Living Canon

Hugo Awards 2023: Complete list of winners

The 2023 Hugo Awards celebrated science fiction and fantasy’s most innovative voices across every category, showcasing the breadth of imaginative storytelling that defines the field. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America’s most prestigious accolade went to a mix of established names and fresh perspectives: T. Kingfisher’s Nettle & Bone claimed Best Novel honors, while Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Children of Time series secured the Best Series award, cementing both authors’ status in the genre’s contemporary landscape. Beyond traditional prose, the Hugo Awards recognized excellence across format and age category, with Nnedi Okorafor’s Akata Woman (The Nsibidi Scripts) winning Best YA Book, and Bartosz Sztybor’s Cyberpunk 2077: Big City Dreams earning Best Graphic Story, reflecting how science fiction and fantasy continue to evolve across mediums.

This year’s winners revealed intriguing currents running through the Hugo Awards voting: a notable embrace of darker, more complex narratives alongside stories centered on wonder and transformation. Seanan McGuire’s haunting novella Where the Drowned Girls Go and Samantha Mills’ sharp Rabbit Test represented short-form excellence, while Hai Ya’s The Space-Time Painter demonstrated the novelette category’s vital role in capturing stories that demand more than a short story’s space but less than a novella’s scope. These selections underscore how the Hugo Awards continue to shape which science fiction and fantasy works achieve lasting cultural significance.

Below, explore the complete list of 2023 Hugo Awards winners and what makes each selection noteworthy:

Best Graphic Story

Best Novel

Best Novelette

Best Novella

Best Series

Best Short Story

Best YA Book