Libertarian Futurist Society members have nominated 14 novels for the next Prometheus Award for Best Novel. Of those, nine nominees were written by authors nominated for the first time for a Prometheus Award.
With so many authors new to our awards, the Prometheus Awards may be entering a more hopeful period in which a new generation is writing science fiction, fantasy and other fantastical works informed by a clear awareness of the dangers of tyranny and the benefits of freedom.
The “new” Prometheus-recognized writers include Max Harms, Andrew Knighton, John C. A. Manley, Ewan Morrison, Laura Montgomery, Ray Nayler, J. Kenton Pierce and David A. Price.
Nominated again are three Prometheus-winning authors – Dave Freer (Cloud-Castles), Sarah Hoyt (Darkship Thieves) and Harry Turtledove (The Gladiator) – and one writer, Karl K. Gallagher, whose works often have become Best Novel finalists. In addition, writer R.H. Snow has been nominated several times for Best Novel.
THE BEST NOVEL NOMINEES
Here are the Best Novel nominees for the 2026 Prometheus Awards, listed in alphabetized order by author:
Storm-Dragon, by Dave Freer
(Raconteur Press, 200 pages)
War by Other Means, by Karl K. Gallagher
(Kelt Haven Press, 407 pages)
Red Heart, by Max Harms
(Max Harms Press, 380 pages)
No Man’s Land, by Sarah Hoyt
(Goldport Press, a three-volume novel; Book 1: 307 pages, Book 2: 280 pages; Book 3: 313 pages)
Forged for Destiny, by Andrew Knighton
(Orbit Books, 448 pages)
Forged for Prophecy, by Andrew Knighton
(Orbit Books, 450 pages)
All the Humans Are Sleeping, by John C.A. Manley
((Blazing Pine Cone Publishing, 340 pages)
For Emma, by Ewan Morrison
(SkyHorse Publishing, 432 pages)
Planting Life: Shut the Kingdom, by Laura Montgomery
(Amazon, 394 pages)
Where the Axe is Buried, by Ray Nayler
(MCD, 336 pages)
A Kiss for Damocles, by J. Kenton Pierce
(Raconteur Press, 466 pages)
The Underachiever, by David A. Price
(Houston Street Press, 254 pages)
Caballeros del Camino, by R.H. Snow
(Rosa de Oro, a Texas Publishing Company, 436 pages)
Powerless, by Harry Turtledove
(Caezick SF & Fantasy, 363 pages)
NOMINATIONS AND ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES
To be eligible for nomination for the Prometheus Award, works must fall within the fantastical genres (including but not limited to science fiction and fantasy) and explore pro-freedom or anti-tyranny themes.
In addition, for the Best Novel category, this year’s slate of nominees must have been published within the previous calendar year (between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2025) or, under our rules for works previously overlooked, the last two months of the previous year (November/December, 2024).
While only LFS members have the right to formally nominate eligible works for all categories of the Prometheus Awards, non-members (including publishers, authors and other sf/fantasy fans) are welcome to suggest relevant titles in informal submissions.
Now that nominations have closed for the next Best Novel award, with finalists to be announced by mid-April, nominations by LFS members or submissions by publishers and authors are invited for novels published in 2026 or during the last two months of 2025.
For more information, read the LFS website’s recently updated Submission Guidelines Letter.
ABOUT THE LFS AND THE PROMETHEUS AWARDS
* Join us! To help sustain the Prometheus Awards and support a cultural and literary strategy to appreciate and honor freedom-loving fiction, join the Libertarian Futurist Society, a non-profit all-volunteer international association of freedom-loving sf/fantasy fans.
Libertarian futurists understand that culture matters. We believe that literature and the arts can be vital in envisioning a freer and better future. In some ways, culture can be even more influential and powerful than politics in the long run, by imagining better visions of the future incorporating peace, prosperity, progress, tolerance, justice, positive social change, and mutual respect for each other’s rights, human dignity, individuality and peaceful choices.
* Prometheus winners: For a full list of Prometheus winners, finalists and nominees – including in the annual Best Novel and Best Classic Fiction (Hall of Fame) categories and occasional Special Awards – visit the enhanced Prometheus Awards page on the LFS website. This page includes convenient links to all published essay-reviews in our Appreciation series explaining why each of more than 100 past winners since 1979 fits the awards’ distinctive dual focus on both quality and liberty.
* Watch videos of past Prometheus Awards ceremonies, Libertarian Futurist Society panel discussions with noted sf authors and leading libertarian writers, and other LFS programs on the Prometheus Blog’s Video page.
* Read “The Libertarian History of Science Fiction,” an essay in the international magazine Quillette that favorably highlights the Prometheus Awards, the Libertarian Futurist Society and the significant element of libertarian sf/fantasy in the evolution of the modern genre.
* Check out the Libertarian Futurist Society’s Facebook page for comments, updates and links to the latest Prometheus Blog posts.
