The Goodreads Choice Awards for Fantasy is one of the most popular reader-voted fantasy awards in the world, given annually by the Goodreads community since 2009. With millions of active participants on the Goodreads platform, the Fantasy category attracts hundreds of thousands of votes and has consistently recognized dominant voices in popular fantasy, including Neil Gaiman, Sarah J. Maas, Leigh Bardugo, Madeline Miller, T.J. Klune, and V.E. Schwab. The award reflects the tastes of a large and passionate global readership and often predicts or amplifies bestselling fantasy trends. Unlike awards selected by critics or industry professionals, the Goodreads Choice Awards celebrate books that readers love most, making them a powerful measure of popular impact in the fantasy genre.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is an annual reader-voted award for the best fantasy novel of the year, as determined by Goodreads members. It has been given since 2009 and is one of the most widely followed fantasy awards due to Goodreads' massive global readership.
Any registered Goodreads member can vote during the annual voting period in November. The voting process includes a broad opening round followed by a final round, with the winner announced in December.
Sarah J. Maas has won the Goodreads Choice Award for Fantasy multiple times, as has Neil Gaiman. Leigh Bardugo, Madeline Miller, T.J. Klune, and V.E. Schwab have also won the award.
Yes. Goodreads has a separate Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction category, so the main Fantasy award focuses on adult fantasy fiction.
Yes. Goodreads has a separate Debut Novel category, but debut authors are fully eligible for the main Fantasy award as well, and some have won or placed highly in their debut year.
Goodreads nominates books based on the number of ratings and reviews they have received throughout the year, supplemented by write-in votes from members. The most-read and highest-rated fantasy books of the year generally appear on the ballot.
Yes. Starting in 2023, Goodreads added a separate Romantasy category to recognize the surge in fantasy-romance hybrid novels, separating these from the main Fantasy category.