Chengdu Worldcon, the 81st World Science Fiction Convention, announced the finalists for the 2023 Hugo Awards, Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book, and Astounding Award for Best New Writer on social media and through its official website on July 6.

An announcement for the 2023 Hugo Awards. [Photo courtesy of Chengdu Worldcon]

The 2023 Hugo Awards received and counted 1,847 valid nominating ballots from the members of the 2022 and 2023 World Science Fiction Conventions, who selected finalists from a pool of more than 25,000 submitted works and individuals. These ballots consist of 1,843 electronic and four paper submissions from Feb. 28 to May 1. Voting for the final ballot is scheduled to begin on July 10.

The 2023 Chengdu Worldcon, scheduled to take place in Chengdu, Sichuan province, in October, will announce the winners and host the presentation of the 2023 Hugo Awards. These awards primarily recognize works published or appearing in 2022. Individuals who were members of the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS) and attended either the 2022 or 2023 World Science Fiction Conventions before Feb. 1, 2023, are eligible to submit a nominating ballot. Nominees with sufficient nominations will advance to the final ballot for the 2023 Hugo Awards. Although both 2022 and 2023 Worldcon members can participate in the nomination stage, only members of the 2023 Chengdu Worldcon have voting privileges for the final ballot.

Established in 1953, the Hugo Awards are an annual accolade presented by the WSFS during the World Science Fiction Convention. The award is named in honor of Hugo Gernsback (1884-1967). Since its establishment, the Hugo Award has been given each year to recognize the best works of science fiction and fantasy from the previous year as well as notable individuals or groups who have made significant contributions to the field.

The Hugo Awards have consistently played a pivotal role in shaping the direction of global science fiction literature. It is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious and renowned science fiction awards worldwide. In 2015, Chinese writer Liu Cixin achieved a monumental feat by winning the Hugo Award for Best Science Fiction Novel with his work, "The Three-Body Problem." This victory propelled Liu's fame to unprecedented heights both domestically and internationally. Notably, this marked the first time a Chinese writer had received such a prestigious prize.

According to the WSFS Constitution, the 2023 Hugo Awards Subcommittee has completed the shortlist. Chengdu Worldcon organizers have reported that this year's data shows the largest-ever participation of non-English speaking members in the history of the Hugo Awards. Thanks to the open and inclusive nomination system of the Hugo Awards and the collaborative efforts between Chinese and foreign members of the Hugo Awards Subcommittee, non-English works have gained attention from science fiction fans worldwide for the first time, further promoting the diversification of global science fiction literature.

It is worth noting the presence of several Chinese finalists in various categories of the Hugo Awards. In the Best Short Story category, there are four Chinese finalists: "On the Razor's Edge" by Jiang Bo, "Resurrection" by Ren Qing, "The White Cliff" by Lu Ban, and "Zhurong on Mars" by Regina Kanyu Wang. The Best Novelette category features the Chinese entry "The Space-Time Painter" by Hai Ya. Furthermore, "Chinese Science Fiction, An Oral History, Volume 1" by Yang Feng is nominated for Best Related Work. Yang, the founder and CEO of the Chinese sci-fi brand Eight Light Minutes Culture, has also received a nomination in the Best Editor, Short Form category. Another notable nominee from China is Yao Haijun, a Chinese sci-fi publisher, who is nominated for Best Editor, Long Form. Joining him in this category are fellow Chinese nominees Chen Ruoxi and Yan Huan. In addition to these nominations, Chinese artists Zhao Enzhe, Zhang Jian, Kuri Huang, and Sija Hong will compete for the Best Professional Artist award. 

To further enhance its appeal, the Hugo Awards also recognizes outstanding achievements in films and television. In the category of Best Dramatic Presentation Long Form, highly acclaimed blockbusters such as "Avatar: The Way of Water," "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," Oscar-winning "Everything Everywhere All at Once," "Nope," the first season of "Severance," and the Pixar animated feature "Turning Red" have all received nominations. 

The 2023 Hugo Awards, the Lodestar Award, and the Astounding Award will be presented during a formal ceremony at the Chengdu Worldcon on Oct. 21, 2023.

The list of the Hugo Awards finalists:

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