Science fiction · United States
The Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel
Voted on annually by readers of Locus, the leading science fiction and fantasy trade magazine, the Locus Award is the field's reader-driven benchmark. The Best Science Fiction Novel category has been awarded since 1980. Winners 2010–2024.
Unlike peer-voted awards such as the Hugo or Nebula, the Locus Award is decided by a direct reader poll — making it the best measure of what the genre's most engaged readers actually consider the best of the year.
John Scalzi has won the most times in the modern era (Redshirts 2013, The Collapsing Empire 2018, The Kaiju Preservation Society 2023). Martha Wells won in 2021 (Network Effect) and 2024 (System Collapse), and Ann Leckie won consecutively in 2015 and 2016 for the Imperial Radch trilogy.
Winners
- 2010 Boneshaker Cherie Priest Find on Amazon →
- 2011 Blackout/All Clear Connie Willis Find on Amazon →
- 2012 Embassytown China Miéville Find on Amazon →
- 2013 Redshirts John Scalzi · more by this author Find on Amazon →
- 2014 Abaddon's Gate James S.A. Corey · more by this author Find on Amazon →
- 2015 Ancillary Sword Ann Leckie
- 2016 Ancillary Mercy Ann Leckie
- 2017 Death's End Liu Cixin · more by this author
- 2018 The Collapsing Empire John Scalzi · more by this author
- 2019 The Calculating Stars Mary Robinette Kowal
- 2020 The City in the Middle of the Night Charlie Jane Anders · more by this author In our catalogue Book club guide →
- 2021 Network Effect Martha Wells · more by this author In our catalogue Book club guide →
- 2022 A Desolation Called Peace Arkady Martine · more by this author
- 2023 The Kaiju Preservation Society John Scalzi · more by this author In our catalogue Book club guide →
- 2024 System Collapse Martha Wells · more by this author In our catalogue Book club guide →
- 2025 The Mercy of Gods James S.A. Corey · more by this author In our catalogue Book club guide →
Years are the award year; winning books were published in the prior calendar year. The full Locus SF Novel history runs from 1980.
Winners verified against the prize's official records. For the complete history, see the official The Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel site.
Common questions
How is the Locus Award decided?
By an annual reader poll open to subscribers of Locus Magazine — the science fiction field's trade magazine, published since 1968. This makes it the genre's most direct measure of reader preference.
How does the Locus Award differ from the Hugo?
Both are reader-voted, but the Hugo is voted on at WorldCon by paid members (a few thousand voters), while the Locus poll draws on Locus Magazine's large subscriber base. Both are prestigious; the Locus is considered more representative of the general SF readership.