Which science fiction awards agree? The Hugo, Nebula, Locus and Clarke compared
Each of the four major science fiction awards is chosen differently: fans, writers, magazine readers and a jury. So how often do they agree on the best novel? The Hugo and Locus agree most often (52% of years), while the Locus and Arthur C. Clarke have agreed in 0 of 40 years.
How often each pair picks the same winner
For each pair of awards, the share of years in which both named the same book as best novel. The Clarke is a British jury prize, so its rare agreement with the three American-based awards says a lot about differences in taste across the Atlantic.
| Hugo | Nebula | Locus | Arthur C. Clarke | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hugo | — | 38%23 of 61 years | 52%29 of 56 years | 5%2 of 40 years |
| Nebula | 38%23 of 61 years | — | 25%14 of 56 years | 3%1 of 40 years |
| Locus | 52%29 of 56 years | 25%14 of 56 years | — | 0%0 of 40 years |
| Arthur C. Clarke | 5%2 of 40 years | 3%1 of 40 years | 0%0 of 40 years | — |
How much their shortlists overlap
The share of the smaller award’s recognized books that the other award also recognized, as a winner or finalist.
| Hugo | Nebula | Locus | Arthur C. Clarke | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hugo | — | 48%261 books | 54%292 books | 15%35 books |
| Nebula | 48%261 books | — | 36%196 books | 11%26 books |
| Locus | 54%292 books | 36%196 books | — | 16%36 books |
| Arthur C. Clarke | 15%35 books | 11%26 books | 16%36 books | — |
Recognized by all four awards
8 science fiction books were honored by every one of the four awards, as a winner or finalist.
About this data
Award records come from the Science Fiction Awards Database and cover the Novel and Novella categories of the Hugo, Nebula and Locus awards and the Arthur C. Clarke Award. Ratings are web-aggregated averages, counted only for books with at least 100 ratings. Everything updates automatically as new results are added. You are welcome to cite this page; please link back to it.