Living Canon

Arthur C. Clarke Award 2022: Complete list of winners

The 2022 Arthur C. Clarke Award recognized some of science fiction’s most inventive and boundary-pushing work, with Harry Josephine Giles’s Deep Wheel Orcadia claiming the top prize. This distinctive award, which has championed speculative fiction since 1987, continues to shine a light on novels that expand our understanding of what science fiction can be—moving well beyond the predictable blockbuster territory to embrace experimental narratives and fresh perspectives. Giles’s winning work exemplifies this mission, offering readers something genuinely unconventional while maintaining that essential spark of speculative wonder that defines the Clarke Award’s sensibility.

What makes the 2022 selections particularly striking is how they reflect the genre’s current trajectory toward greater diversity in both form and voice. The Arthur C. Clarke Award has long served as a barometer for where science fiction is heading, and this year’s winner demonstrates the award’s commitment to recognizing fiction that takes risks—whether in narrative structure, thematic complexity, or the very definition of what constitutes the speculative. For those tracking the evolution of contemporary science fiction and the honors that matter most to serious readers of the genre, the 2022 Clarke Award winners offer compelling evidence of a field in creative ferment.

Below, explore the full list of finalists and the year’s most celebrated achievements in science fiction.

Science Fiction