Which books are on the 2026 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel shortlist?

5 books: “Audition for the Fox” by Martin Cahill, “Once Was Willem” by M. R. Carey, “The Adventures of Mary Darling” by Pat Murphy, “The Everlasting” by Alix E. Harrow, and “The Secret Market of the Dead” by Giovanni De Feo. The winner hasn't been announced yet.

Who won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 2025?

“The Tainted Cup” by Robert Jackson Bennett won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 2025.

Who are the most recent World Fantasy Award for Best Novel winners?

2025: “The Tainted Cup” by Robert Jackson Bennett; 2024: “The Reformatory” by Tananarive Due; 2023: “Saint Death's Daughter” by C. S. E. Cooney; 2022: “The Jasmine Throne” by Tasha Suri; 2021: “Trouble the Saints” by Alaya Dawn Johnson.

Has anyone won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel more than once?

Yes - 4 authors have: Patricia A. McKillip (1975, 2003); Gene Wolfe (1981, 2007); Tim Powers (1993, 2001); Jeffrey Ford (1998, 2009).

World Fantasy Award for Best Novel

World Fantasy Convention (administered by the World Fantasy Awards Association)

An annual award presented at the World Fantasy Convention recognizing the best fantasy novel published in the eligibility year, judged by a rotating panel of judges alongside a juried shortlist supplemented by nominations from convention attendees. Considered one of the most prestigious honors in fantasy literature, it has recognized works ranging from epic and literary fantasy to horror-tinged and dark fantasy novels.

Latest winner · 2025

The Tainted Cup · Robert Jackson Bennett

Next · October 25, 2026

Winner announced Full award calendar

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2026

Audition for the Fox
Martin Cahill
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Once Was Willem
M. R. Carey
Shortlisted
The Adventures of Mary Darling
Pat Murphy
Shortlisted
The Everlasting
Alix E. Harrow
Won 2 more awards
Shortlisted
The Secret Market of the Dead
Giovanni De Feo
Shortlisted

2025

The Tainted Cup
Robert Jackson Bennett
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 2 more awards
Won
The Bog Wife
Kay Chronister
Shortlisted
The Bright Sword
Lev Grossman
Nominated for 3 more awards
Shortlisted
The Fox Wife
Yangsze Choo
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Wings Upon Her Back
Samantha Mills
Shortlisted

2024

The Reformatory
Tananarive Due
Won 3 more awards · Nominated for 1 more award
Won
Looking Glass Sound
Catriona Ward
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon
Wole Talabi
Nominated for 4 more awards
Shortlisted
Starling House
Alix E. Harrow
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Possibilities
Yael Goldstein-Love
Shortlisted
Witch King
Martha Wells
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted

2023

Saint Death's Daughter
C. S. E. Cooney
Won
Babel
R. F. Kuang
Won 2 more awards · Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted
Siren Queen
Nghi Vo
Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted
Spear
Nicola Griffith
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted
The Ballad of Perilous Graves
Alex Jennings
Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted

2022

The Jasmine Throne
Tasha Suri
Nominated for 2 more awards
Won
A Master of Djinn
P. Djèlí Clark
Won 2 more awards · Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted
Black Water Sister
Zen Cho
Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted
The City Beautiful
Aden Polydoros
Shortlisted
The Last House on Needless Street
Catriona Ward
Won 1 more award
Shortlisted

2021

Trouble the Saints
Alaya Dawn Johnson
Won
Mexican Gothic
Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Won 2 more awards · Nominated for 4 more awards
Shortlisted
Piranesi
Susanna Clarke
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 7 more awards
Shortlisted
The Midnight Bargain
C. L. Polk
Nominated for 3 more awards
Shortlisted
The Only Good Indians
Stephen Graham Jones
Won 3 more awards · Nominated for 3 more awards
Shortlisted

2020

Queen of the Conquered
Kacen Callender
Won
Gideon the Ninth
Tamsyn Muir
Nominated for 3 more awards
Shortlisted
The Memory Police
Yōko Ogawa
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Raven Tower
Ann Leckie
Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted
The Ten Thousand Doors of January
Alix E. Harrow
Nominated for 5 more awards
Shortlisted

2019

Witchmark
C. L. Polk
Nominated for 1 more award
Won
In the Night Wood
Dale Bailey
Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted
The Mere Wife
Maria Dahvana Headley
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Poppy War
R. F. Kuang
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Trail of Lightning
Rebecca Roanhorse
Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted

2018

Jade City
Fonda Lee
Nominated for 2 more awards
Won
The Changeling
Victor LaValle
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 4 more awards
Won
Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr
John Crowley
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Spoonbenders
Daryl Gregory
Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted
The City of Brass
S. A. Chakraborty
Shortlisted
The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter
Theodora Goss
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted

2017

The Sudden Appearance of Hope
Claire North
Won
Borderline
Mishell Baker
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Lovecraft Country
Matt Ruff
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Roadsouls
Betsy James
Shortlisted
The Obelisk Gate
N. K. Jemisin
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted

2016

The Chimes
Anna Smaill
Nominated for 1 more award
Won
A Head Full of Ghosts
Paul G. Tremblay
Won 1 more award
Shortlisted
Savages
K. J. Parker
Shortlisted
The Buried Giant
Kazuo Ishiguro
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Fifth Season
N. K. Jemisin
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 3 more awards
Shortlisted
Uprooted
Naomi Novik
Won 4 more awards · Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted

2015

The Bone Clocks
David Mitchell
Nominated for 2 more awards
Won
Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy
Jeff VanderMeer
Shortlisted
City of Stairs
Robert Jackson Bennett
Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted
My Real Children
Jo Walton
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Goblin Emperor
Katherine Addison
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted

2014

A Stranger in Olondria
Sofia Samatar
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 1 more award
Won
A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent
Marie Brennan
Shortlisted
Dust Devil on a Quiet Street
Richard Bowes
Shortlisted
The Golem and the Jinni
Helene Wecker
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Land Across
Gene Wolfe
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Neil Gaiman
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 3 more awards
Shortlisted

2013

Alif the Unseen
G. Willow Wilson
Won
Crandolin
Anna Tambour
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Some Kind of Fairy Tale
Graham Joyce
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted
The Drowning Girl
Caitlin R. Kiernan
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 5 more awards
Shortlisted
The Killing Moon
N. K. Jemisin
Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted

2012

Osama
Lavie Tidhar
Nominated for 1 more award
Won
11/22/63
Stephen King
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted
A Dance with Dragons
George R. R. Martin
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted
Among Others
Jo Walton
Won 3 more awards · Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted
Those Across the River
Christopher Buehlman
Shortlisted

2011

Who Fears Death
Nnedi Okorafor
Nominated for 2 more awards
Won
Redemption in Indigo
Karen Lord
Won 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
N. K. Jemisin
Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted
The Silent Land
Graham Joyce
Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted
Under Heaven
Guy Gavriel Kay
Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted
Zoo City
Lauren Beukes
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted

2010

The City & the City
China Miéville
Won 4 more awards · Nominated for 1 more award
Won
Blood of Ambrose
James Enge
Shortlisted
Finch
Jeff VanderMeer
Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted
In Great Waters
Kit Whitfield
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Red Tree
Caitlín R. Kiernan
Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted

2009

Tender Morsels
Margo Lanagan
Nominated for 3 more awards
Won
The Shadow Year
Jeffrey Ford
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 1 more award
Won
Pandemonium
Daryl Gregory
Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted
The Graveyard Book
Neil Gaiman
Won 2 more awards · Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted
The House of the Stag
Kage Baker
Shortlisted

2008

Ysabel
Guy Gavriel Kay
Nominated for 2 more awards
Won
Fangland
John Marks
Shortlisted
Territory
Emma Bull
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Gospel of the Knife
Will Shetterly
Shortlisted
The Servants
Michael Marshall Smith
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted

2007

Soldier of Sidon
Gene Wolfe
Nominated for 1 more award
Won
In the Night Garden
Catherynne M. Valente
Shortlisted
Lisey's Story
Stephen King
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Lies of Locke Lamora
Scott Lynch
Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted
The Privilege of the Sword
Ellen Kushner
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted

2006

Kafka on the Shore
Haruki Murakami
Nominated for 1 more award
Won
A Princess of Roumania
Paul Park
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Lunar Park
Bret Easton Ellis
Shortlisted
Od Magic
Patricia A. McKillip
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Limits of Enchantment
Graham Joyce
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Vellum
Hal Duncan
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted

2005

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Susanna Clarke
Won 2 more awards · Nominated for 5 more awards
Won
Iron Council
China Miéville
Won 2 more awards · Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Perfect Circle
Sean Stewart
Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted
The Runes of the Earth
Stephen R. Donaldson
Shortlisted
The Wizard Knight
Gene Wolfe
Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted

2004

Tooth and Claw
Jo Walton
Won
Fudoki
Kij Johnson
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Etched City
K. J. Bishop
Shortlisted
The Light Ages
Ian R. MacLeod
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Veniss Underground
Jeff VanderMeer
Shortlisted

2003

Ombria in Shadow
Patricia A. McKillip
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 1 more award
Won
The Facts of Life
Graham Joyce
Nominated for 2 more awards
Won
Fitcher's Brides
Gregory Frost
Shortlisted
The Portrait of Mrs. Charbuque
Jeffrey Ford
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Scar
China Miéville
Won 2 more awards · Nominated for 4 more awards
Shortlisted

2002

The Other Wind
Ursula K. Le Guin
Nominated for 3 more awards
Won
American Gods
Neil Gaiman
Won 4 more awards · Nominated for 3 more awards
Shortlisted
Brown Harvest
Jay Russell
Shortlisted
From the Dust Returned
Ray Bradbury
Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted
The Curse of Chalion
Lois McMaster Bujold
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted
The Onion Girl
Charles de Lint
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Wooden Sea
Jonathan Carroll
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted

2001

Declare
Tim Powers
Nominated for 4 more awards
Won
Galveston
Sean Stewart
Nominated for 1 more award
Won
Lord of Emperors
Guy Gavriel Kay
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Perdido Street Station
China Miéville
Won 2 more awards · Nominated for 4 more awards
Shortlisted
The Amber Spyglass
Philip Pullman
Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted
The Grand Ellipse
Paula Volsky
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted

2000

Thraxas
Martin Scott
Won
A Red Heart of Memories
Nina Kiriki Hoffman
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
A Witness to Life
Terence M. Green
Shortlisted
Gardens of the Moon
Steven Erikson
Shortlisted
Tamsin
Peter S. Beagle
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Rainy Season
James P. Blaylock
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted

1999

The Antelope Wife
Louise Erdrich
Won
Mockingbird
Sean Stewart
Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted
Sailing to Sarantium
Guy Gavriel Kay
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Someplace to be Flying
Charles de Lint
Nominated for 3 more awards
Shortlisted
The Martyring
Thomas Sullivan
Shortlisted

1998

The Physiognomy
Jeffrey Ford
Won
American Goliath
Harvey Jacobs
Shortlisted
Dry Water
Eric Nylund
Shortlisted
The Club Dumas
Arturo Pérez-Reverte
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Gift
Patrick O'Leary
Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted
Trader
Charles de Lint
Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted

1997

Godmother Night
Rachel Pollack
Won
A Game of Thrones
George R. R. Martin
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Devil's Tower
Mark Sumner
Shortlisted
Shadow of Ashland
Terence M. Green
Shortlisted
The 37th Mandala
Marc Laidlaw
Shortlisted
The Bear Went Over the Mountain
William Kotzwinkle
Shortlisted
The Golden Key
Melanie Rawn, Jennifer Roberson, Kate Elliott
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted

1996

The Prestige
Christopher Priest
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 3 more awards
Won
All the Bells on Earth
James P. Blaylock
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Expiration Date
Tim Powers
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Red Earth and Pouring Rain
Vikram Chandra
Shortlisted
Requiem
Graham Joyce
Won 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Silent Strength of Stones
Nina Kiriki Hoffman
Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted

1995

Towing Jehovah
James K. Morrow
Nominated for 4 more awards
Won
Brittle Innings
Michael Bishop
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted
From the Teeth of Angels
Jonathan Carroll
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Love & Sleep
John Crowley
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Circus of the Earth and the Air
Brooke Stevens
Shortlisted
Waking the Moon
Elizabeth Hand
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted

1994

Glimpses
Lewis Shiner
Won
Drawing Blood
Poppy Z. Brite
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Lord of the Two Lands
Judith Tarr
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Skin
Kathe Koja
Shortlisted
The Innkeeper's Song
Peter S. Beagle
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Iron Dragon's Daughter
Michael Swanwick
Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted
The Throat
Peter Straub
Won 1 more award
Shortlisted

1993

Last Call
Tim Powers
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 1 more award
Won
Anno Dracula
Kim Newman
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Briar Rose
Jane Yolen
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted
Photographing Fairies
Steve Szilagyi
Shortlisted
Was
Geoff Ryman
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted

1992

Boy's Life
Robert R. McCammon
Won 1 more award
Won
Bone Dance
Emma Bull
Nominated for 4 more awards
Shortlisted
Hunting the Ghost Dancer
A. A. Attanasio
Shortlisted
Outside the Dog Museum
Jonathan Carroll
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Little Country
Charles de Lint
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Paper Grail
James P. Blaylock
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted

1991

Only Begotten Daughter
James Morrow
Nominated for 3 more awards
Won
Thomas the Rhymer
Ellen Kushner
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 1 more award
Won
Good Omens
Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Mary Reilly
Valerie Martin
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Tigana
Guy Gavriel Kay
Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted

1990

Madouc
Jack Vance
Won
A Child Across the Sky
Jonathan Carroll
Nominated for 3 more awards
Shortlisted
Carrion Comfort
Dan Simmons
Won 2 more awards
Shortlisted
In a Dark Dream
Charles L. Grant
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Soldier of Arete
Gene Wolfe
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Stress of Her Regard
Tim Powers
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted

1989

Koko
Peter Straub
Won
Fade
Robert Cormier
Shortlisted
Sleeping in Flame
Jonathan Carroll
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Drive-In
Joe R. Lansdale
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Last Coin
James P. Blaylock
Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted
The Silence of the Lambs
Thomas Harris
Won 2 more awards
Shortlisted

1988

Replay
Ken Grimwood
Nominated for 2 more awards
Won
Ægypt
John Crowley
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Misery
Stephen King
Won 1 more award
Shortlisted
On Stranger Tides
Tim Powers
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Seventh Son
Orson Scott Card
Won 2 more awards · Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Swan Song
Robert R. McCammon
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Weaveworld
Clive Barker
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted

1987

Perfume
Patrick Süskind
Won
It
Stephen King
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Soldier of the Mist
Gene Wolfe
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Strangers
Dean Koontz
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Talking Man
Terry Bisson
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Pet
Charles L. Grant
Shortlisted
The Tricksters
Margaret Mahy
Shortlisted

1986

Song of Kali
Dan Simmons
Won
Illywhacker
Peter Carey
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Damnation Game
Clive Barker
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Dream Years
Lisa Goldstein
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Vampire Lestat
Anne Rice
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Winterking
Paul Hazel
Shortlisted

1985

Bridge of Birds
Barry Hughart
Won 1 more award
Won
Mythago Wood
Robert Holdstock
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 1 more award
Won
Archer's Goon
Diana Wynne Jones
Shortlisted
The Ceremonies
T. E. D. Klein
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Talisman
Stephen King, Peter Straub
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted

1984

The Dragon Waiting
John M. Ford
Nominated for 1 more award
Won
Lyonesse
Jack Vance
Nominated for 3 more awards
Shortlisted
Pet Sematary
Stephen King
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Tea with the Black Dragon
R. A. MacAvoy
Nominated for 4 more awards
Shortlisted
The Armageddon Rag
George R. R. Martin
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Wandering Unicorn
Manuel Mujica Lainez
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted

1983

Nifft the Lean
Michael Shea
Won
Fevre Dream
George R. R. Martin
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Phantom
Thomas Tessier
Shortlisted
The Nestling
Charles L. Grant
Shortlisted
The Sword of the Lictor
Gene Wolfe
Won 2 more awards · Nominated for 3 more awards
Shortlisted

1982

Little, Big
John Crowley
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 4 more awards
Won
The Claw of the Conciliator
Gene Wolfe
Won 2 more awards · Nominated for 2 more awards
Shortlisted
The Nameless
Ramsey Campbell
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The War Hound and the World's Pain
Michael Moorcock
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The White Hotel
D. M. Thomas
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted

1981

The Shadow of the Torturer
Gene Wolfe
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 2 more awards
Won
Ariosto
Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Firelord
Parke Godwin
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Shadowland
Peter Straub
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
The Mist
Stephen King
Shortlisted

1975

The Forgotten Beasts of Eld
Patricia A. McKillip
Nominated for 1 more award
Won
A Midsummer Tempest
Poul Anderson
Won 1 more award · Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted
Merlin's Ring
H. Warner Munn
Nominated for 1 more award
Shortlisted

Frequently asked questions

Which books are on the 2026 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel shortlist?: 5 books: “Audition for the Fox” by Martin Cahill, “Once Was Willem” by M. R. Carey, “The Adventures of Mary Darling” by Pat Murphy, “The Everlasting” by Alix E. Harrow, and “The Secret Market of the Dead” by Giovanni De Feo. The winner hasn't been announced yet.
Who won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 2025?: “The Tainted Cup” by Robert Jackson Bennett won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 2025.
Who are the most recent World Fantasy Award for Best Novel winners?: 2025: “The Tainted Cup” by Robert Jackson Bennett; 2024: “The Reformatory” by Tananarive Due; 2023: “Saint Death's Daughter” by C. S. E. Cooney; 2022: “The Jasmine Throne” by Tasha Suri; 2021: “Trouble the Saints” by Alaya Dawn Johnson.
Has anyone won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel more than once?: Yes - 4 authors have: Patricia A. McKillip (1975, 2003); Gene Wolfe (1981, 2007); Tim Powers (1993, 2001); Jeffrey Ford (1998, 2009).