The Hugo Awards, first presented in 1953 and presented annually since 1955, are science fiction’s most prestigious award. The Hugo Awards are voted on by members of the World Science Fiction Convention (“Worldcon”), which is also responsible for administering them. The Hugo Awards are managed by the World Science Fiction Society ("WSFS") (TheHugoAwards.org) 

Anyone who registers for Worldcon has membership for that year, and there is also an option to register for a WSFS-only membership. Virtual memberships are available. Members can nominate and vote in the Hugo Awards, as well as participate in the WSFS business meeting, where Hugo Award changes are made. 

What Is the Goal of this Initiative?

The goal of this initiative is to create a Hugo Award for Speculative Poetry. We are a group of poets and writers interested in furthering the genre of speculative poetry. Poetry has always been a part of the science fiction, fantasy, and horror landscape. We believe it deserves recognition. 

How Is a New Hugo Award Created?

Creating a new Hugo Award category is a two-year process. In order to create a permanent speculative poetry Hugo Award, the WSFS Constitution must be amended by adding a new category. This process involves a proposal for the amendment, which must be made at the WSFS Business Meeting, open to all Worldcon members and attendees. 

If the amendment passes in the first year, then it is ratified at the next year's Worldcon. 

Our goal is to submit a new category at the 2025 WSFS Business Meeting. 

Isn't there Already a Speculative Poetry Hugo?

Not yet! 2025 is the first year that speculative poetry has been recognized as part of the Hugo Awards. At Seattle Worldcon 2025, the first speculative poetry Hugo Award will be awarded. This is considered a "Special Award" created at the discretion of the current Worldcon Committee. It is not permanent, but our goal is to make it so. 

What Is the Proposed Amendment?

Below is the draft proposal for the speculative poetry Hugo Award: 

Moved, to amend the WSFS constitution for the purpose of creating a new Hugo Award category for Best Speculative Poem by inserting a new subsection after existing Section 3.3.4 as follows:

3.3.Y: Best Poem: A science fiction or fantasy poem of any line length or word count. 

Provided that unless this amendment is re-ratified by the 2029 Business Meeting, this Section shall be repealed; 

and Provided further that the question of re-ratification shall automatically be placed on the agenda of the 2029 Business Meeting

Proposed by: [Holly Lyn Walrath, Brian Garrison, Lynne Sargent, Marie Brennan, Akua Lezli Hope, Sue Burke, Deborah Davitt]

Commentary

A Hugo Award specifically for poetry is necessary to recognize a form with a rich history that has been in place since the beginning of the speculative genres. Furthermore, the current speculative poetry community is a vital and thriving field. 

Many common questions and issues are addressed at: PoetryHugo.com

With further supporting evidence, documentation, sources, references, and discussion. A synopsis of major points is provided below: 

The viability of a Poetry category was demonstrated at Worldcon Seattle in 2025, with 16% of voters nominating in this category. Categories with fewer nominations include Best Fan Artist, Best Professional Artist, and Best Editor Long Form.

This category has broad language to recognize the wide swath of forms poetry can take from one-line poems to haiku to epic poetry to song lyrics. 

Expansions on the above points are provided in the Poetry Report included in the online materials provided for the Business Meeting. Full details and discussion are available at PoetryHugo.com

Why a Speculative Poetry Hugo?

Poetry is a touchstone of the history of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. It can be argued that speculative poetry predates speculative fiction. Several of the genre’s most enduring historical examples are epic poems such as Beowulf, Gilgamesh, and The Odyssey. Appreciating poetry also means appreciating a throughline connecting the genre to classical literature. 

That throughline persists today, as many contemporary poets are also writing undeniably speculative verse. National Poetry Slam finalist and 2019 Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship recipient Franny Choi won the Elgin Award in 2020 with Soft Science, a collection using robotics as a metaphor for interrogating race, gender, and language; former Poet Laureate of the United States Tracy K. Smith authored the powerfully space-themed Life on Mars, which won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize. This connection emphasises the value of not just speculative poetry, but the entire genre, as a strong cultural literature.

That being said, speculative poetry also has a deep history in the pulp magazines. Not only has speculative poetry existed for a long time, it has also been a vital, embedded part of SFF culture from the beginning. Early pulps like Weird Tales, first established in 1923, regularly published poetry–as well as Amazing Stories (1926), Fantasy & Science Fiction (1949), Asimov’s (1977), Scientific American (1845), and more. 

Furthermore, some of the (arguably) biggest names in the genre wrote/write poetry alongside fiction, including J.R.R. Tolkien, Ursula K. Le Guin, Clark Ashton Smith, H.P. Lovecraft, Neil Gaiman, Ray Bradbury, Jane Yolen, Margaret Atwood, Isaac Asimov, James Blish, Orson Scott Card, Suzette H. Elgin, Frank Herbert, Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Geoffrey A. Landis, Marge Piercy, Ann McCaffrey, Bruce McAllister, Lee Ballentine, Bruce Boston, G.O. Clark, Mariann Dyson, Iain Banks, Alasdair Gray, Catherynne M. Valente, Peter Straub, Joe Haldeman, and more.    

Why Are You Proposing an Award for a Single Poem vs. a Collection of Poems?

We feel that starting with an award for a single poem is the easiest way to introduce speculative poetry to the larger science fiction, fantasy, and horror community who may not be familiar with poetry. Many people who think of themselves as regular readers of genre works often have never read a book of poetry, let alone speculative poetry. 

Similar awards for books such as the SFPA Elgin Award see a drop by about 50% in voters compared to participation in the Rhysling (single poem award, per the current SFPA President, Brian Garrison). In order to keep the award sustainable, a single-poem award is a great starting point. If it is accepted, we will consider expanding the award to book-length collections in the future. 

Why No Line Limits or Word Count Limits?

Poetry is inherently different than fiction in that a poem can be a single line or an epic, book-length poem. Our definition was written to have the broadest possible interpretation to make space for the diverse range of what a “poem” truly can be. 

Why Are You Not Defining What a Poem Is?

The current guidelines for fiction and books in the WSFS constitution do not define what those genres are, and we feel poetry is no different in that it is a recognizable form of literature. While there are some poems that have elements that overlap with fiction (like prose poems), the same can be said of some short stories with more lyrical styles. Definitions often exclude instead of include, and our goal is to be as inclusive as possible, given that definitions of what is "speculative" vary by culture and style. 

That being said, like speculative fiction, speculative poetry encompasses a broad set of subgenres. For example, according to the "What Is Speculative Poetry" report conducted by the SFPA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association) in 2017 (Available to read on Shannon Connor Winward's website), there is a wide spectrum of opinion regarding what counts as “speculative”.  On the upper end of consensus, we find categories that are understood across the literary landscape as falling within the speculative umbrella, including Science Fiction, Space science & exploration, Fantasy, Magic, Supernatural Horror, Myth and Folklore, Fairy Tales, Alternative History, SF&F pop culture, Superheroes, Surrealism, Slipstream, Fabulism, and Weird and “What If”.

Genres that fell more towards the middle of the spectrum—that is, those receiving support by 40-65%  of responders, included Science (physics, chemistry, biology, etc), Domestic Fabulism, Dinosaurs, “Interstitial” works, biographies of speculative poets, and poems in which traditional SF&F tropes as literary device (analogy, simile).

On the lower end of the spectrum—those genres that are most controversial, according to responders—we find Bizzaro, SF&F tropes as metaphor (bit of inconsistency there), biographies of scientists and (non-speculative) poets, Mundane Horror, Nature, Religion, Gender, Real history, Cowboy & Western, and Romance.

Like every other category of Hugo Awards, the final determination of what fits into that category is up to the current committee and voting membership. 

Why Not a Hugo for Best Speculative Poet?

While there is precedent for recognizing individual poets in the rich tradition of the poet laureate, we feel that poets should have the chance for their individual works to be recognized, similar to fiction categories. 

Isn't There Already a Poetry Award (At Some Other Organization)?