Dragon Awards
The Dragon Awards are a set of literary and media awards presented annually by Dragon Con. Voted on by fandom, the awards highlight excellence in the speculative categories of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and alternate history across various media — novels, comic books, movies, television series, video games, and tabletop enterprises.
History
The Dragon Awards were first presented in 2016, created on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Dragon Con to "recognize excellence in all things Science Fiction and Fantasy." By 2018, 11,000 voters cast a ballot, given out annually at Dragon Con in Atlanta, Georgia.A distinct feature of the awards, there is a diverse set of subgenera on the ballot.
The finalists for the first Dragon Awards were announced on August 11, 2016, and the winners were announced on September 4 that year.
In 2017, nominated authors Allison Littlewood, John Scalzi, and N. K. Jemisin asked Dragon Con to remove their names from the ballot; Scalzi subsequently reconsidered and remained in the contest. However, the coordinators of the Dragon Awards initially refused to remove the other authors' names from the running, which generated criticism across blogs and science fiction related publications, ultimately leading the organizers to comply with nominee wishes when they desire to abstain.
Nomination and voting processes
The nominations and votes are collected electronically. Participation is available to everyone, requiring only an e-mail address, but no membership or other fees, to vote. The Dragon Awards website states that they " the right to invalidate suspect or questionable ballots without notice," and that "All decisions regarding the voting process and selection of winners shall be made by DRAGON CON in its sole discretion, shall be final, and shall not be subject to challenge or appeal." Language describing the review of nominations does not state that nominations are counted numerically but are "gathered and reviewed to create a final ballot." Neither counts of nominations nor votes have ever been made public.The award process consists of two steps:
- a nomination step where each voter nominates one work of choice in each category. The nominations are "gathered and reviewed to create a final ballot."
- a voting step where the finalists selected from the nominated works are voted on by each voter.
Reception
Winners
The full list of last-stage nominees can be found at List of Dragon Award finalists.Best Science Fiction Novel
| Year | Work | Author | Publisher | Ref. |
| 2016 | Somewhither: Being the First Part of A Tale of the Unwithering Realm | John C. Wright | Castalia House | |
| 2017 | Babylon's Ashes | James S. A. Corey | Orbit Books | |
| 2018 | Artemis | Andy Weir | Crown Publishing Group | |
| 2019 | A Star-Wheeled Sky | Brad R. Torgersen | Baen Books | |
| 2020 | The Last Emperox | John Scalzi | Tor Books | |
| 2021 | Project Hail Mary | Andy Weir | Ballantine Books | |
| 2022 | Leviathan Falls | James S. A. Corey | Hachette Book Group | |
| 2023 | The Icarus Plot | Timothy Zahn | Baen Books | |
| 2024 | Starter Villain | John Scalzi | Tor Books | |
| 2025 | This Inevitable Ruin | Matt Dinniman | Ace Books |
Best Fantasy Novel
| Year | Work | Author | Publisher | Ref. |
| 2016 | Son of the Black Sword | Larry Correia | Baen Books | |
| 2017 | Monster Hunter Memoirs: Grunge | Larry Correia, John Ringo | Baen Books | |
| 2018 | Oathbringer | Brandon Sanderson | Tor Books | |
| 2019 | House of Assassins | Larry Correia | Baen Books | |
| 2020 | The Starless Sea | Erin Morgenstern | Doubleday | |
| 2021 | Battle Ground | Jim Butcher | Ace Books | |
| 2022 | Book of Night | Holly Black | Tom Doherty Associates | |
| 2023 | Witch King | Martha Wells | Tordotcom | |
| 2024 | Iron Flame | Rebecca Yarros | Red Tower Books | |
| 2025 | The Devils | Joe Abercrombie | Tor Books |
Best Horror Novel
| Year | Work | Author | Publisher | Ref. |
| 2016 | Souldancer | Brian Niemeier | self-published | |
| 2017 | The Changeling | Victor LaValle | Spiegel & Grau | |
| 2018 | Sleeping Beauties | Stephen King and Owen King | Scribner | |
| 2019 | Little Darlings | Melanie Golding | Crooked Lane Books | |
| 2020 | The Twisted Ones | T. Kingfisher | Saga | |
| 2021 | The Hollow Places | T. Kingfisher | Saga | |
| 2022 | The Book of Accidents | Chuck Wendig | Del Rey Books | |
| 2023 | A House with Good Bones | T. Kingfisher | Tor Books | |
| 2024 | Black River Orchard | Chuck Wendig | Del Rey Books | |
| 2025 | Bury Your Gays | Chuck Tingle | Tor Nightfire |
Best Alternate History Novel
| Year | Work | Author | Publisher | Ref. |
| 2016 | League of Dragons | Naomi Novik | Del Rey Books | |
| 2017 | Fallout | Harry Turtledove | Del Rey Books | |
| 2018 | Uncharted | Kevin J. Anderson and Sarah A. Hoyt | Baen Books | |
| 2019 | Black Chamber | S. M. Stirling | Baen Books | |
| 2020 | Witchy Kingdom | D. J. Butler | Baen Books | |
| 2021 | 1637: No Peace Beyond the Line | Eric Flint and Charles E. Gannon | Baen Books | |
| 2022 | The Silver Bullets of Annie Oakley | Mercedes Lackey | DAW Books | |
| 2023 | Lost In Time | A. G. Riddle | Head of Zeus | |
| 2024 | All the Dead Shall Weep | Charlaine Harris | Saga Press | |
| 2025 | The Martian Contingency | Mary Robinette Kowal | Tor Books |
Best Military Science Fiction or Fantasy Novel
The category "Best Military Science Fiction or Fantasy Novel" was removed from the awards in 2023.| Year | Work | Author | Publisher | Ref. |
| 2016 | Hell's Foundations Quiver | David Weber | Tor Books | |
| 2017 | Iron Dragoons | Richard Fox | Triplane Press | |
| 2018 | A Call to Vengeance | Timothy Zahn, David Weber and Thomas Pope | Baen Books | |
| 2019 | Uncompromising Honor | David Weber | Baen Books | |
| 2020 | Savage Wars | Jason Anspach & Nick Cole | Galaxy's Edge | |
| 2021 | Gun Runner | Larry Correia & John Brown | Baen Books | |
| 2022 | A Call to Insurrection | David Weber, Timothy Zahn, and Thomas Pope | Simon & Schuster |
Best Apocalyptic Novel
The category "Best Apocalyptic Novel" was removed from the awards in 2018.| Year | Work | Author | Publisher | Ref. |
| 2016 | Ctrl Alt Revolt! | Nick Cole | self-published | |
| 2017 | Walkaway | Cory Doctorow | Tor Books |
Best Media Tie-In Novel
The category "Best Media Tie-In Novel" was first introduced in 2018 and removed from the awards in 2023.| Year | Work | Author | Publisher | Ref. |
| 2018 | Leia: Princess of Alderaan | Claudia Gray | Disney-Lucasfilm | |
| 2019 | Thrawn: Alliances | Timothy Zahn | Penguin Random House | |
| 2020 | Firefly: The Ghost Machine | James Lovegrove | Titan Books | |
| 2021 | Firefly: Generations | Tim Lebbon | Titan Books | |
| 2022 | Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil | Timothy Zahn | Random House Worlds |