UPDATE 2 3/22/2016
I’ve added an asterisk to the other people who requested removal. I’ve also made some starting edits to the main file noting the kind of update. Many thanks to judgeadd for the detailed comments: I need to spend some time on the weekend checking, but I think I have the core of the edits in place.
The two people who contacted me personally or posted a comment to this page or the Mad Genius Club posts asking to be removed have been marked with an asterisk. I will post separately explaining my reasoning.
No corrections have been made yet: I’m still catching up from Lunacon. I’ll note the edits at the top of the page when I make them. The Mad Genius Club post will NOT be edited so my typos and miscategorizations will remain there for all posterity. Or posterior, which I suspect is the more apt way to put it.
The List is done. It’s not all on this page because there’s too much – the full list is viewable here.
My methodology was pretty basic – any comments that were favorable to the work got counted as a +1 and added to the tally. -1 comments or disagreement weren’t counted. I’ve probably been more generous on that front than others, because I included things like “I wish that was eligible” as a +1. A few clearly misplaced votes got moved to the appropriate place. If someone was the only person to suggest their own work, it’s been noted as a self-nomination – which, of course, is not against any rules. If other people voted, the self-nomination didn’t get listed. Works that have questions about whether they were eligible are noted in the full list.
Thank you to every person who took the time to add a suggestion and persevered through WordPress and its infinite weirdness when it comes to allowing things. Thank you also to those who offered their time and assistance in going through the comments thread. There’s nothing hidden here, only a lot of judgment calls on whether something is a genuine recommendation or not. So yes, the satirical suggestions highlighting the SFnal nature of certain modern conflicts are also on the The List.
This is not, never was, and never will be a slate. It’s informational. I hope the herding cats effect contributed to the lack of interest in some categories and that actual nominating numbers are going to be way higher, but in the spirit of encouraging everyone to read, watch, view, and nominate it’s a worthy project. One that I will not be doing without software assistance to autocollate as we go if I get sweet-talked into doing something like this again.
That said, here are the top ten-ish for all the categories, in no particular order (if there weren’t enough suggestions with more than 1 vote or not enough period, there won’t be 10 listed – go to the entire list for the full information and the counts):
Campbell Award for Best New Writer
(which is of course Not A Hugo but piggybacks rather a lot on the Hugo process)
- Andy Weir – The Martian
- Brian Niemeier – Nethereal
- Alyssa Wong – Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers
- Natasha Pulley – The Watchmakers of Filigree Street
- Becky Chambers – The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
- Scott Hawkins – The Library at Mount Char
- Charlie N Holmberg – The Paper Magician
- John Sandford & Ctein – Saturn Run
- Sebastien de Castelle – Great Coats
Interestingly enough almost all of these popped up somewhere in the Best Novel selection, despite not all of them being eligible for the Hugo, being in their second year of Campbell eligibility.
Best Fan Artist
This category was ridiculously split, and one of the most popular suggestions is probably better under Best Dramatic Presentation – Short Form.
- Otaking77077 – TIE Fighter animated film (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN_CP4SuoTU)
- Karezoid (Michał Karcz) – http://karezoid.deviantart.com/art/Within-The-Choir-of-Ascending-Spirit-571475023
- Matthew Callahan – http://www.callahanvisual.com/galacticwarfighters/zl8qd59i0iczlgvsm79u4rfqnxxa7q
- Piper Thibodeau – There wasn’t a link listed, but a lot of work in a lot of places. UPDATE courtesy judgeadd: http://cryptid-creations.deviantart.com/gallery/?catpath=%2F&offset=72
Best Professional Artist
This was another insanely split category, with 30-some artists suggested, but not many of them with more than 1 vote apiece.
- Abigail Larson
- Sam Weber
- Frank Cho
- Larry Elmore
- Dustin Nguyen
- Richard Anderson
Best Fan Writer
Yet another one with a whole lot of suggestions at 1 vote apiece.
- Jeffro Johnson – Space Gaming and Castalia House blogs
- Declan Finn – Sad Puppies Bite Back
- Eric Flint – In Defense of Sad Puppies (http://www.ericflint.net/index.php/2015/06/08/in-defense-of-the-sad-puppies/)
- Mike Glyer – Puppy roundup posts on File 770 (http://file770.com/?page_id=22881)
- Brandon Kempner – Chaos Horizon
- Charles Akins – http://dyverscampaign.blogspot.com/p/best-reads-of-week.html
- Dave Freer – Mad Genius Club
- Dorothy Grant (fynbospress) – Mad Genius Club
- Ron Edwards – https://adeptpress.wordpress.com/
- Tea and Jeopardy
- Geek Gab
- Hello Greedo
Yes, another one.
- File 770 – http://file770.com/
- Nuke Mars – http://www.nukemars.com/
- Superversive SF – http://superversivesf.com/
- Otherwhere Gazette
- Tangent Online – http://www.tangentonline.com/
This category was so anemic it’s not funny. I get that it’s hard to find semi-pro zines, but still…
- Sci Phi Journal
Yes. It was the only suggestion with more than 1 vote.
Best Editor – Short Form
- Jerry Pournelle – There Will Be War vol X
- John Joseph Adams – Lightspeed, and Nightmare
- S. M. Sterling – The Change anthology
- Jason Rennie – Sci Phi Journal
- Paula Goodlett – Grantville Gazette
- Bryan Thomas Schmidt – Mission: Tomorrow *
Best Editor – Long Form
Really, folks? Did y’all think I wouldn’t take any other suggestions?
- Toni Weisskopf – Baen
- Jim Mintz – Baen
- Tony Daniel – Baen
Best Dramatic Presentation – Short Form
Another broad scattering of suggestions here. There’s something like a 15-way tie for 6th place, so I’ll just list down to 10.
- Daredevil Season 1 Episode 2
- My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic – The Cutie Mark parts 1 & 2
- Person of Interest Season 4 Episode 11: If-Then-Else
- Kung Fury
- TIE Fighter animation by Otaking 77077 – Yes this did also show up in Best Fan Artist. From what I can see both are reasonable, but this is the better fit.
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D: Melinda
- Daredevil Season 1 Episode 13
- Doctor Who: Heaven Sent
- Gravity Falls: Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons
- Gravity Falls: Northwest Mansion Mystery
Best Dramatic Presentation – Long Form
- Mad Max: Fury Road
- The Martian
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens
- Inside Out
- iZombie (Season 1 as a whole)
- Person of Interest (Season 4 as a whole)
- Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Ex Machina
Best Graphic Story
- Order of the Stick
- Stand Still Stay Silent – any 2015 plot arc
- Schlock Mercenary Book 15 *
- Empowered Volume 9
- Saga Volume 5
- Fables: Farewell Volume 22
- Gunnerkrigg Court Chapter 50: Totem
- Invisible Republic Volume 1
- Lazarus: Conclave
Best Related Work
- Sad Puppies Bite Back – Declan Finn
- Appendix N – Jeffro Johnson
- Safe Space as Rape Room: Science Fiction Culture and Childhood’s End – Daniel
- A History of Epic Fantasy – Adam Whitehead
- Atomic Rockets – Winchell Chung
- Legosity – Tom Simon
- There Will Be War Vol X – Edited Jerry Pournelle
- You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) – Felicia Day
- Frazetta Sketchbook Number 2
- Galactic Journey – http://galacticjourney.org/
Best Short Story
- Tuesdays With Molakesh The Destroyer – Megan Grey
- Today I am Paul – Martin L Shoemaker
- … And I Show You How Deep the Rabbit Hole Goes – Scott Alexander
- Asymmetrical Warfare – S R Algernon
- Cat Pictures, Please – Naomi Kritzer
- Damage – David Levine *
- A Flat Effect – Eric Flint
- Daedelus – Niall Burke
- Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers – Alyssa Wong
- I am Graalnak of the Vroon Empire, Destroyer of Galaxies, Supreme Overlord of the Planet Earth. Ask Me Anything – Laura Pearlman
- And You Shall Know Her By The Trail Of Dead – Brooke Bolander
- Pure Attentions – T R Dillon
- Folding Beijing – Hao Jingfang translated by Ken Liu
- If I Had No Head and My Eyes Were Floating Way Up In the Air – Clifford D Simak
- Obits – Stephen King
- Our Lady of the Open Road – Sarah Pinsker
- Binti – Nnedi Okorafor
- Penric’s Demon – Lois McMaster Bujold
- Slow Bullets – Alastair Reynolds *
- Perfect State – Brandon Sanderson
- The End of All Things 1: The Life of the Mind – John Scalzi
- Speak Easy – Catherynne M Valente *
- The Builders – Daniel Polansky
- Somewhither – John C Wright
- Honor At Stake – Declan Finn
- The Cinder Spires: The Aeronaut’s Windlass – Jim Butcher
- Uprooted – Naomi Novik
- A Long Time Until Now – Michael Z Williamson
- Seveneves – Neal Stephenson
- Son of the Black Sword – Larry Correia
- Strands of Sorrow – John Ringo
- Nethereal – Brian Niemeier
- Ancillary Mercy – Ann Leckie
Nominating the entire Discworld series was also a top 10-ish contender, but I stuck to the actual novels for this listing.
- If This Goes On – Heinlein, for Best Novel
- Requiem – Heinlein, Best Short Story
- The Roads Must Roll – Heinlein, Best Short Story.
And that’s The List top 10-ish version.