2026 Ignyte Awards
Jun. 8th, 2026 10:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
psocopteraHere or behind the cut.
Note that they've dropped the Artist and Comics categories: "Energy around the Artist and Comics categories has flagged over the years. From judges, voters, and finalists, we've consistently seen low numbers in noms, votes, and responses to emails. We've made the decision to eliminate those categories this year. This is not about their validity or significance as contributors to the field! Those things are indisputable. We hope to see them recognized in meaningful ways from other award entities."
OUTSTANDING NOVEL: ADULT
for novel-length work (40k words) Works intended for an adult audience
Cursed Daughters – Oyinkan Braithwaite (Doubleday)
Harmattan Season – Tochi Onyebuchi (Tor Books)
Motheater – Linda H. Codega (Erewhon Books)
A Song of Legends Lost – M. H. Ayinde (Saga Press)
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter – Stephen Graham Jones (Saga Press)
OUTSTANDING NOVEL: YOUNG ADULT
for novel-length (40k+ words) works intended for the young adult audience
Needy Little Things – Channelle Desamours (Wednesday Books)
(S)kin – Ibi Zoboi (Versify)
The Leaving Room– Amber McBride (Feiwel & Friends)
They Bloom at Night – Trang Thanh Tran (Bloomsbury YA)
The Transition – Logan-Ashley Kisner (Delacorte Press)
OUTSTANDING MIDDLE GRADE
for works intended for the middle grade audience
Afia in the Land of Wonders – Mia Araujo (Scholastic Press)
Candace, the Universe, and Everything – Sherri L. Smith (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers)
Mystery James Digs Her Own Grave – Ally Russell (Delacorte Press)
The Glade – Naseem Jamnia (Bittersweet Books)
The Island of Forgotten Gods – Victor Piñeiro (Sourcebooks Young Readers)
OUTSTANDING NOVELLA
for speculative works ranging from 17,500-39,999 words
Audition for the Fox – Martin Cahill (Tachyon Publications)
Descent – Wole Talabi (Clarkesworld)
Psychopomp & Circumstance – Eden Royce (Tordotcom)
The Iron Below Remembers – Sharang Biswas (Neon Hemlock)
The River Has Roots – Amal El-Mohtar (Tordotcom)
OUTSTANDING NOVELETTE
for speculative works ranging from 7,500-17,499 words
Human Voices – Isabel J. Kim (Lightspeed Magazine)
Never Eaten Vegetables – H. H. Pak (Clarkesworld)
Uncertain Sons – Thomas Ha (Undertow Publications)
We Begin Where Infinity Ends – Somto Ihezue (Clarkesworld)
What I Saw Before the War – Alaya Dawn Johnson (Reactor)
OUTSTANDING SHORT STORY
for speculative works ranging from 2,000-7,499 words
Autogas Ferryman – Champ Wongsatayanont (Nightmare Magazine)
Because I Held His Name Like A Key – Aimee Ogden (Strange Horizons)
Commensalism, Or the Labyrinth’s Vessels – Albert Nkereuwem (Will This Be a Problem)
Ichthyosis – M.L. Krishnan (Fantasy Magazine)
The Octopus Dreams of Personhood – Hannah Yang (Diabolical Plots)
OUTSTANDING SPECULATIVE POETRY
After the Storm – Ishita Basu Mallik (The Deadlands)
In an attempt to seduce Death my sister starts calling him Love – Karan Kapoor (Strange Horizons)
Set It Off (1996) – Fans’ Cut – Nova Cypress Black (Strange Horizons)
The Language of Fireflies – Angela Liu (The Deadlands)
The oblique light at Kakushima (a memory of persimmons) – Ryu Ando | 安堵 龍 (Strange Horizons)
CRITICS AWARD
for reviews and analysis of the field of speculative literature
Alex Brown
Gabino Iglesias
Maria Haskins
The Skiffy and Fanty Show: Shaun Duke, Daniel Haeusser, Paul Weimer, Trish Matson, Stephen Geigen-Miller, and Cam Coulter
Vanessa Fogg
OUTSTANDING FICTION PODCAST
for excellence in audio performance and production for speculative fiction
Beneath Ceaseless Skies: Scott H. Andrews, Editor-in-Chief/Producer
Escape Pod: Mur Lafferty, Valerie Valdes, Kevin Wabaunsee, Phoebe Barton, Tina Connolly, Alasdair Stuart, Summer Brooks, Adam Pracht, Marcus Tsong, Filip Hajdar Drnovšek Zorko, Ewen Ma, Christine Amsden, Rick Danforth, Michael A. Pepin, EA Crawley, Abhijeet, Sarah Loch, Phoenix Alexander and Casey Lawrence
khōréō Magazine
Lightspeed Magazine: John Joseph Adams, Stefan Rudnicki, Alison Belle Bews, Alex Barton
Nightmare Magazine: Wendy N. Wagner, John Joseph Adams, Stefan Rudnicki, Terence Taylor, Alison Belle Bews
OUTSTANDING ANTHOLOGY/COLLECTED WORKS
Amplitudes: Stories of Queer and Trans Futurity: ED. Lee Mandelo . CONTRIBUTORS: Esther Alter, Bendi Barrett, Ta-wei Chi translated by Ariel Chu, Colin Dean, Maya Deane, Dominique Dickey, Katharine Duckett, Meg Elison, Paul Evanby, Aysha U. Farah, Sarah Gailey, Ash Huang, Margaret Killjoy, Wen-yi Lee, Ewen Ma, Jamie McGhee, Sam J. Miller, Aiki Mira, translated by CD Covington, Sunny Moraine, Nat X Ray, Neon Yang, Ramez Yoakeim (Erewhon Books)
As the Earth Dreams: Black Canadian Speculative Stories: ED. Terese Mason Pierre . CONTRIBUTORS: Chimedum Ohaegbu, Chinelo Onwualu, Terese Mason Pierre, Suyi Davies Okungbowa, francesca ekwuyasi, Trynne Delaney, Lue Palmer, Whitney French, Zalika Reid-Benta, Aline-Mwezi Niyonsenga (Spiderline)
Call and Response – Christopher Caldwell (Neon Hemlock)
The Black Fantastic: 20 Afrofuturist Stories: ED. André M. Carrington . CONTRIBUTORS: Nalo Hopkinson, An Owomoyela, Thaddeus Howze, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Dawolu Jabari Anderson, Jennifer Marie Brissett, Sofia Samatar, Kiini Ibura Salaam, Violet Allen, P. Djèlí Clark, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, N.K. Jemisin, Alex Smith, Justina Ireland, Rion Amilcar Scott, Tochi Onyebuchi, Craig Laurance Gidney, Tara Campbell, Victor LaValle, Maurice Broaddus, Stacey Robinson (Library of America)
We Will Rise Again: Speculative Stories and Essays on Protest, Resistance, and Hope: EDs. Karen Lord, Annalee Newitz, Malka Older . CONTRIBUTORS: Charlie Jane Anders, Samit Basu, Tobias S. Buckell, Reo Eveleth, Jaymee Goh, Nicola Griffith, Alejandro Heredia, Vida James, N.K. Jemisin, R.B. Lemberg, Sam J. Miller, Abdulla Moaswes, Laia Asieo Odo, Kelly Robson, Nisi Shawl, Ursula Vernon, Sabrina Vourvoulias, Izzy Wasserstein. Interviewees: adrienne maree brown, Andrea Dehlendorf, Walidah Imarisha, L.A. Kauffman, Scott Gabriel Knowles, Kendra Pierre-Louis (Saga Press)
OUTSTANDING CREATIVE NONFICTION
for works related to the field of speculative fiction
A Conjuror’s Manifesto: Notes on the Afrosurreal – Shyheim Williams (Strange Horizons)
Photon Torpedoes Break the Space Muqarnas: SFF Audiovisuals and Anti-Muslim Violence – Tanvir Ahmed (Strange Horizons)
Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler – Susana M. Morris (Amistad)
The Outspoken and the Incendiary – Terry Bisson (PM Press)
The Secret History of Indian Science Fiction – Gautam Bhatia (Alter Magazine)
THE EMBER AWARD
for unsung contributions to genre
Arley Sorg
dave ring
Karen Lord
Martha Wells
Maurice Broaddus
THE COMMUNITY AWARD
for Outstanding Efforts in Service of Inclusion and Equitable Practice in Genre
Augur Magazine/Augur Society
Jason Sanford’s Genre Grapevine
Sistah Scifi
Strange Horizons
Will This Be A Problem
Note that they've dropped the Artist and Comics categories: "Energy around the Artist and Comics categories has flagged over the years. From judges, voters, and finalists, we've consistently seen low numbers in noms, votes, and responses to emails. We've made the decision to eliminate those categories this year. This is not about their validity or significance as contributors to the field! Those things are indisputable. We hope to see them recognized in meaningful ways from other award entities."
OUTSTANDING NOVEL: ADULT
for novel-length work (40k words) Works intended for an adult audience
Cursed Daughters – Oyinkan Braithwaite (Doubleday)
Harmattan Season – Tochi Onyebuchi (Tor Books)
Motheater – Linda H. Codega (Erewhon Books)
A Song of Legends Lost – M. H. Ayinde (Saga Press)
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter – Stephen Graham Jones (Saga Press)
OUTSTANDING NOVEL: YOUNG ADULT
for novel-length (40k+ words) works intended for the young adult audience
Needy Little Things – Channelle Desamours (Wednesday Books)
(S)kin – Ibi Zoboi (Versify)
The Leaving Room– Amber McBride (Feiwel & Friends)
They Bloom at Night – Trang Thanh Tran (Bloomsbury YA)
The Transition – Logan-Ashley Kisner (Delacorte Press)
OUTSTANDING MIDDLE GRADE
for works intended for the middle grade audience
Afia in the Land of Wonders – Mia Araujo (Scholastic Press)
Candace, the Universe, and Everything – Sherri L. Smith (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers)
Mystery James Digs Her Own Grave – Ally Russell (Delacorte Press)
The Glade – Naseem Jamnia (Bittersweet Books)
The Island of Forgotten Gods – Victor Piñeiro (Sourcebooks Young Readers)
OUTSTANDING NOVELLA
for speculative works ranging from 17,500-39,999 words
Audition for the Fox – Martin Cahill (Tachyon Publications)
Descent – Wole Talabi (Clarkesworld)
Psychopomp & Circumstance – Eden Royce (Tordotcom)
The Iron Below Remembers – Sharang Biswas (Neon Hemlock)
The River Has Roots – Amal El-Mohtar (Tordotcom)
OUTSTANDING NOVELETTE
for speculative works ranging from 7,500-17,499 words
Human Voices – Isabel J. Kim (Lightspeed Magazine)
Never Eaten Vegetables – H. H. Pak (Clarkesworld)
Uncertain Sons – Thomas Ha (Undertow Publications)
We Begin Where Infinity Ends – Somto Ihezue (Clarkesworld)
What I Saw Before the War – Alaya Dawn Johnson (Reactor)
OUTSTANDING SHORT STORY
for speculative works ranging from 2,000-7,499 words
Autogas Ferryman – Champ Wongsatayanont (Nightmare Magazine)
Because I Held His Name Like A Key – Aimee Ogden (Strange Horizons)
Commensalism, Or the Labyrinth’s Vessels – Albert Nkereuwem (Will This Be a Problem)
Ichthyosis – M.L. Krishnan (Fantasy Magazine)
The Octopus Dreams of Personhood – Hannah Yang (Diabolical Plots)
OUTSTANDING SPECULATIVE POETRY
After the Storm – Ishita Basu Mallik (The Deadlands)
In an attempt to seduce Death my sister starts calling him Love – Karan Kapoor (Strange Horizons)
Set It Off (1996) – Fans’ Cut – Nova Cypress Black (Strange Horizons)
The Language of Fireflies – Angela Liu (The Deadlands)
The oblique light at Kakushima (a memory of persimmons) – Ryu Ando | 安堵 龍 (Strange Horizons)
CRITICS AWARD
for reviews and analysis of the field of speculative literature
Alex Brown
Gabino Iglesias
Maria Haskins
The Skiffy and Fanty Show: Shaun Duke, Daniel Haeusser, Paul Weimer, Trish Matson, Stephen Geigen-Miller, and Cam Coulter
Vanessa Fogg
OUTSTANDING FICTION PODCAST
for excellence in audio performance and production for speculative fiction
Beneath Ceaseless Skies: Scott H. Andrews, Editor-in-Chief/Producer
Escape Pod: Mur Lafferty, Valerie Valdes, Kevin Wabaunsee, Phoebe Barton, Tina Connolly, Alasdair Stuart, Summer Brooks, Adam Pracht, Marcus Tsong, Filip Hajdar Drnovšek Zorko, Ewen Ma, Christine Amsden, Rick Danforth, Michael A. Pepin, EA Crawley, Abhijeet, Sarah Loch, Phoenix Alexander and Casey Lawrence
khōréō Magazine
Lightspeed Magazine: John Joseph Adams, Stefan Rudnicki, Alison Belle Bews, Alex Barton
Nightmare Magazine: Wendy N. Wagner, John Joseph Adams, Stefan Rudnicki, Terence Taylor, Alison Belle Bews
OUTSTANDING ANTHOLOGY/COLLECTED WORKS
Amplitudes: Stories of Queer and Trans Futurity: ED. Lee Mandelo . CONTRIBUTORS: Esther Alter, Bendi Barrett, Ta-wei Chi translated by Ariel Chu, Colin Dean, Maya Deane, Dominique Dickey, Katharine Duckett, Meg Elison, Paul Evanby, Aysha U. Farah, Sarah Gailey, Ash Huang, Margaret Killjoy, Wen-yi Lee, Ewen Ma, Jamie McGhee, Sam J. Miller, Aiki Mira, translated by CD Covington, Sunny Moraine, Nat X Ray, Neon Yang, Ramez Yoakeim (Erewhon Books)
As the Earth Dreams: Black Canadian Speculative Stories: ED. Terese Mason Pierre . CONTRIBUTORS: Chimedum Ohaegbu, Chinelo Onwualu, Terese Mason Pierre, Suyi Davies Okungbowa, francesca ekwuyasi, Trynne Delaney, Lue Palmer, Whitney French, Zalika Reid-Benta, Aline-Mwezi Niyonsenga (Spiderline)
Call and Response – Christopher Caldwell (Neon Hemlock)
The Black Fantastic: 20 Afrofuturist Stories: ED. André M. Carrington . CONTRIBUTORS: Nalo Hopkinson, An Owomoyela, Thaddeus Howze, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Dawolu Jabari Anderson, Jennifer Marie Brissett, Sofia Samatar, Kiini Ibura Salaam, Violet Allen, P. Djèlí Clark, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, N.K. Jemisin, Alex Smith, Justina Ireland, Rion Amilcar Scott, Tochi Onyebuchi, Craig Laurance Gidney, Tara Campbell, Victor LaValle, Maurice Broaddus, Stacey Robinson (Library of America)
We Will Rise Again: Speculative Stories and Essays on Protest, Resistance, and Hope: EDs. Karen Lord, Annalee Newitz, Malka Older . CONTRIBUTORS: Charlie Jane Anders, Samit Basu, Tobias S. Buckell, Reo Eveleth, Jaymee Goh, Nicola Griffith, Alejandro Heredia, Vida James, N.K. Jemisin, R.B. Lemberg, Sam J. Miller, Abdulla Moaswes, Laia Asieo Odo, Kelly Robson, Nisi Shawl, Ursula Vernon, Sabrina Vourvoulias, Izzy Wasserstein. Interviewees: adrienne maree brown, Andrea Dehlendorf, Walidah Imarisha, L.A. Kauffman, Scott Gabriel Knowles, Kendra Pierre-Louis (Saga Press)
OUTSTANDING CREATIVE NONFICTION
for works related to the field of speculative fiction
A Conjuror’s Manifesto: Notes on the Afrosurreal – Shyheim Williams (Strange Horizons)
Photon Torpedoes Break the Space Muqarnas: SFF Audiovisuals and Anti-Muslim Violence – Tanvir Ahmed (Strange Horizons)
Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler – Susana M. Morris (Amistad)
The Outspoken and the Incendiary – Terry Bisson (PM Press)
The Secret History of Indian Science Fiction – Gautam Bhatia (Alter Magazine)
THE EMBER AWARD
for unsung contributions to genre
Arley Sorg
dave ring
Karen Lord
Martha Wells
Maurice Broaddus
THE COMMUNITY AWARD
for Outstanding Efforts in Service of Inclusion and Equitable Practice in Genre
Augur Magazine/Augur Society
Jason Sanford’s Genre Grapevine
Sistah Scifi
Strange Horizons
Will This Be A Problem
