Lambda Literary Awards Winners And Nominees For Science Fiction, Fantasy And Horror
Lambda Literary Awards (also known as the "Lammys") are awarded yearly by the United States-based Lambda Literary Foundation to published works that celebrate or explore LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) themes. The awards are presented annually for books published in the previous year. The Lambda Literary Foundation states that its mission is "to celebrate LGBT literature and provide resources for writers, readers, booksellers, publishers, and librarians—the whole literary community."
The Lambda Literary Award Medal Design 2008
Since their inception in 1989, awards have been given in various categories in fiction and non-fiction. The title for this category has changed several times, most recently to "LGBTQ+ Speculative Fiction".
Eligibility guidelines
To be eligible for the award, a book must meet the following requirements:
- The book must have been published for the first time in the United States between January 1 and December 31 of the previous calendar year.
- The book must be published in English; translations are accepted.
- The book must be available for purchase in a bound or collected format. Self-published books are eligible, provided they exist in a single published file; books published exclusively on social or subscription-based sites (including blogs, personal newsletters, Wattpad, and Patreon) are not eligible.
This category includes science fiction, fantasy, horror and related genres; submissions can be in the form of novels, novellas, or short story collections.
As with other Lambda Literary Awards, the books nominated for the Lambda Literary Award for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror are selected based on several factors, including LGBTQ+ content, quality of writing and artistic merit.
Winners and nominees
In the following table, the years correspond to the year of the book's release. The ceremonies are always held the following year. Entries with a yellow background have won the relevant award, while those with a white background are the nominees. Categories are abbreviated; the official category titles are presented in the key.
Key
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Recipients
Multi-time winners of the award include Melissa Scott (4), Nicola Griffith (3), Jim Grimsley (2), and Stephen Pagel (2). Nicola Griffith holds the record for most nominations (6), and Perry Brass has the most nominations without winning (4).
| Year | Category | Author | Title | Publisher | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Gay M/SF | Michael Nava | Goldenboy | Alyson | Winner | |
| Donald Ward | Death Takes the Stage | St. Martin's Press | Finalist | |||
| Joseph Hansen | Obedience | Mysterious Press | ||||
| Michael Bishop | Unicorn Mountain | William Morrow and Co. | ||||
| George Baxt | Who Next | International Polygonics | ||||
| Lesb. M/SF | Antoinette Azolakov | Skiptrace | Banned Books | Winner | ||
| Dolores Klaich | Heavy Gilt | Naiad Press | Finalist | |||
| Claire McNab | Lessons in Murder | Naiad Press | ||||
| Judy Grahn | Mundane World | Crossing Press | ||||
| Sandy Bayer | The Crystal Curtain | Alyson | ||||
| 1990 | Gay SF/F | Jeffrey N. McMahan | Somewhere in the Night | Alyson | Winner | |
| Geoff Mains | Gentle Warriors | Knights Press | Finalist | |||
| William K. Eakins | Key West 2720 AD | Knights Press | ||||
| Mercedes Lackey | Magic's Pawn | DAW Books | ||||
| Thom Nickels | Walking Water / After All This | Banned Books | ||||
| Lesb. SF/F | Jessica Amanda Salmonson (ed.) | What Did Miss Darrington See? | Feminist Press | Winner | ||
| Nancy Tyler Glenn | Clicking Stones | Naiad Press | Finalist | |||
| Lauren Wright Douglas | In the Blood | Naiad Press | ||||
| Susanna J. Sturgis (ed.) | Memories and Visions | Crossing Press | ||||
| Lee Lynch | Sue Slate: Private Eye | Naiad Press | ||||
| 1991 | Gay SF/F | Mercedes Lackey | Magic's Price | DAW Books | Winner | |
| Toby Johnson | Secret Matter | Lavender | ||||
| Marsh Cassady | Alternate Casts | Banned Books | Finalist | |||
| Storm Constantine | Enchantments of Flesh and Spirit | Tor Books | ||||
| Scott Edelman | The Gift | Space and Time | ||||
| Lesb. SF/F | Gael Baudino | Gossamer Axe | Roc | Winner | ||
| Patrick Califia | Doc and Fluff | Alyson | Finalist | |||
| Melissa Scott | Mighty Good Road | Baen Books | ||||
| Lynda Lyons | Priorities | Naiad Press | ||||
| Karen Marie Christa Minns | Virago | Naiad Press | ||||
| 1992 | Gay SF/F | Frank M. Robinson | The Dark Beyond the Stars | Tor Books | Winner | |
| Eric Garber (ed.) | Embracing the Dark | Alyson | Finalist | |||
| Perry Brass | Mirage | Belhue | ||||
| Jay B. Laws | Steam | Alyson | ||||
| Jeffrey N. McMahan | Vampires Anonymous | Alyson | ||||
| Lesb. SF/F | Jewelle Gomez | The Gilda Stories | Firebrand Books | Winner | ||
| B.L. Holmes | Mega | Mother Courage | Finalist | |||
| Chris Anne Wolfe | Shadows of Aggar | New Victoria | ||||
| Camarin Grae | Stranded | Naiad Press | ||||
| Judith Alguire | Zeta Base | Naiad Press | ||||
| 1993 | Gay SF/F | Maureen F. McHugh | China Mountain Zhang | Tor Books | Winner | |
| Thomas T. Thomas | Cry Gender | Baen Books | Finalist | |||
| Poppy Z. Brite | Lost Souls | Abyss / Delacorte | ||||
| Lewis Gannett | The Living One | Random House | ||||
| Anne Rice | The Tale of the Body Thief | Knopf | ||||
| Lesb. SF/F | Nicola Griffith | Ammonite | Del Rey Books | Winner | ||
| Melissa Scott | Dreamships | Tor Books | Finalist | |||
| Jean Stewart | Return to Isis | Rising Tide | ||||
| Judith Katz | Running Fiercely Toward a High Thin Sound | Firebrand Books | ||||
| Severna Park | Speaking Dreams | Firebrand Books | ||||
| 1994 | SF/F | Starhawk | The Fifth Sacred Thing | Bantam Books | Winner | |
| Melissa Scott | Burning Bright | Tor Books | Finalist | |||
| Poppy Brite | Drawing Blood | Delacorte Books | ||||
| Sybil Claiborne | In the Garden of Dead Cars | Cleis Press | ||||
| Jay B. Laws | The Unfinished | Alyson Books | ||||
| 1995 | SF/F | Melissa Scott | Trouble and Her Friends | Tor Books | Winner | |
| Nancy Springer | Metal Angel | Roc | Finalist | |||
| Mercedes Lackey | Storm Warning | DAW Books | ||||
| Suzy McKee Charnas | The Furies | Tor Books | ||||
| Jean Stewart | Warriors of Isis | DAW Books | ||||
| 1996 | SF/F | Melissa Scott | Shadow Man | Tor Books | Winner | |
| Nicola Griffith | Slow River | Del Rey Books | Finalist | |||
| Samuel R. Delany | Atlantis: Three Tales | Wesleyan | ||||
| Pam Keesey | Dark Angels | Cleis Press | ||||
| Felice Picano | Dryland End | Richard Kasak | ||||
| 1997 | SF/F | Clive Barker | Sacrament | HarperCollins | Winner | |
| Rachel Pollack | Godmother Night | St. Martin's Press | Finalist | |||
| Michael Rowe and Thomas S. Roche (eds.) | Sons of Darkness | Cleis Press | ||||
| Eric Garber and Jewelle Gomez (eds.) | Swords of the Rainbow | Alyson | ||||
| Pam Keesey (eds.) | Women Who Run With Werewolves | Cleis Press | ||||
| 1998 | SF/F | Nicola Griffith and Stephen Pagel (eds.) | Bending the Landscape: Fantasy | White Wolf | Winner | |
| William J. Mann | Grave Passions: Tales of the Gay Supernatural | Masquerade | Finalist | |||
| Harry M. Benshoff (ed.) | Monsters in the Closet | Manchester University Press | ||||
| Lawrence Schimel (ed.) | The Drag Queen of Elfland | Circlet Press | ||||
| Perry Brass | The Harvest | Belhue | ||||
| 1999 | SF/F | Nicola Griffith and Stephen Pagel (eds.) | Bending the Landscape: Science Fiction | Overlook Press | Winner | |
| Ulysses G. Dietz | Desmond | Alyson | Finalist | |||
| Elizabeth Brownrigg | Falling to Earth | Firebrand Books | ||||
| Clive Barker | Galilee | HarperCollins | ||||
| Lawrence Schimel (ed.) | Things Invisible to See | Ultra Violet | ||||
| 2000 | SF/F | Richard Bowes | Minions of the Moon | Tor Books | Winner | |
| Victoria Brownworth and Judith Redding (eds.) | Night Shade: Gothic Tales by Women | Seal Press | Finalist | |||
| Severna Park | The Annunciate | Avon | ||||
| Keith Hartman | The Gumshoe, the Witch, and the Virtual Corpse | Meisha Merlin | ||||
| Delia Sherman | Through a Brazen Mirror | Circlet Press / Ace | ||||
| 2001 | SF/F/H | Jim Grimsley | Kirith Kirin | Meisha Merlin | Winner | |
| Perry Brass | Angel Lust | Belhue | Finalist | |||
| David Gerrold | Jumping off the Planet | Tor Books | ||||
| Anne Rice | Merrick | Knopf | ||||
| Michael Rowe (ed.) | Queer Fear | Arsenal Pulp Press | ||||
| 2002 | SF/F/H | Melissa Scott and Lisa A. Barnett | Point of Dreams | Tor Books | Winner | |
| Nicola Griffith and Stephen Pagel (eds.) | Bending the Landscape: Horror | Overlook Press | Finalist | |||
| David Thomas Lord | Bound in Blood | Kensington | ||||
| Keith Hartman | Gumshoe Gorilla | Meisha Merlin | ||||
| Michael Schiefelbein | Vampire Vow | Alyson | ||||
| 2003 | SF/F/H | Michael Rowe (ed.) | Queer Fear II | Arsenal Pulp | Winner | |
| Katherine V. Forrest | Daughters of an Amber Noon | Overlook Press | Finalist | |||
| Karin Kallmaker (as Laura Adams) | Seeds of Fire | Bella Books | ||||
| Randy Boyd | The Devil Inside | West Beach | ||||
| Cecilia Tan (ed.) | Wired Hard 3 | Circlet Press | ||||
| 2004 | SF/F/H | Helen Sandler (ed.) | Necrologue | Diva | Winner | |
| David M. Pierce | Elf Child | Southern Tier | Finalist | |||
| Diana Rivers | The Red Line of Yarmald | Bella Books | ||||
| Perry Brass | The Substance of God | Belhue | ||||
| Michael Schiefelbein | Vampire Thrall | Alyson | ||||
| 2005 | SF/F/H | Jim Grimsley | The Ordinary | Tor Books | Winner | |
| Michael Jensen | Firelands | Alyson | Finalist | |||
| Greg Herren (ed.) | Shadows of the Night: Queer Tales of the Uncanny and Unusual | Southern Tier | ||||
| Jean Stewart | The Wizard of Isis | Bella Books | ||||
| Nicola Griffith | With Her Body | Aqueduct Press | ||||
| 2006 | LGBT SF/F/H | Katherine V. Forrest | Daughters of an Emerald Dusk | Alyson | Winner | |
| Octavia Butler | Fledgling | Seven Stories Press | Finalist | |||
| Jeanne Gӆellers | No Sister of Mine | Bella Books | ||||
| David B. Coe | Shapers of Darkness | Tor Books | ||||
| Jane Fletcher | Temple Landfall | Bold Strokes Books | ||||
| 2007 | LGBT SF/F/H | Neal Drinnan | Izzy and Eve | Green Candy Press | Winner | |
| R.W. Day | A Strong and Sudden Thaw | Iris Print | Finalist | |||
| Elizabeth Bear | Carnival | Bantam Spectra | ||||
| Douglas Clegg | Mordred, Bastard Son | Alyson | ||||
| Chris Moriarty | Spin Control | Bantam Spectra | ||||
| 2008 | LGBT SF/F/H | Lee Thomas | The Dust of Wonderland | Alyson | Winner | |
| Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette | A Companion to Wolves | Tor Books | Finalist | |||
| Jo Walton | Ha'penny | Tor Books | ||||
| Brian Francis Slattery | Spaceman Blues | Tor Books | ||||
| Ginn Hale | Wicked Gentlemen | Blind Eye Books | ||||
| 2009 | LGBT SF/F/H | Nicole Kimberling | Turnskin | Blind Eye Books | Winner | |
| Craig Laurance Gidney | Sea, Swallow Me and Other Stories | Lethe Press | Finalist | |||
| Astrid Amara | The Archer's Heart | Blind Eye Books | ||||
| Barth Anderson | The Magician and the Fool | Bantam / Del Ray | ||||
| Steve Berman | Wilde Stories 2008 | Lethe Press | ||||
| 2010 | LGBT SF/F/H | Catherynne M. Valente | Palimpsest | Bantam Books | Winner | |
| Rebecca Ore | Centuries Ago and Very Fast | Aqueduct Press | Finalist | |||
| Amber Dawn | Fist of the Spider Woman | Arsenal Pulp Press | ||||
| Lee Thomas | In the Closet, Under the Bed | Dark Scribe Press | ||||
| Tom Cardamone | Pumpkin Teeth | Lethe Press | ||||
| 2011 | LGBT SF/F/H | Sandra McDonald | Diana Comet and Other Improbable Stories | Lethe Press | Winner | |
| Tanith Lee | Disturbed by Her Song | Lethe Press | Finalist | |||
| Nene Adams | Flowers of Edo | Black Car Publishing | ||||
| Steve Berman (ed.) | Wilde Stories 2010 | Lethe Press | ||||
| Jane Fletcher | Wolfsbane Winter | Bold Strokes Books | ||||
| 2012 | LGBT SF/F/H | Lee Thomas | The German | Lethe Press | Winner | |
| Geoff Ryman | Paradise Tales: and Other Stories | Small Beer Press | Finalist | |||
| L.A. Witt | Static | Amber Allure / Amber Quill Press | ||||
| JoSelle Vanderhooft | Steam-powered: Lesbian Steampunk Stories | Torquere Press | ||||
| J. M. Frey | Triptych | Dragon Moon Press | ||||
| 2013 | LGBT SF/F/H | Tom Cardamone | Green Thumb | Lethe Press | Winner | |
| Lee Mandelo | Beyond Binary: Genderqueer and Sexually Fluid Speculative Fiction | Lethe Press | Finalist | |||
| H.B. Kurtzwilde | Chocolatiers of the High Winds: A Gay Steampunk Romance | Circlet Press | ||||
| Connie Wilkins and Steve Berman | Heiresses of Russ 2012: the Year’s Best Lesbian Speculative Fiction | Lethe Press | ||||
| Kelly Sinclair | In the Now | Blue Feather Books | ||||
| Greg Herren and J. M. Redmann | Night Shadows: Queer Horror | Bold Strokes Books | ||||
| Sean Eads | The Survivors | Lethe Press | ||||
| 2014 | LGBT SF/F/H | Melissa Scott and Amy Griswold | Death by Silver | Winner | ||
| Deborah Wheeler | Collaborators | Finalist | ||||
| Alex Jeffers | Deprivation; or, Benedetto furioso: an oneiromancy | |||||
| Isabella Carter | Dragon Slayer | |||||
| Richard Bowes | Dust Devil on a Quiet Street | |||||
| Marie Castle | Hell's Belle | |||||
| Roberta Degnore | Invisible Soft Return | |||||
| Nathan Burgoine | Light | |||||
| Lee Thomas | Like Light for Flies | |||||
| Mary Anne Mohanraj | The Stars Change | |||||
| 2015 | LGBT SF/F/H | Chaz Brenchley | Bitter Waters | Winner | ||
| Daryl Gregory | Afterparty | Finalist | ||||
| Lee Thomas | Butcher's Road | |||||
| A. M. Dellamonica | Child of a Hidden Sea | |||||
| Max Gladstone | Full Fathom Five | |||||
| Lea Daley | FutureDyke | |||||
| Craig Laurance Gidney | Skin Deep Magic | |||||
| 2016 | LGBT SF/F/H | Kirsty Logan | The Gracekeepers | Winner | ||
| Ally Blue | Down | Finalist | ||||
| J.A. Rock | Minotaur | |||||
| Kate Sherwood | Sacrati | |||||
| John Inman | The Boys on the Mountain | |||||
| Fletcher DeLancey | The Caphenon | |||||
| Robert Levy | The Glittering World | |||||
| Jude McLaughlin | Wonder City Stories | |||||
| 2017 | LGBT SF/F/H | Indra Das | The Devourers | Winner | ||
| Sassafras Lowrey | A Little Queermas Carol | Finalist | ||||
| Dayna Ingram | All Good Children | |||||
| David Lennon | Irish Black | |||||
| A. C. Wise | Kissing Booth Girl | |||||
| Michael Thomas Ford | Lily | |||||
| Ras Mashramani, Rasheedah Phillips, Alex Smith, and M. Eighteen Téllez | Style of Attack Report | |||||
| Andrea Hairston | Will Do Magic for Small Change | |||||
| 2018 | LGBT SF/F/H | Annalee Newitz | Autonomous | Winner | ||
| Lara Elena Donnelly | Amberlough | Finalist | ||||
| Maggie Shen King | An Excess Male | |||||
| Rivers Solomon | An Unkindness of Ghosts | |||||
| Kristen Ringman | I Stole You | |||||
| Owen Keehnen | Night Visitors | |||||
| Lindsey Drager | The Lost Daughter Collective | |||||
| Nicky Drayden | The Prey of Gods | |||||
| 2019 | LGBT SF/F/H | Isaac R. Fellman | The Breath of the Sun | Aqueduct Press | Winner | |
| Sonya Taaffe | Forget the Sleepless Shores | Lethe Press | Finalist | |||
| Aliette de Bodard | In the Vanishers’ Palace | JABberwocky | ||||
| Clay AD | Metabolize, If Able | Monster House Press | ||||
| Fletcher DeLancey | Resilience | Heartsome Publishing | ||||
| Margaret Killjoy | The Barrow Will Send What It May | Tor Books | ||||
| Neon Yang | The Descent of Monsters | Tor Books | ||||
| C. L. Polk | Witchmark | Tor Books | ||||
| 2020 | LGBT SF/F/H | Rivers Solomon, Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, and Jonathan Snipes | The Deep | Saga Press / Gallery | Winner | |
| Craig Laurance Gidney | A Spectral Hue | Word Horde | Finalist | |||
| Marlon James | Black Leopard, Red Wolf | Riverhead Books | ||||
| Jac Jemc | False Bingo | Dzanc Books | ||||
| Matthew Bright | Stories to Sing in the Dark | Lethe Press | ||||
| Samantha Shannon | The Priory of the Orange Tree | Bloomsbury Publishing | ||||
| Julie C. Day | The Rampant | Aqueduct Press | ||||
| Nina MacLaughlin | Wake, Siren | Farrar, Straus and Giroux | ||||
| 2021 | LGBT SF/F/H | Julian K. Jarboe | Everyone on the Moon is Essential Personnel | Lethe Press | Winner | |
| Rebecca Roanhorse | Black Sun | Saga Press / Gallery | Finalist | |||
| Zen Cho | The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water | Tor Books | ||||
| Tlotlo Tsamaase | The Silence of the Wilting Skin | Pink Narcissus Press | ||||
| Aaron A. Reed | Subcutanean | Self-published | ||||
| 2022 | LGBTQ Speculative Fiction | Cadwell Turnbull | No Gods, No Monsters | Blackstone Publishing | Winner | |
| Arkady Martine | A Desolation Called Peace | Tor Books | Finalist | |||
| Honni van Rijswijk | Breeder | Blackstone Publishing | ||||
| Olivia Tapiero with Kit Schluter (trans.) | Phototaxis | Nightboat Books | ||||
| Neon Yang | The Tensorate Series | Tor Books | ||||
| 2023 | LGBTQ Speculative Fiction | Lianyu Tan | The Wicked and the Willing | Shattered Scepter Press | Winner | |
| Sunyi Dean | The Book Eaters | Tor Books | Finalist | |||
| Nghi Vo | Into the Riverlands | Tor.com | ||||
| Khan Wong | The Circus Infinite | Angry Robot | ||||
| Rob Hart | The Paradox Hotel | Ballantine Books | ||||
| 2024 | LGBTQ Speculative Fiction | Marisa Crane | I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself | Catapult | Winner | |
| Aubrey Wood | Bang Bang Bodhisattva | Solaris | Finalist | |||
| Emma Mieko Candon | The Archive Undying | Tor.com | ||||
| Vajra Chandrasekera | The Saint of Bright Doors | Tor.com | ||||
| Chana Porter | The Thick and the Lean | Saga Press |