Nebula Awards 2016: Complete list of winners

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America recognized some truly stellar work at the 2016 Nebula Awards, celebrating the best in speculative fiction voted on by the organization’s members. Charlie Jane Anders took home the Best Novel prize for All the Birds in the Sky, a genre-bending love story that weaves together fantasy and science fiction in ways that had readers and critics equally enchanted. The win marked a significant moment for Anders, whose ambitious debut demonstrated that the boundaries between SF and fantasy could be not just blurred but beautifully dissolved.

Beyond the novel category, the 2016 Nebula Awards showcased the depth of talent across shorter forms. Seanan McGuire’s Every Heart a Doorway won Best Novella with its haunting exploration of portal fantasy and found family, while Amal El-Mohtar captured Best Short Story with Seasons of Glass and Iron, a lyrical tale that reimagined classic folklore through a speculative lens. William Ledbetter’s The Long Fall Up earned Best Novelette recognition, and David D. Levine’s Arabella of Mars brought adventure and heart to the Young Adult category. Together, these winners represented the Nebula Awards’ commitment to honoring diverse voices and innovative storytelling across all lengths of science fiction and fantasy prose.

Here are the complete 2016 Nebula Awards winners:

Best Novel

• All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders

Best Novelette

• The Long Fall Up by William Ledbetter

Best Novella

• Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

Best Short Story

• Seasons of Glass and Iron by Amal El-Mohtar

Best Young Adult

• Arabella of Mars by David D. Levine