Prometheus Award

The Prometheus Award is an award for libertarian science fiction given annually by the Libertarian Futurist Society. American author and activist L. Neil Smith established the Best Novel category for the award in 1979, but it was not awarded regularly until the newly founded Libertarian Futurist Society revived it in 1982. The Society created a Prometheus Hall of Fame Award (for classic works of libertarian and anti-authoritarian science fiction and fantasy, not necessarily novels) in 1983, and also presents occasional one-off Special Awards.

While the Best Novel category is limited to novels published in English for the first time during the previous calendar year, Hall of Fame nominees — which must have been published at least 20 years ago — may be in any narrative or dramatic form, including novels, novellas, stories, films, television series or episodes, plays, musicals, graphic novels, song lyrics, or verse.

The Best Novel winner receives a plaque with a one-ounce gold coin, and the Hall of Fame winner a plaque with a smaller gold coin.

Prometheus Blog Appreciation Series
Since 2019, LFS members have launched an Appreciation series of review-essays honoring all past winners and making clear why each work of fiction fits the distinctive focus of the award – something that was viewed as not necessarily obvious to sf/fantasy fans unfamiliar with the broad scope of libertarian thinking and analysis, which often overlaps with classical liberalism, its philosophical cousin.

Each Appreciation review-essay is published on the Prometheus Blog at https://www.lfs.org/blog/ and then linked next to each winning title on the past-winners list posted on the LFS website’s Prometheus Awards page.

Multiple recipients
Some authors have won the award for best novel more than once:

Thrice

 * Cory Doctorow
 * Victor Koman
 * Ken MacLeod
 * L. Neil Smith

Twice
Five authors have won the Prometheus Hall of Fame award more than once:
 * Travis J. I. Corcoran
 * Michael F. Flynn
 * James P. Hogan
 * Neal Stephenson
 * Vernor Vinge
 * F. Paul Wilson
 * Daniel Suarez
 * Poul Anderson
 * Robert Heinlein
 * George Orwell
 * Ayn Rand
 * F. Paul Wilson

Process
Books published in a given year are eligible (although books from the last few months of the previous year are also eligible if it is felt that they have been overlooked).


 * 1) All members may nominate novels for the award.
 * 2) Members of the Best Novel Committee read all of the nominated novels (typically between 12 and 16) and vote for a slate of typically 5 finalists.
 * 3) Full members, Sponsors and Benefactors (higher membership levels) then vote on the finalists.

Step 2 happens in the first few months of the following year.

Step 3 happens in early summer of the following year.

The awards are given at the Annual Worldcon or NASFIC or, during and since the pandemic, presented live via Zoom and then posted on YouTube and the Videos page of the LFS website (www.lfs.org).

Prometheus Award winners and finalists
* Winners + No winner selected

Hall of Fame Award inductees

 * 1983: Robert A. Heinlein, The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress |  Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged
 * 1984: George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four |  Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
 * 1985: Poul Anderson, Trader to the Stars |  Eric Frank Russell, The Great Explosion
 * 1986: Cyril Kornbluth, The Syndic |  Robert Anton Wilson / Robert Shea, Illuminatus! trilogy
 * 1987: Robert A. Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land |  Ayn Rand, "Anthem"
 * 1988: Alfred Bester, The Stars My Destination
 * 1989: J. Neil Schulman, Alongside Night
 * 1990: F. Paul Wilson, The Healer
 * 1991: F. Paul Wilson, An Enemy of the State
 * 1992: Ira Levin, This Perfect Day
 * 1993: Ursula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed
 * 1994: Yevgeny Zamyatin, We
 * 1995: Poul Anderson, The Star Fox
 * 1996: Robert A. Heinlein, Red Planet
 * 1997: Robert A. Heinlein, Methuselah's Children
 * 1998: Robert A. Heinlein, Time Enough for Love
 * 1999: H. Beam Piper / John J. McGuire, A Planet for Texans (also known as Lone Star Planet)
 * 2000: Hans Christian Andersen, "The Emperor's New Clothes"
 * 2001: Jerry Pournelle / John F. Carr (editors), The Survival of Freedom
 * 2002: Patrick McGoohan, The Prisoner (TV series)
 * 2003: Robert A. Heinlein, "Requiem"
 * 2004: Vernor Vinge, "The Ungoverned"
 * 2005: A. E. van Vogt, The Weapon Shops of Isher
 * 2006: Alan Moore (author) / David Lloyd (illustrator), V for Vendetta (graphic novel)
 * 2007: Sinclair Lewis, It Can't Happen Here |  Vernor Vinge, True Names
 * 2008: Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange
 * 2009: J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
 * 2010: Poul Anderson, "No Truce with Kings"
 * 2011: George Orwell, Animal Farm
 * 2012: E. M. Forster, "The Machine Stops"
 * 2013: Neal Stephenson, Cryptonomicon
 * 2014: Lois McMaster Bujold, Falling Free
 * 2015: Harlan Ellison, "'Repent, Harlequin!' Said the Ticktockman"
 * 2016: Donald Kingsbury, Courtship Rite
 * 2017: Robert A. Heinlein, "Coventry"
 * 2018: Jack Williamson, "With Folded Hands"
 * 2019: Kurt Vonnegut, "Harrison Bergeron"
 * 2020: Poul Anderson, "Sam Hall"
 * 2021: F. Paul Wilson, "Lipidleggin'
 * 2022: Robert A. Heinlein, Citizen of the Galaxy
 * 2023: Robert A. Heinlein, "Free Men"
 * 2024: Terry Pratchett, The Truth

Special Award recipients

 * 1998: Brad Linaweaver and Edward E. Kramer: editors, Free Space (anthology)
 * 2001: Poul Anderson, Special Prometheus Award for Lifetime Achievement
 * 2005: Mark Tier and Martin H. Greenberg: editors, Give Me Liberty and Visions of Liberty (anthologies for Baen Books)
 * 2005: L. Neil Smith (writer) and Scott Bieser (illustrator), The Probability Broach: The Graphic Novel
 * 2006: Joss Whedon (writer-director), Serenity
 * 2007: James McTeigue (director) and the Wachowskis (screenplay), V for Vendetta (motion picture)
 * 2014: Vernor Vinge, Special Prometheus Award for Lifetime Achievement
 * 2014: Leslie Fish, Tower of Horses (novella) and "The Horsetamer's Daughter" (song)
 * 2015: F. Paul Wilson, Special Prometheus Award for Lifetime Achievement
 * 2016: L. Neil Smith, Special Prometheus Award for Lifetime Achievement
 * 2016: Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn, Alex + Ada
 * 2017: Mark Stanley, Freefall (webcomic)