Gillespie and Janine Stinson
Tangent Online edited by Dave Truesdale
Twink edited by by E.B. Frohvet
Vanamonde edited by John Hertz
The Voyageour edited by Karen Bennett and Sharon Lowachee
Wabe edited by Jae Leslie Adams, Tracy Benton and Bill Bodden

Best Fan Writer

Finalists:
Bob Devney
John L. Flynn
Mike Glyer
Dave Langford [winner]
Steven H Silver

Longlisted Nominees:
Jeff Berkwits
John Hertz
Evelyn Leeper
David D. Levine
Guy H. Lillian, III
Cheryl Morgan
Teresa Nielsen Hayden
Lloyd Penney
Alex von Thorn
Kate Yule

Best Fan Artist

Finalists:
Brad Foster
Teddy Harvia
Sue Mason [winner]
Steve Stiles
Frank Wu

Longlisted Nominees:
Freddie Baer
Sheryl Birkhead
Kurt Erichsen
Alexis Gilliland
Bill Neville
Melody Rondeau
Marc Schirmeister
Taral Wayne
D. West
Alan White

John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer

Finalists:
Charles Coleman Finlay
David D. Levine
Karin Lowachee
Wen Spencer [winner]
Ken Wharton

Longlisted Nominees:
Jacqueline Carey
Cecilia Dart-Thornton
Alan DeNiro
Jasper Fforde
Theodora Goss
Alexander C. Irvine
Hilary Moon Murphy
Ruth Nestvold
Tim Pratt
Benjamin Rosenbaum

Go to previous year's longlist: 2002
Go to subsequent year's longlist: 2004

Go to 2003 Hugo Finalists and Winners

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