Hugo Awards nominations closing soon
Nominations for the 2026 Hugo Awards close on March 28th [https://file770.com/pixel-scroll-3-9-26-where-have-all-the-pixels-gone/]. Rich Horton recommends Francis Spufford’s *Cahokia Jazz* — an alternate history about a thriving Mississippian culture [https://rrhorton.blogspot.com/2025/02/?m=0].
The Hugo Awards, named after science fiction pioneer Hugo Gernsback, have been awarded annually since 1955. The awards are presented at the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) and are voted on by its members. The nomination process involves members of the current or previous year's Worldcon submitting ballots with up to five nominations per category. A system called "E Pluribus Hugo" is used to count the nominations. The six entries with the most nominations in each category proceed to the final ballot. Francis Spufford's *Cahokia Jazz* is an alternate history novel set in a 1920s America where a thriving Mississippian culture still exists. The novel has been described as a blend of pulp fiction, speculative history, and murder mystery. It won the 2024 Sidewise Award for Alternate History. Worldcon members can nominate works published in the previous calendar year, across various categories like Best Novel, Novella, Short Story, and Dramatic Presentation. The 2026 awards will be presented at LAcon V in Anaheim, California, on August 30, 2026.
