Executive Overview
The World Science Fiction Society (WSFS) has released full voting statistics for the 83rd World Science Fiction Convention (LAcon V), uncovering significant gains in voter participation, complex structural shifts across competitive categories, and remarkable victories across speculative fiction. The 2026 Hugo Awards recorded 2,492 valid final ballots—a 27 percent increase over the 1,962 ballots cast at Seattle Worldcon in 2025—alongside 1,488 nominating ballots, marking an 11 percent year-over-year rise in early-stage involvement.
The newly released data underscores how modern voting mechanics impact literary honors. While established heavyweights secured decisive victories in primary categories—most notably Alix E. Harrow claiming Best Novel for The Everlasting and Amal El-Mohtar continuing an unbroken record in Best Novella with The River Has Roots—the numbers reveal dramatic late-stage turns in secondary rounds. Nowhere was this more evident than in the Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book, where C.B. Lee’s Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe mounted an unprecedented come-from-behind victory against frontrunner Suzanne Collins, demonstrating the profound influence of preferential ranking on final outcomes.
Beyond the headlining fiction prizes, the 83rd Hugo Awards highlighted structural administrative determinations regarding category eligibility, title length thresholds, media crossovers, and the ongoing institutionalization of newly created categories, including the formal ratification of Best Poem.
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Supporting Context & Voting Metrics
Understanding the results requires analyzing the double-tiered electoral model utilized by WSFS: the E Pluribus Hugo (EPH) system for nominations, and the Australian Ballot Preference System (Instant Runoff Voting / IRV) for final round determinations.
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| HUGO AWARD ELECTORAL MODEL |
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| 1. NOMINATION PHASE: E Pluribus Hugo (EPH) |
| - Each voter receives 1 nomination point per category. |
| - Points split evenly among all nominees on a ballot. |
| - Lowest point total nominee compared against votes. |
| - Mitigates bloc-voting & slating strategies. |
| |
| v |
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| 2. FINAL BALLOT PHASE: Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) |
| - Ranked preference system (1st, 2nd, 3rd place, etc.). |
| - Lowest-vote entries systematically dropped across rounds. |
| - Transferred choices redistributed to remaining nominees. |
| - Requires true majority consensus to claim victory. |
| |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+E Pluribus Hugo (EPH) Nomination Mechanics
Implemented in 2017 to eliminate bloc-voting and coordinated slating, EPH assigns a total value of one point to each voter’s nominating ballot, divided equally among all nominees listed on that ballot. In each elimination pass:
- Points are aggregated.
- The two nominees with the lowest total point values are identified.
- The nominee with fewer total raw nomination counts (votes) is eliminated.
This process continues recursively until six finalists remain. Because elimination depends on a dynamic ratio between points and raw vote totals, determining how close a non-finalist came to making the ballot relies on official margins calculated by Hugo administrators.
Australian Ballot Preference System (IRV)
Final voting relies on Instant Runoff Voting. Voters rank candidates in order of preference. If no candidate secures an absolute majority of first-place votes in Column One, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. That candidate’s votes are redistributed to the second choice listed on those specific ballots.
This iterative redistribution continues across rounds until a nominee captures a true majority. Second, third, and subsequent placements are then calculated by removing higher-placed winners, returning to the full pool of ballots, and re-running the elimination process. Consequently, a nominee finishing second in first-place raw votes does not automatically secure second place overall; victory demands broad consensus across secondary and tertiary choices.
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| LAcon V PARTICIPATION METRICS |
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| Final Valid Ballots: 2,492 (Up 27.0% from 2025: 1,962) |
| Nominating Ballots: 1,488 (Up 11.2% from 2025: 1,338) |
| Paper Ballots Received: 2 Final / 6 Nominating |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+Detailed Chronology of Categories and Races
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| LAcon V HUGO WINNERS |
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| Best Novel: The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow |
| Best Novella: The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar |
| Best Novelette: "Never Eaten Vegetables" by H.H. Pak |
| Best Short Story: "In My Country" by Thomas Ha |
| Best Series: Old Man's War by John Scalzi |
| Best Graphic Story: A Wizard of Earthsea by Fordham & Le Guin |
| Best Dramatic (Long): Sinners |
| Best Dramatic (Short):Murderbot: "All Systems Red" |
| Best Game: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 |
| Best Related Work: Inventing the Renaissance by Ada Palmer |
| Best Editor (Short): Neil Clarke |
| Best Editor (Long): Diana M. Pho |
| Best Prof. Artist: John Picacio |
| Best Semiprozine: Uncanny Magazine |
| Best Fanzine: nerds of a feather flock together |
| Best Fancast: Hugo, Girl! |
| Best Fan Writer: Jason Sanford |
| Best Fan Artist: Yuumei |
| Best Poem: "Hex Supply Customer Support Log" by Montgomery |
| Lodestar (YA): Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe by C.B. Lee |
| Astounding (New): Antonia Hodgson |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+Written Fiction Categories
Best Novel
Alix E. Harrow secured her second Hugo Award out of seven overall nominations with a dominant performance for The Everlasting. Harrow established an immediate lead in first-place votes and retained top positioning through all six elimination rounds.
Emily Tesh’s The Incandescent, which entered the ceremony holding the highest raw nomination total, secured second place through a matching round-by-round trajectory. The race for third place produced an intense battle: Antonia Hodgson’s The Raven Scholar initially led through rounds one and two, before Robert Jackson Bennett’s A Drop of Corruption rallied in rounds three and four to capture third. Hodgson ultimately took fourth place, followed by Nnedi Okorafor’s Death of the Author in fifth and Shroud in sixth.
Margin Note: R.F. Kuang’s Katabasis missed final ballot qualification by just three nominations.
BEST NOVEL - FINAL RACE OUTCOME
1st Place: The Everlasting (Alix E. Harrow) — Led all 6 rounds
2nd Place: The Incandescent (Emily Tesh) — Most initial nominations
3rd Place: A Drop of Corruption (Robert Jackson Bennett) — Rallied late
4th Place: The Raven Scholar (Antonia Hodgson)
5th Place: Death of the Author (Nnedi Okorafor)
6th Place: Shroud
Runner-up missed: Katabasis by R.F. Kuang (3 nominations short)Best Novella
Amal El-Mohtar maintained an unbroken standard of excellence with The River Has Roots, entering as the category’s nomination leader, capturing the highest first-place vote tallies, and leading through six consecutive rounds to win. This marks El-Mohtar’s third Hugo nomination and third victory.
The remaining places proceeded without major shifts:
- 2nd: Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz
- 3rd: Cinder House by Freya Marske
- 4th: The Summer House by Naomi Novik
- 5th: What Stalks the Deep by T. Kingfisher
- 6th: Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite
Margin Note: Nghi Vo’s A Mouthful of Dust finished as the top runner-up, 11 nominations short of making the final six.
Best Novelette
H.H. Pak captured their first Hugo Award nomination and win with "Never Eaten Vegetables," leading all six rounds. Second place involved a mid-ballot dynamic: Scott Lynch’s "Kaiju Agonistes" commanded the first two rounds, but Catherynne M. Valente’s "When He Calls Your Name" absorbed transferred votes following the elimination of Sarah Pinsker’s "The Millay Illusion," surging into the lead to claim second place in round five. Lynch subsequently took third place.
In a rare outcome, fourth place resulted in a tie between Martha Wells’s "Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy" (which held the most original nominations) and Cameron Reed’s "The Girl My Mother Is Leaving Me For." Sarah Pinsker’s entry finished sixth.
Margin Note: John Scalzi’s "3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years" was the top runner-up, falling short by a single nomination valued at slightly over half an EPH point.
Best Short Story
Thomas Ha won his first Hugo Award on his second nomination with "In My Country," maintaining an unbroken lead through six rounds.
Second place featured a three-way contest: Isabel J. Kim’s "Wire Mother" held early leads, lost the top position in rounds three and four to Samantha Mills’s "10 Visions of the Future; or, Self-Care for the End of Days," and then staged a fifth-round surge to secure second place. Tia Tashiro’s "Missing Helen" took third place, Mills placed fourth, while most-nominated J.R. Dawson’s "Six People to Revise You" dropped to fifth. Effie Seiberg’s "Laser Eyes Ain’t Everything" took sixth.
Margin Note: Angela Liu’s "Barbershops of the Floating City" missed the ballot by a single nomination.
Best Series
John Scalzi captured his fourth Hugo Award across 14 career nominations as his Old Man’s War series led from round one to finish first in the sixth round.
Katherine Addison’s The Chronicles of Osreth (the nomination leader) mounted a fifth-round comeback to win second place over Seanan McGuire’s October Daye series, benefiting from redistributed preferences when Elizabeth Bear’s White Space was eliminated. McGuire took third, Bear claimed fourth in a tight margin over Max Gladstone’s The Craft Wars (fifth), and Heather Fawcett’s Emily Wilde finished sixth.
Visual, Interactive, and Dramatic Presentation Categories
Best Dramatic Presentation — Long Form & Short Form
The long-form category saw Ryan Coogler’s Sinners dominate every round from start to finish, entering with the highest nomination count and taking the Hugo in six unchallenged rounds. Andor (Season 2) secured second place, while KPop Demon Hunters captured third place in three rounds. Frankenstein overtook Superman in the final round of secondary voting to take fourth, leaving Superman in fifth and Mickey 17 in sixth.
In Short Form, Murderbot: "All Systems Red" claimed victory in five rounds. A sister episode, Murderbot: "The Perimeter," secured second place in four rounds. Pluribus: "We Is Us" placed third, followed by Severance: "Cold Harbor" in fourth, Doctor Who: "The Story & the Engine" in fifth, and The Wheel of Time: "The Road to the Spear" in sixth.
DRAMATIC PRESENTATION OUTCOMES
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| LONG FORM WINNER: Sinners |
| - Runner-Up: Andor (Season 2) |
| - 3rd Place: KPop Demon Hunters |
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| SHORT FORM WINNER: Murderbot: "All Systems Red" |
| - Runner-Up: Murderbot: "The Perimeter" |
| - 3rd Place: Pluribus: "We Is Us" |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+Best Graphic Story
Fred Fordham’s adaptation of Ursula K. Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea: A Graphic Novel commanded all six rounds to win. The result marks Fordham’s first nomination and win, and the late Le Guin’s 9th Hugo win across 27 career nominations.
Nnedi Okorafor and Tana Ford’s The Space Cat claimed second place after overtaking Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman’s Absolute Wonder Woman Vol. 1: The Last Amazon in late rounds through transfer votes from Leigh Bardugo and John Picacio’s The Invisible Parade.
Best Game or Interactive Work
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 secured victory in six rounds. Hades II staged a fourth-round comeback against early leader Blue Prince to claim second place. Blue Prince finished third, followed by Hollow Knight: Silksong in fourth, Dispatch in fifth, and Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector in sixth.
Professional, Non-Fiction, and Fan Categories
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| PROFESSIONAL & FAN CATEGORIES |
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| Best Related Work: Inventing the Renaissance (Ada Palmer) |
| Best Editor (Short): Neil Clarke (8th total Hugo win) |
| Best Editor (Long): Diana M. Pho (3rd win on 5th nomination) |
| Best Prof. Artist: John Picacio (4th win on 19th nomination) |
| Best Semiprozine: Uncanny Magazine (9th win on 11th nomination) |
| Best Fanzine: nerds of a feather flock together (3rd win) |
| Best Fancast: Hugo, Girl! (2nd win on 4th nomination) |
| Best Fan Writer: Jason Sanford (1st win on 7th nomination) |
| Best Fan Artist: Yuumei (1st win on 1st nomination) |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+- Best Related Work: Ada Palmer won her first Hugo Award with Inventing the Renaissance. Susana M. Morris’s Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia Butler overtook nomination leader The Hugo Spreadsheet of Doom (maintained by Renay) to capture second place.
- Best Editor (Short & Long Form): Neil Clarke captured Short Form (his 8th career Hugo win across 18 nominations). Diana M. Pho secured Long Form, building an early lead across six rounds to earn her 3rd win out of 5 career nominations.
- Best Professional Artist: John Picacio earned his 4th win out of 19 career nominations.
- Best Semiprozine & Fanzine: Uncanny Magazine led all six rounds to earn its 9th win in 11 nominations. In Fanzine, nerds of a feather flock together mounted a sixth-round pass against nomination leader An Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog to win its 3rd Hugo.
- Best Fancast & Fan Writer: Hugo, Girl! pulled off a dramatic late surge in the sixth round to edge past Worldbuilding for Masochists by nine points. In Fan Writer, Jason Sanford secured his first Hugo Award after seven nominations, surging past early leader James Davis Nicoll in the fourth round.
- Best Fan Artist: Yuumei captured her first nomination and win in five rounds.
Non-Hugo Awards
Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book
The Lodestar Award provided a striking example of Instant Runoff Voting dynamics. Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins commanded the highest initial nomination numbers and led the first-place vote counts through four rounds. However, Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe by C.B. Lee—which entered with the lowest nomination tally and sat in fourth place in initial votes—accumulated transferred votes as lower-ranked works were eliminated (notably Trang Thanh Tran’s They Bloom at Night).
In the fifth and final round, Lee’s work surged past Collins to claim victory. Collins’ novel subsequently fell to fourth place overall after secondary transfers lifted Rachel Hartman’s Among Ghosts to second and Tran’s work to third.
LODESTAR AWARD (YA) - VOTING DYNAMICS
Initial Nominations Leader: Sunrise on the Reaping (Suzanne Collins)
Initial Round 1 Leader: Sunrise on the Reaping (Suzanne Collins)
FINAL ROUND SURGE WINNER: Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe (C.B. Lee)
- Entered with lowest initial nominations.
- Sat in 4th place during Round 1.
- Accumulated transferred preferences from eliminated ballots.
- Passed Collins in Round 5 to claim 1st Place.Astounding Award for Best New Writer
Antonia Hodgson claimed the award based on her genre debut The Raven Scholar, leading from round one. Hodgson and Molly O’Neill were the only finalists in their first year of eligibility.
Official Statements and Administrative Rulings
The official statistical record issued by LAcon V detailed several critical eligibility decisions:
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| ADMINISTRATIVE ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATIONS |
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| CATEGORY: Best Series |
| - Lady Astronaut (Mary Robinette Kowal): Disqualified |
| Reason: Under 240,000 new words since 2019 ballot appearance. |
| - The Singing Hills Cycle (Nghi Vo): Disqualified |
| Reason: Under 240,000 total words cumulative across series. |
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| CATEGORY: Dramatic Presentation Alignment |
| - Andor (Season 2): Consolidated into Long Form. |
| Reason: More unique voters nominated full season over episodes. |
| Effect: 3 individual episodes removed from Short Form. |
| - Murderbot: "Free Commerce": Withdrawn in Short Form. |
| Reason: Limit on same-show episode finalists (showrunner request)|
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| CATEGORY: Astounding Award (Best New Writer) |
| - Antonia Hodgson: Declared ELIGIBLE. |
| Reason: Previous published works contained no SFF/genre elements.|
| - Barbara Truelove & Silvia Park: Declared INELIGIBLE. |
| Reason: Prior qualifying genre publications before 2024. |
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| CATEGORY: Fan Writer Ballot Identity |
| - Jay Brantner: Listed as "Jay Brantner (AKA 'Tar Vol')". |
| Reason: Clarified pseudonym while fulfilling author's preference|
| to display legal name. |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+Series Word-Count Thresholds
Two high-profile series received sufficient nominating votes to reach the final ballot but were determined to be ineligible under WSFS rules:
- Mary Robinette Kowal’s Lady Astronaut series was ruled ineligible because it had produced fewer than 240,000 new words since its previous appearance on the Hugo ballot in 2019.
- Nghi Vo’s The Singing Hills Cycle was ruled ineligible because its cumulative word count across all installments remained below the mandatory 240,000-word threshold.
Dramatic Presentation Cross-Category Consolidation
The WSFS rules limit individual franchises from appearing simultaneously across multiple presentation categories when voting overlaps:
- Andor (Season 2) accrued enough nominations to qualify for both Long Form (as a full season) and Short Form (for three individual episodes). Because a larger raw number of individual voters nominated the full season in Long Form, the individual episodes were removed from the Short Form category, opening finalist slots for other short-form works.
- Similarly, Murderbot qualified multiple episodes in Short Form; however, to comply with regulations governing maximum finalist entries per series, showrunners voluntarily withdrew "Free Commerce."
Genre Eligibility Rulings
- Astounding Award: Antonia Hodgson’s inclusion was formally reviewed due to her bibliography of non-genre historical fiction. WSFS administrators confirmed her eligibility, establishing that past published works lacking speculative elements do not disqualify an author from receiving the award for their first speculative fiction release (The Raven Scholar). Conversely, nominees Barbara Truelove and Silvia Park were ruled ineligible due to prior qualifying speculative works published before 2024.
- Fan Writer Identity Clarification: Finalist Jay Brantner received nominations under various pseudonymous permutations ("TarVolon," "Tar Vol"). To respect the author’s request for real-name billing while preventing voter confusion, administrators formally listed the ballot entry as Jay Brantner (AKA "Tar Vol").
Institutional Evolution and Future Outlook
The data released at LAcon V reveals several structural shifts designed to update the Hugo Awards for changing media formats and expanding global participation:
Permanent Ratification of "Best Poem"
First introduced as a temporary special Hugo category at Seattle Worldcon in 2025 and continued at LAcon V (where Elis Montgomery’s "Hex Supply Customer Support Log" won), a constitutional amendment permanently establishing Best Poem achieved its initial passage in 2025 and received second-stage ratification at LAcon V in 2026. The category formally becomes a permanent Hugo Award in 2027, subject to standard constitutional re-ratification requirements in 2029.
BEST POEM - INSTITUTIONAL LEGISLATIVE TIMELINE
2025 (Seattle): Introduced as Special Hugo Category / First Passage of Permanent Amendment
2026 (LAcon V): Second Special Category Execution / Final Constitutional Ratification
2027: Formal Implementation as Permanent Hugo Award Category
2029: Mandatory Re-ratification Review CycleCategory Redefinitions
To better delineate digital, illustrative, and fine art formats, WSFS confirmed that beginning with the 84th Worldcon, the Best Professional Artist category will be formally renamed Best Artist in Professional Illustration. The name change aims to clearer define the category’s traditional focus on commercial cover art and interior illustration.
Voter Participation Trends
The 27 percent rebound in voter turnout at LAcon V marks a return to robust participation levels for WSFS ceremonies. With digital voting systems handling 99.9% of all ballots cast, administrative focus shifts toward refining raw voter data transparency, maintaining protection against slating via EPH algorithms, and keeping eligibility guidelines clear across expanding multimedia formats.
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