1981 Hugo Awards

1981 Hugo Award Trophy Presented at: Denvention Two, Denver, September 3-7, 1981

Toastmaster: Ed Bryant

Base design:

Awards Administration: Stephen Larue



Best Novel

  • The Snow Queen by Joan D. Vinge [Dial Press, 1980]
  • Lord Valentine’s Castle by Robert Silverberg [F&SF Nov,Dec 1979,Jan,Feb 1980; Harper & Row, 1980]
  • The Ringworld Engineers by Larry Niven [Galileo Jul,Sep,Nov 1979,Jan 1980; Phantasia, 1980]
  • Beyond the Blue Event Horizon by Frederik Pohl [Ballantine Del Rey, 1980]
  • Wizard by John Varley [Berkley Putnam, 1980]

Best Novella

  • “Lost Dorsai” by Gordon R. Dickson [Destinies v2 Feb/Mar 1980]
  • “One-Wing” by George R. R. Martin and Lisa Tuttle [Analog Jan,Feb 1980]
  • “Nightflyers” by George R. R. Martin [Analog Apr 1980]
  • “The Brave Little Toaster” by Thomas M. Disch [F&SF Aug 1980]
  • “All the Lies That Are My Life” by Harlan Ellison [F&SF Nov 1980; Underwood-Miller, 1980]

Best Novelette

  • “The Cloak and the Staff” by Gordon R. Dickson [Analog Aug 1980]
  • “Savage Planet” by Barry B. Longyear [Analog Feb 1980]
  • “Beatnik Bayou” by John Varley [New Voices III: The Campbell Award Nominees, 1980]
  • “The Lordly Ones” by Keith Roberts [F&SF Mar 1980]
  • “The Autopsy” by Michael Shea [F&SF Dec 1980]
  • “The Ugly Chickens” by Howard Waldrop [Universe 10, 1980; Sci Fiction, scifi.com 2000-05-31]

Best Short Story

  • “Grotto of the Dancing Deer” by Clifford D. Simak [Analog Apr 1980]
  • “Our Lady of the Sauropods” by Robert Silverberg [Omni Sep 1980]
  • “Spidersong” by Susan C. Petrey [F&SF Sep 1980]
  • “Cold Hands” by Jeff Duntemann [Asimov’s Jun 1980]
  • “Guardian” by Jeff Duntemann [Asimov’s Sep 1980]

Best Related Non-Fiction Book

  • Cosmos by Carl Sagan [Random House, 1980]
  • In Joy Still Felt: The Autobiography of Isaac Asimov, 1954&endash;1978 by Isaac Asimov [Doubleday, 1980]
  • Dream Makers: The Uncommon People Who Write Science Fiction by Charles Platt [Berkley, 1980]
  • Di Fate’s Catalog of Science Fiction Hardware by Vincent Di Fate and Ian Summers [Workman, 1980]
  • Warhoon 28 (the writings of Walter A. Willis) by Richard Bergeron [Richard Bergeron, 1980]

Best Dramatic Presentation

  • The Empire Strikes Back (1980) [Lucasfilm] Directed by Irvin Kershner; Screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan; Story by George Lucas
  • The Lathe of Heaven (1980) [WNET/PBS] Directed by Fred Barzyk and David R. Loxton; Screenplay by Diane English and Roger Swaybill; based on the novel by Ursula K. Le Guin
  • Cosmos (TV Series) (1981) [KCET/PBS] Written and directed by Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan
  • The Martian Chronicles (1980) [BBC/NBC] Directed by Michael Anderson; Screenplay by Richard Matheson; based on the collection by Ray Bradbury
  • Flash Gordon (1980) [20th Century Fox/De Laurentiis] Directed by Mike Hodges; Screenplay by Lorenzo Semple, Jr.; Adaptation by Michael Allin; based on the comic strip by Alex Raymond

Best Professional Editor

  • Edward L. Ferman
  • George H. Scithers
  • James P. Baen
  • Terry Carr
  • Stanley Schmidt

Best Professional Artist

  • Michael Whelan
  • Vincent Di Fate
  • Stephen Fabian
  • Don Maitz
  • Paul Lehr

Best Fanzine

  • Locus ed. by Charles N. Brown
  • Science Fiction Review ed. by Richard E. Geis
  • File 770 ed. by Mike Glyer
  • Starship ed. by Andrew I. Porter
  • Science Fiction Chronicle ed. by Andrew I. Porter

Best Fan Writer

  • Susan Wood
  • Richard E. Geis
  • Mike Glyer
  • Dave Langford
  • Arthur D. Hlavaty

Best Fan Artist

  • Victoria Poyser
  • Alexis Gilliland
  • William Rotsler
  • Joan Hanke-Woods
  • Stu Shiffman