First awarded to Alfred Bester in 1953, the Hugo Award is considered the most prestigious literary award in science fiction. Voted on by members of the World Science Fiction Convention, or Worldcon, the Hugo Award is given annually to the best science fiction or fantasy book from the previous year.
The Hugo Award has recognised sci-fi masters like Robert A. Heinlein, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Isaac Asimov just to name a few. Some authors have multiple Hugo wins to their name - N. K. Jemisin won the Hugo Award in 2016, 2017, and 2018 for each book in her Broken Earth trilogy, while Connie Willis tied with herself in 2011 for her two-volume release of Blackout and All Clear.
Despite creating an epic universe spanning six novels, Frank Herbert appears on the list just once in 1966 for his original Dune novel. Named for Hugo Gernsback who launched the pioneering sci-fi magazine Amazing Stories in 1926, the Hugo Award continues to celebrate the best in science fiction and fantasy.
The 2022 winner for best novel is Arkady Martine for A Desolation Called Peace, which is the sequel to A Memory Called Empire and the second novel in the Teixcalaan series. A Desolation Called Peace is a prime example of space opera where an intergalactic empire is threatened by aliens.
Explore our list of every Hugo Award winner for best science fiction and fantasy novel dating back to 1953.
