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Dave Kellett Nominated as Hugo Award Best Professional Artist

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Alan Gardner Published: April 21, 2026 2 minutes 0 comments

The Hugo Award nominees were announced today. Of note to our readers is the inclusion of cartoonist Dave Kellett creator of the Sheldon webcomic and his sci-fi webcomic Drive which debuted in 2009. He is nominated in the Best Professional Artist category.

From a statement on his Patreon page Dave says that he knew about the Hugo Awards and the status it has as best of best in sci-fi because his favorite book DUNE one of those award winning books. From his post:

To hear today that DRIVE has been nominated for a Hugo Award (under “Best Professional Artist”) …well, that news would absolutely floor younger me. 

…

To see DRIVE recognized with a Hugo nomination feels like a full-circle completion of that childhood dream. It’s a fun reminder that, if you follow your own weird path long enough, it leads exactly where you were always meant to go.

Best of luck to Dave as the voting opens. Ballots open early. next month and only World Science Fiction Society members can vote. The winners will be announced on August 30 at the LACon V.

Here is the list of all nominees in all categories.

Best Novel

• A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett (Del Rey; Hodderscape)
• Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor (William Morrow; Gollancz)
• Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Tor UK; Orbit US)
• The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow (Tor US; Tor UK)
• The Incandescent by Emily Tesh (Tor US; Orbit UK)
• The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson (Orbit US; Hodderscape)

Best Novella

• Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz (Tordotcom)
• Cinder House by Freya Marske (Tordotcom; Tor UK)
• Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite (Tordotcom)
• The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar (Tordotcom; Arcadia UK)
• The Summer War by Naomi Novik (Del Rey US; Del Rey UK)
• What Stalks the Deep by T. Kingfisher (Nightfire; Titan UK)

Best Novelette

• “Kaiju Agonistes” by Scott Lynch (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 62)
• “Never Eaten Vegetables” by H.H. Pak (Clarkesworld, Issue 220)
• “Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy” by Martha Wells (Reactor, July 10, 2025)
• “The Girl That My Mother Is Leaving Me For” by Cameron Reed (Reactor, April 2, 2025)
• “The Millay Illusion” by Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 67)
• “When He Calls Your Name” by Catherynne M. Valente (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 65)

Best Short Story

• “10 Visions of the Future; or, Self-Care for the End of Days” by Samantha Mills (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 63)
• “In My Country” by Thomas Ha (Clarkesworld, Issue 223)
• “Laser Eyes Ain’t Everything” by Effie Seiberg (Diabolical Plots, May 16, 2025)
• “Missing Helen” by Tia Tashiro (Clarkesworld, Issue 226)
• “Six People to Revise You” by J.R. Dawson (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 62)
• “Wire Mother” by Isabel J. Kim (Clarkesworld, Issue 229)

Best Series

• Emily Wilde by Heather Fawcett (Del Rey US; Orbit UK)
• October Daye by Seanan McGuire (Tor US; DAW)
• Old Man’s War by John Scalzi (Tor US; Tor UK)
• The Chronicles of Osreth by Katherine Addison (Tor US; Solaris UK; Subterranean)
• The Craft Wars by Max Gladstone (Tor; Tordotcom)
• White Space by Elizabeth Bear (Saga Press; Gollancz)

Best Related Work

• Colourfields: Writing About Writing About Science Fiction by Paul Kincaid (Briardene Books)
• Inventing the Renaissance by Ada Palmer (University of Chicago Press US, Head of Zeus UK)
• Last War in Albion: “The Cuddled Little Vice (Sandman)” by Elizabeth Sandifer (Eruditorum Press)
• Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler by Susana M. Morris (Amistad)
• “Ragnarök vs the Long Night” by Ashaya and Aziz (History of Westeros Podcast, August 10, 2025)
• The Hugo Spreadsheet of Doom, maintained by Renay (Google Spreadsheet)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form

• Andor (Season 2), written by Tom Bissell, Dan Gilroy, Tony Gilroy, and Beau Willimon, directed by Ariel Kleiman, Janus Metz, Alonso Ruizpalacios, (Disney+)
• Frankenstein, screenplay by Guillermo del Toro, directed by Guillermo del Toro (Netflix)
• KPop Demon Hunters, screenplay by Danya Jimenez & Hannah McMechan, Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans; directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans (Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix)
• Mickey 17, screenplay by Bong Joon Ho, directed by Bong Joon Ho (Warner Bros. Pictures)
• Sinners, screenplay by Ryan Coogler, directed by Ryan Coogler (Proximity Media, Warner Bros. Pictures)
• Superman, screenplay by James Gunn, directed by James Gunn (DC Studios)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form

• Doctor Who: “The Story & the Engine”, written by Inua Ellams, directed by Makalla McPherson (BBC One, Disney +)
• Murderbot: “All Systems Red”, written by Paul Weitz & Chris Weitz, directed by Roseanne Liang, based on the book All Systems Red by Martha Wells (Apple TV)
• Murderbot: “The Perimeter”, written Chris Weitz & Paul Weitz, directed by Paul Weitz, based on the book All Systems Red by Martha Wells (Apple TV)
• Pluribus: “We Is Us”, written and directed by Vince Gilligan, directed by Vince Gilligan (Apple TV)
• Severance: “Cold Harbor”, written by Dan Erickson, directed by Ben Stiller (Apple TV)
• The Wheel of Time: “The Road to the Spear”, written by Rafe Lee Judkins, directed by Thomas Napper, based on the book The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan (Amazon Prime Video)

Best Game or Interactive Work

• Blue Prince, developed by Dogubomb, published by Raw Fury
• Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector, developed by Jump Over the Age, published by Fellow Traveller
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, developed by Sandfall Interactive, published by Kepler Interactive
• Dispatch, developed and published AdHoc Studio
• Hades II, developed and published by Supergiant Games
• Hollow Knight: Silksong, developed and published by Team Cherry

Best Editor Short Form

• Scott H. Andrews
• Jennifer Brozek
• Neil Clarke
• Lee Harris
• Michael Damian Thomas
• Sheila Williams

Best Editor Long Form

• Carl Engle-Laird
• Jaymee Goh
• Lee Harris
• Jenni Hill
• Joe Monti
• Diana M. Pho

Best Professional Artist

• Lulu Chen
• Kelly Chong
• Dave Kellett
• Tran Nguyen
• John Picacio
• Tom Roberts

Best Semiprozine

• Escape Pod, editors Mur Lafferty and Valerie Valdes, assistant editors Kevin Wabaunsee and Phoebe Barton, hosts Tina Connolly and Alasdair Stuart, producers Summer Brooks and Adam Pracht, and the entire Escape Pod team
• khōréō magazine, by team khōréō (publisher Aleksandra Hill; editor-in-chief Zhui Ning Chang; editors Kanika Agrawal, Isabella Kestermann, Danai Christopoulou; audio Lian Xia Rose, Jenelle DeCosta, Grayson Norman, Aaron Kling, E.B.; marketing M.L. Krishnan, Ashley Thompson; art Ambi Sun; copyeditors Jeané Ridges, Eleanor Glewwe, Derek Yen, Ariya Bandy; proofreader Cyrus Chin; first readers Adialyz Del Valle Berríos, Sanjna Bhartiya, Kelsey Costa, Merulai Femi, A.R. Frederiksen, Yuvashri Harish, Zohar Jacobs, Lynn D. Jung, Phoebe Low, Katie McIvor, Adil Mian, Katarzyna Nowacka, A.W. Prihandita, Helena Ramsaroop, Jin Hui Saw, Aditya Sundararajan, Sophia Uy, Madeleine Vigneron, Aaron Voigt, K.S. Walker, Akilah White, MJ Woods, Kelsea Yu, Lilia Zhang, Tina Zhu)
• On Spec: The Canadian Magazine of the Fantastic, published by the Copper Pig Writers’ Society; managing editor/art director Diane L. Walton; poetry editors Colleen Anderson and Bob Stallworthy; fiction editors Barb Galler-Smith, Ann Marston, Virginia O’Dine, Constantine Kaoukakis, Susan MacGregor, Alyssa Kulchisky, Amanda Wells, Ashley Alton, Lorina Stephens, Lareina Abbott, Matthew Stobie Jackman, Cheryl Merkel, Dan Gyoba, Ethan Zou, Jade Mah-Vierling, Jessica Zdril, Kathleen Phul, Krystle McGrath, Thomas Schwarz, and William Thompson; interviewers Roberta Laurie and Cat McDonald; proofreaders Ashlin McCartney, Isaac Calon, and Mya Colwell
• Strange Horizons, by the Strange Horizons Editorial Collective
• The Deadlands, publisher Sean Markey, editor in chief E. Catherine Tobler, poetry editor Nicasio Andres Reed, nonfiction editor David Gilmore, necromancer Amanda Downum, art director Cory Skerry, copy editors Laura Blackwell and Annika Barranti Klein, proofreader Josephine Stewart, designer Christine M. Scott, and social media skeleton Felicia Martínez
• Uncanny Magazine, publisher and editor-in-chief: Michael Damian Thomas; managing editor Monte Lin; poetry editor Betsy Aoki, podcast producers Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky

Best Fanzine

• Ancillary Review of Books, editors Jake Casella Brookins, Misha Grifka Wander, Bianca Skrinyár, Zachary Gillan, Cynthia Zhang, Lyz Bush-Peel
• An Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog, editors Olav Rokne and Amanda Wakaruk
• Galactic Journey, founder Gideon Marcus, editor Janice L. Newman, staff David Levinson, Jessica Dickinson Goodman, Tam Phan, Andi Dukleth
• Intergalactic Mixtape, edited by Renay
• Journey Planet, edited by Allison Hartman Adams, Jean Martin, Steven H Silver, Christopher J. Garcia, James Bacon
• nerds of a feather, flock together, editors Roseanna Pendlebury, Arturo Serrano, Paul Weimer; senior editors Joe Sherry, G. Brown, Vance Kotrla

Best Fancast

• A Meal of Thorns, presented by Jake Casella Brookins
• Eating the Fantastic, hosted by Scott Edelman
• Hugo, Girl!, presented by Haley Zapal, Amy Salley, Lori Anderson, and Kevin Anderson
• Octothorpe, presented by John Coxon, Alison Scott, and Liz Batty
• The Coode Street Podcast, presented by Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe
• Worldbuilding for Masochists, presented by Marshall Ryan Maresca, Cass Morris, and Natania Barron

Best Fan Writer

• Jay Brantner for “Tar Vol”
• Alex Brown
• James Davis Nicoll
• Roseanna Pendlebury
• Jason Sanford
• Örjan Westin

Best Fan Artist

• Terri Ash
• Geneva Bowers
• Sara Felix
• Richard Man
• España Sheriff
• Yuumei

176 ballots cast for 137 nominees. Finalists range 12-22.

Best Poem

• “Care for Lightning” by Mari Ness (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 62)
• “Hex Supply Customer Support Log” by Elis Montgomery (Strange Horizons, Issue 25 August 2025)
• “How to Become a Sea Witch” by Theodora Goss (The Orange & Bee, Issue 5)
• “Landing: Seattle” by Brandon O’Brien (Seattle Worldcon 2025 Opening Ceremony)
• “The Mourning Robot” by Angela Liu (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 66)
• “The World to Come” by Jennifer Hudak (Strange Horizons, Issue 22 December 2025)

Lodestar Award for Best YA Book

• Among Ghosts by Rachel Hartman (Random House Books for Young Readers)
• Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe by C.B. Lee (Feiwel & Friends)
• Holy Terrors by Margaret Owen (Henry Holt; Hodderscape UK)
• Oathbound by Tracy Deonn (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)
• Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic Press)
• They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran (Bloomsbury US; Bloomsbury UK)

Astounding Award for Best New Writer (sponsored by Dell Magazines)

• Sophie Burnham (2nd year of eligibility)
• Kamilah Cole (2nd year of eligibility)
• Antonia Hodgson (1st year of eligibility)
• Molly O’Neill (1st year of eligibility)
• H.H. Pak (2nd year of eligibility)
• Jared Pechaček (2nd year of eligibility)