Living Canon

Hugo Awards 1987: Complete list of winners

The 1987 Hugo Awards ceremony proved to be a landmark year for science fiction, with winners who would leave indelible marks on the genre. Orson Scott Card claimed Best Novel honors for Speaker for the Dead, the ambitious sequel to Ender’s Game that expanded his universe in unexpected philosophical directions. The award recognized Card’s ability to blend complex moral questions with compelling narrative—a winning combination that resonated with Hugo voters that year. Beyond the novel category, the ceremony showcased the depth of sci-fi storytelling across multiple formats, from the sprawling epic to the tightly crafted short story.

The 1987 Hugo Award winners in the shorter fiction categories demonstrated the genre’s remarkable versatility. Roger Zelazny’s Permafrost earned Best Novelette, while Robert Silverberg’s Gilgamesh in the Outback took home Best Novella, proving that science fiction’s elder statesmen remained as inventive as ever. Greg Bear rounded out the evening’s major victories with Best Short Story for Tangents, cementing what was clearly a strong year for exploring speculative futures across different narrative lengths. These four works collectively illustrated why the Hugo Awards—voted on by members of the World Science Fiction Convention—remain the field’s most democratic and fan-beloved honor.

Here are the complete winners from the 1987 Hugo Awards:

Best Novel

Best Novelette

Best Novella

Best Short Story