Seiun Award
The Seiun Award is a Japanese speculative fiction award given each year for the best science fiction works and achievements during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by, the awards are given at the annual Japan Science Fiction Convention. It is the oldest SF award in Japan, being given since the 9th Japan Science Fiction Convention in 1970.
"Seiun", the Japanese word for "nebula", was taken from the first professional science fiction magazine in Japan, which had a short run in 1954. The award is not related to the American Nebula Award.
It is similar to the Hugo Award, which is presented by the members of the World Science Fiction Society, in that all of the members of the presenting convention are eligible to participate in the selection process, though it is not a one-on-one comparison as the Hugo Awards are open to works from anywhere in any language, while the Seiun is implicitly limited to works released in Japan and written in or translated to Japanese.
Eligibility and the selection process
A professional work or achievement which appeared for the first time in the previous calendar year may be considered eligible. The eligibility of magazines is determined via nominal publication date, which often tend to be a month or two ahead of the actual date due to Japanese publication customs.There are no written rules about word count for literary fiction categories, so that the decision of eligibility in that regard is left up to the voters.
Usually in spring, SFFAN issues reference nominee lists for reference in each category, which is chosen by the preliminary vote of their member groups. However, voters can cast their ballots for any eligible works outside of the list in the final ballot.
With consideration for voters' availability, a work which appears in a magazine or released as audio-visual media but wasn't chosen for the reference nominee lists may be eligible again if published as a book or released in any other media format.
Categories
There are effectively no official English names for categories, so they vary depending on translators. For example, "Long Work" may be written as "Long Story", "Long Form", or "Novel"; "Short Story" may be referred to as "Short Form" and so on.| Current categories | Year started | Current description |
| Best Japanese Long Work | 1970 | Science fiction novels and stories which appear or are translated for the first time during the eligible year. Serialized works on magazines may be eligible when they are finished; other works may be eligible when they get published as a book. A multi-volume work may also be eligible as a whole series when it concludes. |
| Best Japanese Short Story | 1970 | Science fiction novels and stories which appear or are translated for the first time during the eligible year. Serialized works on magazines may be eligible when they are finished; other works may be eligible when they get published as a book. A multi-volume work may also be eligible as a whole series when it concludes. |
| Best Translated Long Work | 1970 | Science fiction novels and stories which appear or are translated for the first time during the eligible year. Serialized works on magazines may be eligible when they are finished; other works may be eligible when they get published as a book. A multi-volume work may also be eligible as a whole series when it concludes. |
| Best Translated Short Story | 1970 | Science fiction novels and stories which appear or are translated for the first time during the eligible year. Serialized works on magazines may be eligible when they are finished; other works may be eligible when they get published as a book. A multi-volume work may also be eligible as a whole series when it concludes. |
| Best Dramatic Presentation | 1970 | Films, plays, and any other audio-visual works. As is the case with Long Works, serial dramatic works can be nominated as a single entity upon their conclusion. Note: The name was changed from in 1980. |
| Best Comic | 1978 | Manga. Serial works may be nominated upon completion as is the case with Long Works. |
| Best Artist | 1978 | Artists with notable achievements. |
| Best Nonfiction | 1985 | Nonfiction works about SF such as studies and critiques, including translated ones. Serial nonfiction can be nominated upon completion as is the case with Long Works. |
| Non category Nomination | 2002 | Any events which do not fit in other categories, such as "things", phenomena, or feats of science and technology. |
Winners and candidates
Best Japanese Long Work
* Winners and joint winners+ No winner selected
| Year | Work | Author | Publisher or publication |
| 1970 | Kodansha | ||
| 1971 | Sekai SF Zenshū Vol.29: Sakyo Komatsu, Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 1972 | Nihon SF Novels, Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 1973 | Kawade Shobō Shinsha | ||
| 1974 | Kappa Novels, Kōbunsha | ||
| 1975 | Kawade Shobō Shinsha | ||
| 1976 | Shinchōsha | ||
| 1977 | Nihon SF Novels, Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 1978 | Tokuma Shoten | ||
| 1979 | SF Magazine Feb 1976 - Oct 1978 | ||
| 1980 | SF Magazine Dec 1977 - Aug 1979 | ||
| 1981 | SF Magazine Jul 1979 - Oct 1980 | ||
| 1982 | Shinchosha | ||
| 1983 | Sankei Shuppan | ||
| 1984 | Hayakawa Bunko JA, Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 1985 | Hayakawa Bunko JA, Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 1986 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 1987 | Hayakawa Bunko JA, Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 1988 | Tokuma Novels, Tokuma Shonten | ||
| 1989 | Tokuma Shoten | ||
| 1990 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 1991 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 1992 | Shinchō Bunko, Shinchōsha | ||
| 1993 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 1994 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 1995 | C Novels, Chūōkōronsha | ||
| 1996 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 1997 | trilogy | Hayakawa Bunko JA, Hayakawa Publishing | |
| 1998 | Hayakawa Bunko JA, Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 1999 | Yūichi Sasamoto | Sonorama Bunko, | |
| 2000 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2001 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2002 | Famitsu Bunko, Enterbrain | ||
| 2003 | Hayakawa SF Series J collection, Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2004 | Hayakawa Bunko JA, Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2005 | Sonorama Bunko, Asahi Sonorama | ||
| 2006 | Hayakawa Bunko JA, Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2007 | Shogakukan | ||
| 2007 | Shogakukan | ||
| 2008 | ASCII Media Works | ||
| 2009 | Hayakawa SF Series J Collection, Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2010 | Hayakawa Bunko JA, Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2011 | PHP Institute | ||
| 2012 | Hayakawa Bunko JA, Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2013 | Kawade Shobō Shinsha | ||
| 2013 | Kawade Shobō Shinsha | ||
| 2013 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2013 | Shinchosha | ||
| 2013 | Kadokawa Shoten | ||
| 2013 | Dengeki Bunko, ASCII Media Works | ||
| 2013 | Hayakawa SF Series J Collection, Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2013 | Kadokawa Shoten | ||
| 2014 | Hayakawa Bunko JA, Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2014 | Hayakawa Bunko JA, Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2014 | Hayakawa Bunko JA, Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2014 | Sogen Nihon SF Selection, Tokyo Sogensha | ||
| 2014 | Hayakawa SF Series J Collection, Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2014 | NOVA Collection, Kawade Shobō Shinsha | ||
| 2014 | Shinchosha | ||
| 2015 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2015 | Tokuma Bunko, Tokuma Shoten | ||
| 2015 | Kodansha | ||
| 2015 | Kodansha | ||
| 2015 | Gagaga Bunko, Shogakukan | ||
| 2015 | KADOKAWA / Kadokawa Shoten | ||
| 2016 | Hayakawa Bunko JA, Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2016 | Hayakawa SF Series J Collection, Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2016 | Sogen Nihon SF Selection, Tokyo Sogensha | ||
| 2016 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2016 | Tokuma Novels, Tokuma Shoten & Kodansha Novels, Kodansha | ||
| 2016 | Hayakawa Bunko JA, Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2016 | Asahi Shinbun Shuppan | ||
| 2016 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2016 | Bungeishunjū | ||
| 2017 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2017 | Kodansha | ||
| 2017 | Tokuma Shoten | ||
| 2017 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2017 | Kawade Shobō Shinsha | ||
| 2017 | Kodansha | ||
| 2017 | Kawade Shobō Shinsha | ||
| 2017 | Kodansha | ||
| 2018 | KADOKAWA | ||
| 2018 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2018 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2018 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2018 | Dengeki Bunko, KADOKAWA | ||
| 2018 | Kadokawa Books, KADOKAWA | ||
| 2018 | Kawade Bunko, Kawade Shobō Shinsha | ||
| 2018 | Kappa Novels, Kōbunsha | ||
| 2019 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2019 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2019 | Kodansha | ||
| 2019 | Seikaisha Fictions, Kodansha | ||
| 2019 | Tokyo Sogensha | ||
| 2019 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2019 | Tokyo Sogensha | ||
| 2020 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2020 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2020 | Tokyo Sogensha | ||
| 2020 | KADOKAWA | ||
| 2020 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2020 | Shueisha | ||
| 2020 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2021 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2021 | Shinchosha | ||
| 2021 | Kodansha | ||
| 2021 | Kodansha | ||
| 2021 | KADOKAWA | ||
| 2021 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2021 | Shinchosha | ||
| 2021 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2021 | Sōgeisha & Jitsugyō no Nihonsha | ||
| 2022 | Gagaga Bunko, Shogakukan | ||
| 2022 | S-F Magazine, Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2022 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2022 | KADOKAWA | ||
| 2022 | Sneaker Bunko, KADOKAWA | ||
| 2022 | Tokyo Sogensha | ||
| 2022 | Shodensha | ||
| 2022 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2023 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2023 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2023 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2023 | 『鯉姫婚姻譚』 | Shinchosha | |
| 2023 | KADOKAWA | ||
| 2023 | MF Books, KADOKAWA | ||
| 2023 | Shueisha | ||
| 2023 | Shueisha | ||
| 2024 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2024 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2024 | KADOKAWA | ||
| 2024 | Kawade Shobo Shinsha | ||
| 2024 | Kokushoukankokai | ||
| 2024 | Ichijinsha | ||
| 2024 | Hayakawa Publishing | ||
| 2024 | Bungeishunju | ||
| 2025 | TO Books | ||
| 2025 | 一億年のテレスコープ | Hayakawa Publishing | |
| 2025 | Bungeishunjū | ||
| 2025 | ここはすべての夜明けまえ | Hayakawa Publishing | |
| 2025 | はじめてのゾンビ生活 | Dengeki Bunko, KADOKAWA | |
| 2025 | 彗星を追うヴァンパイア | KADOKAWA | |
| 2025 | 知能浸蝕 | Hayakawa Publishing |