Philip K. Dick Award
Annual American prize recognizing the best original science fiction paperback first published in the United States, named for author Philip K. Dick and presented at Norwescon since 1983.
Overview
The Philip K. Dick Award is an American literary prize honoring outstanding science fiction first published as a paperback original in the United States. Launched in the early 1980s and presented annually at the Norwescon convention, the award celebrates novels and collections that echo the inventive, often questioning spirit associated with Philip K. Dick’s work. It focuses on paperbacks to reflect the medium in which much of Dick’s own output first reached readers and to draw attention to works that might otherwise be overlooked by prizes that favor hardcover publications.
Eligibility and selection process
To be eligible, a work must be a science fiction title whose first American publication was a paperback original; books that appeared simultaneously or first as hardcovers are excluded. Each year a panel of five judges—typically writers, editors, critics, or scholars active in the field—reads eligible submissions and announces a shortlist in January. From that shortlist the judges select a winner, which is publicly revealed at Norwescon in late March or early April. The panel also may recognize one or more additional titles with a special mention. On occasion the judges have named two winners in the same year instead of issuing a special mention.
History and administration
The award was established in 1982 at Norwescon in memory of Philip K. Dick, who had died that year. Its creation was proposed as a tribute to Dick’s influence on modern speculative fiction and to promote the paperback format that characterized much of his career. The prize has been supported by the Philip K. Dick Trust and funded by organizations within the science fiction community. Over the decades the administration and judging have been handled by prominent figures from the field, and the panel composition changes regularly as judges complete their terms and new judges are appointed.
Significance and impact
The Philip K. Dick Award occupies a distinctive niche among genre honors. Because it targets paperback originals, it often highlights innovative, experimental, or risk-taking work that might not receive attention from more mainstream awards, such as the Hugo or Nebula, which commonly favor authors with hardcover releases. Winning or being shortlisted can raise an author’s profile, help with wider distribution, and encourage publishers to invest in ambitious projects. The award has a reputation for recognizing both established voices and emerging talent pushing the boundaries of science fiction.
Notable features and distinctions
- Paperback-original focus: The award’s defining criterion is first publication in paperback, emphasizing accessibility and the rise of mass-market editions in science fiction history.
- Judges’ discretion: Panels may give a single winner and a special mention, or in some years, two winners; the flexibility allows the judges to acknowledge a range of notable works.
- Community roots: Presentation at a fan-run convention and backing by community organizations underline the award’s grassroots connections to readers and genre enthusiasts.
Legacy and contemporary relevance
Through its steady focus on paperback originals, the Philip K. Dick Award has preserved an important strand of science fiction publishing history while spotlighting fresh and challenging voices. It serves both as a memorial to an influential author and as an instrument for encouraging literary risk-taking within the genre. For authors, editors, and readers interested in fiction that interrogates identity, reality, and the consequences of technology—themes closely associated with Philip K. Dick—the award remains a meaningful barometer of the field’s evolving edge.
Laureate
1982–1990
| Year | Author / Authoress | English title | German title |
| 1982 | Rudy Rucker | Software | Software |
| 1983 | Tim Powers | The Anubis Gates | The gates to Anubis' realm |
| 1984 | William Gibson | Neuromancer | |
| 1985 | Tim Powers | Dinner at Deviant's Palace | At Table in Deviant's Palace |
| 1986 | James P. Blaylock | Homunculus | Homunculus |
| 1987 | Patricia Geary | Strange Toys | - – |
| 1988 | Paul J. McAuley (*) | 400 Billion Stars | Four hundred billion stars |
| Rudy Rucker (*) | Wetware | Wetware | |
| 1989 | Richard Paul Russo | Subterranean Gallery | The underground gallery |
| 1990 | Pat Murphy | Points of Departure | - – |
(*) Joint awardees
1991–2000
| Year | Author / Authoress | English title | German title |
| 1991 | Ian McDonald | King of Morning, Queen of Day | King of the twilight, queen of the light |
| 1992 | Richard Grant | Through the Heart | - – |
| 1993 | John M. Ford (*) | Growing up Weightless | - – |
| Jack Womack (*) | Elvissey | Elvissey | |
| 1994 | Robert Charles Wilson | Mysterium | - – |
| 1995 | Bruce Bethke | Headcrash | - – |
| 1996 | Stephen Baxter | The Time Ships | Time Ships |
| 1997 | Stepan Chapman | The Troika | - – |
| 1998 | Geoff Ryman | 253: The Print Remix | 253 - The Subway Novel |
| 1999 | Stephen Baxter | Vacuum Diagrams | Vacuum diagrams |
| 2000 | Michael Marshall Smith | Only Forward | Stark, the dream detective |
(*) Joint awardees
2001–2010
| Year | Author / Authoress | English title | German title |
| 2001 | Richard Paul Russo | Ship of Fools | - – |
| 2002 | The Mount | - – | |
| 2003 | Richard Morgan | Altered Carbon | The immortality program |
| 2004 | Gwyneth Jones | Life | - – |
| 2005 | M. M. Buckner | War Surf | - – |
| 2006 | Chris Moriarty | Spin Control | Light Hunting |
| 2007 | M. John Harrison | Nova Swing | Nova |
| 2008 | Adam Troy Castro (*) | Emissaries From The Dead | Semi-Spirit |
| David Walton (*) | Terminal Mind | - – | |
| 2009 | C. L. Anderson | Bitter Angels | - – |
| 2010 | Mark Hodder | The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack | The Curious Case of Spring Heeled Jack |
(*) Joint awardees
2011–2018
| Year | Author / Authoress | English title | German title |
| 2011 | Simon Morden | The Samuil Petrovich Trilogy | - – |
| 2012 | Brian Francis Slattery | The Lost Everything | - – |
| 2013 | Ben H. Winters | Countdown City | - – |
| 2014 | Meg Elison | The Book of the Unnamed Midwife | - – |
| 2015 | Ramez Naam | Apex | Apex |
| 2016 | Claudia Casper | The Mercy Journals | - – |
| 2017 | Carrie Vaughn | Bannerless | The banners of Haven |
| 2018 | Audrey Schulman | Theory of Bastards | - – |
Special mention
1982–1990
| Year | Author / Authoress | English title | German title |
| 1982 | Ray Faraday Nelson | The Prometheus Man | - – |
| 1983 | R. A. MacAvoy | Tea with the Black Dragon | rendezvous with the black dragon |
| 1984 | Kim Stanley Robinson | The Wild Shore | The wild shore |
| 1985 | Richard Grant | Saraband of Lost Time | - – |
| 1986 | Jack McDevitt | The Hercules Lyrics | First contact |
| 1987 | Mike McQuay | Memories | - – |
| 1988 | - – | - – | - – |
| 1989 | Dave Wolverton | On My Way to Paradise | - – |
| 1990 | Raymond Harris | The Schizogenic Man | - – |
1991–2000
| Year | Author / Authoress | English title | German title |
| 1991 | Emma Bull | bone dance | - – |
| 1992 | Élisabeth Vonarburg | In the Mothers' Land | - – |
| 1993 | - – | - – | - – |
| 1994 | Jack Cady | Inagehi | - – |
| 1995 | Richard Paul Russo | Carlucci's Edge | - – |
| 1996 | Michael Bishop | At the City Limits of Fate | - – |
| 1997 | William Barton | acts of conscience | - – |
| 1998 | Paul Di Filippo | lost pages | - – |
| 1999 | Jamil Nasir | Tower of Dreams | - – |
| 2000 | Evolution's Darling | - – |
2001–2010
| Year | Author / Authoress | English title | German title |
| 2001 | Ken Wharton | divine intervention | - – |
| 2002 | The Scar | The Scar and Leviathan (*) | |
| 2003 | Jane Jensen | Dante's equation | - – |
| 2004 | Lyda Morehouse | Apocalypse Array | - – |
| 2005 | Justina Robson | natural history | The merger |
| 2006 | Elizabeth Bear | Carnival | - – |
| 2007 | Minister Fist | From the notebooks of Dr. Brain | - – |
| 2008 | - – | - – | - – |
| 2009 | Ian McDonald | Cyberabad Days | - – |
| 2010 | Project Itoh | Harmony | - – |
(*) The novel was published in two volumes in the German edition.
2011–2018
| Year | Author / Authoress | English title | German title |
| 2011 | Robert Jackson Bennett | The Company Man | - – |
| 2012 | Andri Snær Magnason | LoveStar | LoveStar |
| 2013 | Toh EnJoe | self-reference engine | - – |
| 2014 | Jennifer Marie Brissett | Elysium | - – |
| 2015 | Marguerite Reed | Archangel | - – |
| 2016 | Susan diRende | Unpronounceable | - – |
| 2017 | Deji Bryce Olukotun | After the Flare | - – |
| 2018 | Claire North | 84K | - – |
Related articles
Author
AlegsaOnline.com Philip K. Dick Award Leandro Alegsa
URL: https://en.alegsaonline.com/art/76435
Sources
- locusmag.com : "Locus index to SF Awards"
- sfsignal.com : "WINNER: 2013 Philip K. Dick Award"