Prometheus finalists listed
File 770 reports the 2026 Prometheus Award finalists for Best Novel have been announced, adding another genre award into April’s crowded calendar. (file770.com) The article lists the titles and authors competing for the libertarian-themed prize this year. (file770.com)
The 2026 Prometheus Award finalists for Best Novel are out, with five books competing for the Libertarian Futurist Society’s annual prize. (lfs.org) The finalists, announced April 14, are *Storm-Dragon* by Dave Freer, *War by Other Means* by Karl K. Gallagher, *No Man’s Land* by Sarah Hoyt, *A Kiss for Damocles* by J. Kenton Pierce, and *Powerless* by Harry Turtledove. (lfs.org) The Libertarian Futurist Society says the award honors science fiction and fantasy that explore liberty, individual rights, and resistance to abuses of power. The Best Novel category covers books first published in English during the previous calendar year, with some late-year works also eligible under the group’s rules. (lfs.org 1) (lfs.org 2) A 12-person judging committee drawn from the membership selects the finalists, and upper-level members then vote on the winner. The society’s website says voters are expected to obtain and read all finalists before casting ballots. (file770.com) (lfs.org) The Prometheus Awards have been running for decades in a field crowded with larger science fiction prizes. The Libertarian Futurist Society says the Best Novel award began in 1979, was revived on a regular basis in 1982, and now sits alongside a Hall of Fame award for older works. (wikipedia.org) (lfs.org) Last year’s Best Novel winner was Michael Flynn’s *In the Belly of the Whale*, announced in July 2025. Locus and the Libertarian Futurist Society both reported that Poul Anderson’s *Orion Shall Rise* took the 2025 Hall of Fame honor. (lfs.org) (locusmag.com) The society has already named the 2026 Hall of Fame finalists for Best Classic Fiction: *The Star Dwellers* by James Blish, *Brave New World* by Aldous Huxley, *That Hideous Strength* by C.S. Lewis, *Salt* by Adam Roberts, and *Singularity Sky* by Charles Stross. (lfs.org) The Best Novel winner is expected later this year after member voting, continuing an awards-season run that now includes both new books and older “pro-freedom” classics on the Prometheus ballot. (lfs.org)
