Living Canon

Nebula Awards 2021: Complete list of winners

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association announced the 2021 Nebula Awards winners this year, and the results represent a remarkable celebration of boundary-pushing storytelling across multiple genres. P. Djèlí Clark’s A Master of Djinn claimed the top prize for Best Novel, bringing a richly imagined alternate-history Cairo to the forefront of speculative fiction’s most prestigious awards. The full slate of 2021 Nebula Award winners demonstrates the field’s growing commitment to amplifying underrepresented voices, with recognition spanning from established names to emerging talents reshaping what science fiction and fantasy can be.

Beyond the marquee novel category, this year’s Nebula Awards shortlist reveals exciting trends in shorter form fiction. Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki’s O2 Arena won Best Novelette, while Premee Mohamed’s And What Can We Offer You Tonight took Best Novella, and Sarah Pinsker’s Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather earned Best Short Story honors. Perhaps most significantly, Darcie Little Badger’s A Snake Falls to Earth won the Best Young Adult category, signaling how science fiction and fantasy literature for younger readers is gaining serious critical attention. These winners collectively showcase the genre’s expanding reach and the diverse perspectives now shaping its future.

Below, you’ll find the complete list of 2021 Nebula Awards winners across all major categories:

Best Novel

Best Novelette

  • O2 Arena by Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki

Best Novella

Best Short Story

  • Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather by Sarah Pinsker

Best Young Adult