Award presenter speech – Prometheus Blog

The 2026 Prometheus Awards: Watch the video on the LFS website’s Videos page

Keynote speaker Ilya Somin at the 46th Prometheus Awards ceremony (File photo)

Why do libertarian and anti-authoritarian themes emerge more strongly in SF and fantasy than other literary genres?

How important is Young Adult Fiction in inspiring the young to read and to better appreciate the values of civilization and the emerging modern liberal/libertarian order sustaining liberty and civility?

What inspired Dave Freer to write Storm-Dragon, recipient of the first Special Prometheus Award for Young Adult Fiction?

How do Aldous Huxley’s two grandchildren Tessa and Trev Huxley and Pulitzer-winning writer Jack Miles view the anti-authoritarian themes and timeliness today of Brave New World, the 50th work inducted into the Prometheus Hall of Fame?

What lessons has J. Kenton Pierce learned from winning his first Prometheus Award for Best Novel for A Kiss for Damocles?

These were among the questions explored and answered during the 46th Prometheus ceremony, now available to watch on the newly updated Videos page of the LFS website.

Continue reading The 2026 Prometheus Awards: Watch the video on the LFS website’s Videos page

The 46th Prometheus Awards: Cato scholar Ilya Somin’s keynote speech (Part 2) on Heinlein, Star Trek, dystopias, technological optimism, SF/fantasy in popular culture and why it’s the most libertarian genre 

Libertarian scholar Ilya Somin Photo: Creative Commons license)

Editor’s Note: This is the second part of the keynote speech that Cato Institute scholar and law professor Ilya Somin, a lifelong SF/fantasy fan, gave when he presented the 2026 Prometheus Hall of Fame award. His speech, a highlight of the 46th Prometheus Awards ceremony in August, explores libertarian currents in SF/fantasy.

By Ilya Somin

There are, of course, many other libertarian themes in prominent science fiction and fantasy works. I do not have time to go over them all. I’ll just mention a few.

Robert Heinlein, as most of you, like we know, was one of the founding fathers of modern American science fiction, and he of course, was consciously libertarian, his ideology.

The same thing is true of a number of other very prominent science fiction writers like L. Neil Smith, Larry Niven, and David Brin, though obviously for example Brin has a very different strain of libertarianism than Heinlein.

Continue reading The 46th Prometheus Awards: Cato scholar Ilya Somin’s keynote speech (Part 2) on Heinlein, Star Trek, dystopias, technological optimism, SF/fantasy in popular culture and why it’s the most libertarian genre 

Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Hunger Games and other libertarian currents in science fiction and fantasy: Cato scholar Ilya Somin’s keynote speech at the 46th Prometheus Awards 

Editor’s Note: Cato Institute scholar, author and law professor Ilya Somin (also a lifelong SF/fantasy fan) gave the keynote address and presented the Prometheus Hall of Fame award at the 46th Prometheus Awards ceremony. Here is the first part of his speech on libertarian currents in SF/fantasy.

By Ilya Somin

It is an honor to be here and to have a small hand in presenting this award appropriately. I’m going to devote my keynote talk to discussing the relationship between libertarianism and science fiction, broadly defined.

I will explain why libertarianism is more represented in the science fiction genre and in the closely related fantasy genre than probably in any other literary or popular culture genre. I’ll give some examples, and I’ll briefly talk about why it matters, why we should care.

Continue reading Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Hunger Games and other libertarian currents in science fiction and fantasy: Cato scholar Ilya Somin’s keynote speech at the 46th Prometheus Awards 

The 46th Prometheus Awards: Special Awards presenter Travis Corcoran on wonder, adventure, liberty, culture and the vital need for Young Adult Fiction 

Travis Corcoran, a guest speaker at the 46th Prometheus Awards ceremony, was introduced by LFS President William H. Stoddard with these words:
“The Best Novel and Hall of Fame awards are given annually. But the LFS also gives Special Awards, not every year, but when there’s a deserving recipient. A few years ago, we established the category of Special Awards for Young Adult Fiction. This year, for the first time, we’re giving such an award.
“To present this award, we have invited Travis Corcoran to speak. Corcoran received our Best Novel award in 2018 and 2019 for the two volumes of his Aristillus series, The Powers of the Earth and Causes of Separation; this year he has published a new novel, Red State Mars. He currently serves as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives. We look forward to hearing what he has to say about young adult fiction and about this year’s honoree.”

By Travis Corcoran

There’s a strange thing about systems – they have state, and often state comes in two or more types, which trade off against each other.

Pendulums have both kinetic energy and potential energy. When a pendulum is dead still, it’s at its highest altitude, and when it’s moving rapidly, it’s at its lowest. Social phenomena can also have state that’s traded back and forth – hobbies and subcultures often reach their absolute peak at exactly the point when growth has fallen to zero. …but there’s no law of conservation of energy in subcultures – a hobby can lose both size and energy at the same time!

Ham radio, bowling leagues – many hobbies have suffered from losing both “altitude” and “speed” at the same time. Deadly in an airplane as a private pilot, and equally deadly to a subculture. …deadly in a subculture like science fiction, generally, or libertarian science fiction, more specifically.

Continue reading The 46th Prometheus Awards: Special Awards presenter Travis Corcoran on wonder, adventure, liberty, culture and the vital need for Young Adult Fiction 

The 46th Prometheus Awards: LFS co-founder Grossberg on the value of fiction dramatizing voluntarism and cooperation as the ethical and practical alternative to coercion

Editor’s note: LFS co-founder Michael Grossberg, who chairs the Prometheus Best Novel Judging Committee, presented the 2026 Prometheus Award for Best Novel to J. Kenton Pierce for A Kiss for Damocles. This is the first in a series of posts celebrating the 46th Prometheus Awards ceremony, with separate articles devoted to each Aug. 16 speech by winners and presenters.

By Michael Grossberg

Since the Prometheus Award was first presented in 1979, 47 books have won Best Novel. Today, we will honor a 48th.

One of the oldest fan-based sf/fantasy awards after the Hugos and Nebulas, the Prometheus Awards are distinctive in their dual focus on both liberty and literary quality. While quite a few Prometheus-winning works have also won Hugo and Nebula awards, only the Libertarian Futurist Society annually recognizes fantastical fiction that consistently champions respect for human rights – even for that smallest oppressed minority, the individual.

Continue reading The 46th Prometheus Awards: LFS co-founder Grossberg on the value of fiction dramatizing voluntarism and cooperation as the ethical and practical alternative to coercion

Here’s the Zoom link to watch the 46th Prometheus Awards ceremony, with speakers Ilya Somin, Travis Corcoran, 2026 winners Dave Freer, J. Kenton Pierce and Aldous Huxley’s grandchildren 

By Michael Grossberg

The 46th Prometheus Awards ceremony is shaping up to be one of the most interesting, thought-provoking and exciting in years.

Ten speakers from around the world have been lined up for the roughly hourlong awards show, which will present the two annual categories for Best Novel and Best Classic Fiction (the Prometheus Hall of Fame) plus an occasional Special Award – the first Prometheus Award for Young Adult Fiction.

Here is the Zoom link to watch the awards live:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87824388418?pwd=CsoznF4wtlLNTYvEotlIpVJkCoGb9I.1

All Libertarian Futurist Society members, other SF/fantasy fans and the general public are invited to watch the live Zoom event, which will begin at 10 a.m. Pacific time (1 p.m. Eastern time) on Sunday Aug. 16, 2026.

So who are the 10 presenters, winners and other speakers?

Continue reading Here’s the Zoom link to watch the 46th Prometheus Awards ceremony, with speakers Ilya Somin, Travis Corcoran, 2026 winners Dave Freer, J. Kenton Pierce and Aldous Huxley’s grandchildren 

Prometheus-winning novelist Travis Corcoran to present first Special Award for Young Adult Fiction at the Aug. 16 ceremony

By Michael Grossberg

Travis Corcoran (Photo courtesy of author)

Travis Corcoran, a two-time Prometheus-winning novelist, will present the first Special Prometheus Award for Young Adult Fiction.

Corcoran was invited to speak because he’s a passionate believer in encouraging younger generations to read – and convinced that writing good young-adult SF/fantasy can help young readers better envision more positive futures – including a future of freedom.

Corcoran will discuss the vital importance of young-adult fiction in his speech presenting that occasional category at the 46th Prometheus Awards. The roughly hourlong ceremony, open to the public via Zoom and with Ilya Somin as the keynote speaker, is set to start at 1 p.m. (Eastern time) Sunday Aug. 16.

Corcoran has praised YA fiction for its potential to offer positive portraits of young people as capable, rational and independent-minded individuals. Such characters can be admirable role models for the young, in Corcoran’s view, because they tend to be better suited for living in, and sustaining, the dynamic live-and-let-live interactions of free societies.
Continue reading Prometheus-winning novelist Travis Corcoran to present first Special Award for Young Adult Fiction at the Aug. 16 ceremony

“Sixteen fun facts” about Cato scholar and SF fan Ilya Somin, our keynote speaker Aug. 16 at the 46th annual Prometheus Awards ceremony 

By Michael Grossberg

Who is Ilya Somin?

Somin, our keynote speaker at the upcoming 46th Prometheus Awards ceremony is one of today’s most interesting and impactful libertarian thinkers and authors. That should become evident at the roughly hourlong ceremony, which will begin at 1 p.m. Sunday Aug. 16, 2026 (Eastern time) and will be open to the public on Zoom.

A lifelong science-fiction fan who’s written for the former Prometheus quarterly, Somin is perhaps most widely known as a Cato Institute scholar and George Mason University law professor.

But Somin has many fascinating facets to his life and career – and recently shared “16 fun facts” about himself on Reason magazine’s legal- and individual-rights-issues blog, The Volokh Conspiracy.

Continue reading “Sixteen fun facts” about Cato scholar and SF fan Ilya Somin, our keynote speaker Aug. 16 at the 46th annual Prometheus Awards ceremony 

Ilya Somin: The Cato Institute scholar, law professor and SF/fantasy fan will present the Hall of fame award at our 2026 ceremony 

By Michael Grossberg

Ilya Somin will be the guest presenter and keynote speaker at the Libertarian Futurist Society’s 2026 Prometheus Awards ceremony.

A professor of Law at George Mason University and the B. Kenneth Simon Chair in Constitutional Studies at the Cato Institute, a leading libertarian think tank, Somin has written several books reflecting his research and expertise on constitutional law, property law, democratic theory, federalism, and migration rights.

Just as relevant to our upcoming August 2026 awards ceremony – which will be hosted on Zoom and open to the public – Somin is a long-time fan of science fiction and fantasy – which he plans to focus on in his speech presenting the Prometheus Hall of Fame for Best Classic Fiction.

Continue reading Ilya Somin: The Cato Institute scholar, law professor and SF/fantasy fan will present the Hall of fame award at our 2026 ceremony 

Why leading libertarian, economist and novelist David Friedman admires the science fiction of Karl K. Gallagher  

By Michael Grossberg

Leading libertarian thinker and economist David D. Friedman counts himself a fan of science-fiction writer Karl K. Gallagher.

David Friedman (Photo provided by Friedman)

In a fascinating question and answer session at the end of the 45th Prometheus Awards ceremony, Friedman singled out just a few science fiction authors for praise – including Vernor Vinge, Robert Heinlein, C.J. Cherryh, Lois McMaster Bujold and Gallagher.

Karl K. Gallagher (2024 photo courtesy of Gallagher)

Gallagher’s novels are “well-written and interesting,” said Friedman, himself a Prometheus-nominated fantasy novelist.

Friedman, nominated for Harald, also has written Salamander, which he views as his favorite and best-written novel, and Brothers, a sequel to Harald.

Continue reading Why leading libertarian, economist and novelist David Friedman admires the science fiction of Karl K. Gallagher  