1950 in science fiction

The year 1950 was marked, in science fiction, by the following events.

Births

 * William Barton
 * James Blaylock
 * David Brin
 * Paul Cook
 * Ian Douglas (pseudonym of William H. Keith, Jr.)
 * William R. Forstchen
 * Karen Joy Fowler
 * Martin Grzimek
 * K. W. Jeter
 * John Kessel
 * Stephen R. Lawhead
 * Kirk Mitchell
 * Kevin O'Donnell, Jr. (d. 2012)
 * Mary Doria Russell
 * Lewis Shiner
 * Karlheinz Steinmüller
 * Michael Swanwick
 * Michael Szameit (d. 2014)
 * Steve Rasnic Tem

Deaths

 * Edgar Rice Burroughs (b. 1875)
 * Erle Cox (b. 1873)
 * George Orwell (b. 1903)
 * Olaf Stapledon (b. 1886)

Events

 * Galaxy Science Fiction begins publishing.
 * Doubleday begins publishing science fiction.

Serialized novels

 * The Five Gold Bands by Jack Vance, Startling Stories (November), an adventure where a man seeks the secret to interstellar travel hidden in five gold bracelets.
 * The Hand of Zei by L. Sprague de Camp, Astounding Science Fiction (October – January 1951), two explorers face piracy and royal intrigue while searching for a missing person and dealing with forbidden love.
 * The Wizard of Linn by A. E. van Vogt, Astounding Science Fiction (April - June), a mutant lord uses alien technology to combat ancient invaders and reshape humanity's fate.

First editions

 * The Cometeers by Jack Williamson, a fix-up novel combining two stories from the Legion of Space series.
 * Cosmic Engineers by Clifford D. Simak, a tale of advanced technology and cosmic exploration.
 * The Dreaming Jewels by Theodore Sturgeon, in this debut novel, a runaway boy finds refuge in a circus and gets involved in a battle over alien power.
 * First Lensman by E. E. "Doc" Smith, an epic space opera in the Lensman series, won the Retro Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2001.
 * The House That Stood Still by A. E. van Vogt, examines the impact of alien technology on humanity.
 * The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury, chronicles human colonization of Mars and its unforeseen consequences.
 * Needle by Hal Clement, a symbiotic alien detective partners with a human boy to track down a criminal on Earth.
 * Nomad by George O. Smith, a man uses knowledge gained from Martians to conquer the Solar System.
 * Pebble in the Sky by Isaac Asimov, this debut novel explores identity and rebellion in a future Earth scenario.
 * The Rat Race by Jay Franklin, a naval officer becomes entangled in espionage and experiences bizarre transformations.
 * Shadow on the Hearth by Judith Merril, depicts the aftermath of nuclear war on a suburban family.
 * The Voyage of the Space Beagle by A. E. van Vogt, follows the Space Beagle and describes its encounters with alien civilizations.

Novellas

 * The Man Who Sold the Moon by Robert A. Heinlein, a visionary businessman uses unconventional methods to achieve lunar exploration, part of the Future History series.

Novelettes

 * "The Little Black Bag" by Cyril M. Kornbluth, Astounding Science Fiction (July).

Short stories

 * "Born of Man and Woman" by Richard Matheson, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (July)
 * "Scanners Live in Vain" by Cordwainer Smith, Fantasy Book (January)
 * "The Shadow Men" by A. E. van Vogt, Startling Stories, expanded into the novel The Universe Maker in 1953.
 * "There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury, Collier's Weekly (May 6)
 * "To Serve Man" by Damon Knight, Galaxy Science Fiction (November)

Short story collections

 * The Dying Earth by Jack Vance
 * I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
 * The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury (fix-up collection)

Juveniles

 * Farmer in the Sky by Robert A. Heinlein, a Heinlein juvenile describing the challenges faced by a young farmer on a distant planet.

Awards
The main science-fiction awards known at the present time did not exist at this time.