The John W. Campbell Memorial Award

The John W. Campbell Memorial Award was established in 1975 to honor the memory of Campbell, the long-time editor of Astounding Stories (whose title he changed to Analog in 1960). It is a juried award whose choices have generally fallen into the “traditional” end of the sf spectrum, although there have been a few notable exceptions, such as the very first winner, Barry Malzberg’s Beyond Apollo, whose self-doubting astronaut was an atypical protagonist for a novel associated with Campbell.

Because the Campbell Award is not selected by popular vote, many of the winners have been deserving novels which have not gotten as much acclaim as they often deserved. The following list of winners might serve as a good “Recommended Reading” list for serious sf fans.

Year Winning novel Author
1973 Beyond Apollo, by Barry N. Malzberg
1974 (tie) Rendezvous with Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke / Malevil, by Robert Merle
1975 Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said, by Philip K. Dick
1976 The Year of the Quiet Sun (published in 1970), by Wilson Tucker
1977 The Alteration, by Kingsley Amis
1978 Gateway, by Frederik Pohl
1979 Gloriana, by Michael Moorcock
1980 On Wings of Song, by Thomas M. Disch
1981 Timescape, by Gregory Benford
1982 Riddley Walker, by Russell Hoban
1983 Helliconia Spring, by Brian W. Aldiss
1984 The Citadel of the Autarch, by Gene Wolfe
1985 The Years of the City, by Frederik Pohl
1986 The Postman, by David Brin
1987 A Door into Ocean, by Joan Slonczewski
1988 Lincoln's Dreams, by Connie Willis
1989 Islands in the Net, by Bruce Sterling
1990 The Child Garden, by Geoff Ryman
1991 Pacific Edge, by Kim Stanley Robinson
1992 Buddy Holly Is Alive and Well, by on Ganymede Bradley Denton
1993 Brother to Dragons, by Charles Sheffield
1994 No award
1995 Permutation City, by Greg Egan
1996 The Time Ships, by Stephen Baxter
1997 Fairyland, by Paul McAuley
1998 Forever Peace, by Joe Haldeman
1999 Brute Orbits, by George Zebrowski
2000 A Deepness in the Sky, by Vernor Vinge
2001 Genesis, by Poul Anderson
2002 (tie) Terraforming Earth, by Jack Williamson /The Chronoliths, by Robert Charles Wilson
2003 Probability Space, by Nancy Kress
2004 Omega, by Jack McDevitt
2005 Market Forces, by Richard K. Morgan
2006 Mindscan, by Robert J. Sawyer