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I'm a professional member of SFWA and I've just completed my duties as a member of the Short Story Jury for the Nebula Awards to be awarded this April in Texas. I mentioned this to Kathleen and she suggested I write a bit about it.
The Nebula Awards are given by SFWA to the best novel, short story, novelette, novella, and script of the year. The Award is voted on by the SFWA members. The ballot is composed of several works in each category put forward by the membership, and the jury who does a very expansive search for stories including small presses adds an additional choice in each category to the final ballot. The Award goes to the best regardless of whether they are a member of SFWA or not.
As a member of the Short Story jury, I spent this past year reading short stories, novelettes, and novels. The criteria for the jury's final decision was to find sparkling jems to bring to the attention of the SFWA membership. I looked for stories in each category that moved me, fascinated me, and that I thought were extraordinary.
I'm going to tell you truthfully that those stories can be found anywhere. Whenever an editor chooses a story to publish, it is only his or her subjective opinion that makes that decision. That's why great stories can be found anywhere. One editor's rejected story is another editor's prize.
It's going to be interesting to see how the SFWA membership votes. Whether one of the jury's recommendations on the ballot wins a Nebula, doesn't matter as much as the fact that they were nominated to the final ballot.
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In response to the questions, the jury could only choose from stories that were actually published in 2007. We also considered stories that were published by the smaller magazines and presses (anthologies), even though publication in those venues do not make the authors eligible for SFWA membership. The Nebula gives the award for the best in the field of what has been published in the USA that year as determined by a final vote of the SFWA membership. The winners do not have to be members of SFWA either.
More information about the Nebula Awards is available on www.sfwa.org
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Is this strictly for hard science-fiction, you know Asimov style, or could science fantasy (technology and magic together) and fantasy be considered part of this event?
Posts: 187 | Registered: Jan 2008
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Fantasy has won in the past. Bujold's Paladin of Souls won. I think more SF than fantasy wins though. (I have a personal opinion that some contests and awards have a bias in favor of SF but that's my personal opinion) If you're not a big name writer--you could win one of the awards but I wouldn't hold my breath.
However, that aside, most of the Nebula winners are worthy of winning in my opinion. I love Moons Speed of Dark (SF) and Bujold's Paladin of Souls as well as many other winners.
[This message has been edited by JeanneT (edited February 24, 2008).]
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Interesting information, Susan. Thank you for taking the time to share it!
If you are visiting this thread again, I'm left curious what kinds of broad themes you may have found over the course of the year. Specifically - are there topics that seem to get better treatment (more moving/sparkling), eras, styles, etc. I'm a newish writer with a thousand and sixty inspirations or story ideas, and I sometimes have trouble figuring out which way to go.
For instance, I was surprised at positive reception to my clone story, which I would have thought was a bit cliche, and disappointed in my adult take on an imaginary friend, which I think *is* a bit cliche but I thought I broke past it but apparently failed to do. I use these not as examples of what works, merely just examples of broad topics/subject matter.
It also seems that some things are easier to write than others. Action-oriented seems easier than introspective.
I guess my main question is: do you have any advice for writers based on your experience? Any thoughts on things that did seem to work really well or things that really flopped? I am sure you are under confidentiality agreements on the specific works you reviewed, but I'm just looking for broad trends/suggestions. Thanks in advance!
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I use these not as examples of what works, merely just examples of broad topics/subject matter. 
