In June 2026, we were honored to explore themes of Worldbuilding and Worldbreaking in Chicago with our 42nd Grand Master N. K. Jemisin, and all our brilliant finalists and special presenters. Re-live the magic with our 61st Nebula Awards Conference Gallery!
What new delights will await us next year?
That’s up to you!
We’re gearing up to our next Grand Master announcement; our Recommended Reading List stands ready for SFWA Member submissions; and as of July 22, 2026, our programming call is now open to SFWA Members and the industry at large.
Join us as we voyage INTO THE UNKNOWN for Nebula 62 in Seattle, Washington – and also online. We’re looking to partner with fellow writers, translators, literary nonprofits, press editors, agents, publishers, convention-runners, booksellers, educators, multimedia artists, and fan groups to create a conversation that will tackle the challenges we face in shaping stories, community spaces, infrastructure, and overall career strategies to manage in uncertain times.
Check out our four core event tracks below! With the Business, Craft, Story, and Community of Writing, we’re building something for everyone with a vested interest in the future of science fiction, fantasy, and related genres. Swap ideas for future panels with friends and colleagues, then submit possible topics and line-ups through the form below!
Are you part of a SFWA Committee? Reach out to your chairs to see what your teams are cooking up. Our conversation for Nebula 62 is already well underway at SFWA, and we’re excited to bring in the world of SFF next. For general questions about the Nebulas, reach out to office@sfwa.org.
ONLINE ALL THE WAY: Check back for more info on our fall Constellation Series, end-of-year watch parties, and Reading List events – a wealth of online opportunities to gear up to the next Nebulas.
The Mission Brief – INTO THE UNKNOWN, Seattle WA, June 3-6, 2027
We are looking for…
SIX TO EIGHT WORKSHOPS RANGING FROM 80 TO 110 MINUTES. Two will be online, and those will require a workshop lead comfortable running dynamic, engaging activities in an online space. Overall, these Nebula workshops will range from craft-focused to business-focused topics, with target audiences spanning writers, editors, presenters, and slush readers.
THREE DAYS OF IN-PERSON EVENTS (panels, industry chats, readings, special presentations, and meet-and-greets, from Thursday to Saturday).
THREE DAYS OF ONLINE EVENTS (panels, readings, book/game club meetups, watch parties, and mentor chats, from Friday to Sunday).
MID-CAREER-LEVEL PROGRAMMING, with an emphasis on chewy questions for professional writers, and thoughtful dialogue between industry professionals holding up key infrastructure needed for individual creators to succeed.
ALL WELCOME, INCLUDING NEWER WRITERS. LEARN HOW TO AVOID COMMON PITFALLS EARLY ON!
TRACK 1: THE BUSINESS OF WRITING – Rocky Roads Ahead
There are many unknowns in the business of genre – and not just for writers, but also editors, publishers, convention-runners, agents, booksellers, advocates, and educators.
From bad-faith users of Large Language Models, to monopolizing forces in book and game distribution networks; from the future of indie publishing, marketing, and crowdfunding, to the intricacies of legal battles for authors’ rights on the international stage…
Staying current with the challenges of industry isn’t easy. Luckily, we don’t have to go at it alone! That’s why, this year, we’re calling on industry professionals to share their challenges in conversation with relevant peers: small-, big-, and indie-press editors exploring sustainability; agents and publishers on the changing nuances of contract law; convention- and workshop-runners on keeping major institutions alive for the long run; educators and booksellers on their own pressure points, and how writers can become allies in the work while selling their own.
We’re also looking for professionals ready to speak more on the work of legacy, to complement SFWA’s existing tools, like the Bud Webster Legacy Kit, for later-career writers. A workshop to help writers with their own arrangements and preferences for estate management is already under consideration.
TRACK 3: THE STORY OF OUR WRITING – We Have Been Here Before
The challenges faced by individual SFF writers and their institutions are both new and old – so why not prepare for what lies ahead by reflecting on where we’ve already been?
We’re looking for thoughtful presentations from seasoned members of our SFF community who can speak warmly and well about our genre’s history. In other eras, how did our community of writers respond to rights grabs, scam artists, transforming marketplaces, the impact of new technology, and the struggle to keep creative careers alive in an ever-changing landscape?
Successful pitches will help us connect our current struggles with that deeper history of advocacy in genre – as writers, as editors, as readers, as archivists, and more! We are also interested in a Nebula presentation that can connect writing today with older storytelling used to tackle similar themes.
Whose literary shoulders are we standing on, when we do the work of writer uplift and advocacy today?
TRACK 2: THE CRAFT OF WRITING – Expecting the Unexpected, and Plotting for It!
It’s all hopeless, right until it isn’t. That’s the gift of storytelling that plays with our expectations. In prose and poetry, film and comic books alike, the most potent writing creates a sense of inevitability, and then… defies our expectations!
In uncertain times for the world, the power of such storytelling cannot be overstated. By playing with what’s possible and pushing back on feelings of defeat, we inspire whole generations of readers to keep their own minds sharp and their imaginations open.
But how do we do that great work? What allows us to turn a line, a character arc, or a whole universe down another path? For our craft workshops and panels, surprise us – and then teach us how to make “the unexpected” work so well.
We’re looking for a range of craft discussions, and we’d be delighted by some crossover panels. Also, how does “the unexpected” survive adaptation and translation? We’d love to know, if you’ve got the right team of seasoned creators for the job!
TRACK 4: THE COMMUNITY OF WRITING – Where Do We Go from Here?
Writing communities break down for many reasons. Sometimes it’s a lack of resources. Other times, more serious ruptures emerge between participants. And then there are all the other pressures placed on us by an uncertain world.
We’d love to run some rich conversations between industry actors who’ve faced setbacks in their work as editors, agents, publishers, convention-runners, and similar genre advocates. How do we rise to new challenges as an industry, and how do we rebuild core infrastructure to keep SFF storytelling going strong?
We also want to hear from individual creators who have used skills from other parts of their lives to improve their writing communities, and from creators who were inspired to make meaningful changes in their communities on the back of ideas from contemporary SFF.
There is room in this track to celebrate all kinds of quirky and unexpected intersections between your writing and other talents. Bring your whole heart and special passions to this call!