The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. is pleased to announce that the 2021 Kevin O’Donnell, Jr. Service to SFWA Award will be presented to Connie Willis at the 56th Annual SFWA Nebula Awards® for her outstanding work on behalf of the organization.

The Kevin O’Donnell, Jr. Service to SFWA Award 

The Kevin O’Donnell, Jr. Service to SFWA Award recognizes a member of SFWA who best exemplifies the ideal of service to their fellow members. Previous recipients of the Kevin O’Donnell, Jr. Service to SFWA Award include Victoria Strauss, Julia Rios, Bud Sparhawk, Lee Martindale, Vonda McIntyre, and Jim Fiscus. The award will be presented at the 56th Nebula Awards® Ceremony, the weekend of June 4–6, 2021.

SFWA President Mary Robinette Kowal shared the following remarks, “Connie Willis is one of my favorite people. She’s been a tireless volunteer for SFWA for decades with clear, compassionate service. She makes every task lighter for those around her.”

Photo Credit: Kyle Cassidy

Connie Willis is the author of Doomsday Book, Crosstalk, and Passage, among many other fictional works. She has won eleven Hugo Awards and seven Nebula Awards. In 2009, Willis was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. She was named a Damon Knight Grand Master by SFWA in 2012. Even with that remarkable career, Willis has consistently made time to volunteer for SFWA in a variety of capacities, including mentorship and several committee roles.

Over the years, Willis’s volunteer efforts have particularly focused on the Emergency Medical Fund (EMF) and the Nebula Awards Rules committees. She has served as a committee member on the EMF since 2014, providing confidential evaluation of applications for medical fund assistance for SFWA members. Willis is also the longest serving member of the Nebula Awards Rules committee, which she joined on its formation in 1995. The Nebula Awards Rules committee works to adjudicate questions on the rules governing the various awards presented by SFWA. During her tenure on the committee, SFWA reimagined the Best Script Award as the Ray Bradbury Nebula Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation and created the Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction and the Nebula Award for Best Game Writing. The committee also designated the Bradbury and Norton Awards as official Nebula Awards®.

Concept art for the 2021 Nebula Conference Online

The 56th Nebula Awards® will take place during the 2021 Nebula Conference Online, an annual professional development conference organized by SFWA for aspiring and established members of the speculative fiction industry. Registration is $125 and may be purchased at events.sfwa.org. This marks the second year that the Nebula Conference will take place entirely online due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.