ShelfEvidentLocus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel
2026 Winner
Complete History
2020s
- 2026Death of the Author — Nnedi Okorafor
- 2025The Man Who Saw Seconds — Alexander Boldizar
- 2024System Collapse — Martha Wells
- 2023The Kaiju Preservation Society — John Scalzi
- 2022A Desolation Called Peace — Arkady Martine
- 2021Network Effect — Martha Wells
- 2020The City in the Middle of the Night — Charlie Jane Anders
2010s
- 2019The Calculating Stars — Mary Robinette Kowal
- 2018The Collapsing Empire — John Scalzi
- 2017Death's End — Cixin Liu
- 2016Ancillary Mercy — Ann Leckie
- 2015Ancillary Sword — Ann Leckie
- 2014Abaddon's Gate — James S. A. Corey
- 2013Redshirts — John Scalzi
- 2012Embassytown — China Miéville
- 2011Blackout — Connie Willis
- 2010Boneshaker — Cherie Priest
2000s
- 2009Anathem — Neal Stephenson
- 2008The Yiddish Policemen's Union — Michael Chabon
- 2007Rainbows End — Vernor Vinge
- 2006Accelerando — Charles Stross
- 2005The Baroque Cycle — Neal Stephenson
- 2004Ilium — Dan Simmons
- 2003The Years of Rice and Salt — Kim Stanley Robinson
- 2002Passage — Connie Willis
- 2001The Telling — Ursula K. Le Guin
- 2000Cryptonomicon — Neal Stephenson
1990s
- 1999To Say Nothing of the Dog — Connie Willis
- 1998The Rise of Endymion — Dan Simmons
- 1997Blue Mars — Kim Stanley Robinson
- 1996The Diamond Age — Neal Stephenson
- 1995Mirror Dance — Lois McMaster Bujold
- 1994Green Mars — Kim Stanley Robinson
- 1993Doomsday Book — Connie Willis
- 1992Barrayar — Lois McMaster Bujold
- 1991The Fall of Hyperion — Dan Simmons
- 1990Hyperion — Dan Simmons
1980s
- 1989Cyteen — C. J. Cherryh
- 1988The Uplift War — David Brin
- 1987Speaker for the Dead — Orson Scott Card
- 1986The Postman — David Brin
- 1985The Integral Trees — Larry Niven
- 1984Startide Rising — David Brin
- 1983Foundation's Edge — Isaac Asimov
- 1982The Many-Colored Land — Julian May
- 1981The Snow Queen — Joan D. Vinge
- 1980Titan — John Varley
About the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel
The Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel is one of the most widely observed and historically significant awards in speculative fiction, presented annually by Locus Magazine based on a readers' poll. Locus, founded in 1968 in Oakland, California, is the primary trade publication covering the science fiction and fantasy publishing industry, and its annual poll is one of the oldest continuous genre awards, with roots going back to 1971. The Best Science Fiction Novel category was formally established in 1980 (separated from a general Best Novel category). Winners are determined by popular vote among Locus subscribers and online participants, making it a strong measure of what readers—rather than a small jury—value most in the genre. The Locus Awards consistently attract more voters than the Hugo or Nebula awards combined, lending them significant statistical weight as a reflection of reader taste. Past winners in the SF novel category include Ann Leckie (two consecutive wins for the Imperial Radch trilogy), Martha Wells (Murderbot Diaries), John Scalzi, Connie Willis, China Miéville, and many of the dominant voices of contemporary science fiction. Awards are announced at an annual Locus Awards banquet.
Frequently Asked Questions
- It is a reader-voted award given annually by Locus Magazine to the best science fiction novel published in the previous calendar year, one of the most broadly participated-in awards in the genre.
- Any reader can participate in the annual Locus poll online or via the magazine. Locus subscribers receive extra weight in the tallying, but the poll is open to all.
- The Locus poll began in 1971. The separate Best Science Fiction Novel category was established in 1980 when the SF and Fantasy novel categories were split.
- They are entirely popular-vote, with results based on the annual Locus Magazine reader poll, making them one of the most democratically selected awards in genre fiction.
- Winners receive a plaque and public recognition. Notably, the publishers of winning works also receive certificates—a unique feature of the Locus Awards that recognizes the publishing team.
- The Locus Awards banquet is held annually, typically in the San Francisco Bay Area where Locus Magazine is based.
- Yes. Since 1978/1980, Locus has maintained separate awards for Science Fiction and Fantasy novels, reflecting the distinct readerships and traditions of these sub-genres.