Patience can be a virtue – especially when it comes to nominations for the Prometheus Hall of Fame.
Not all works end up finalists or winners in the first year that they are nominated. But that’s never a permanent obstacle to recognition, because in this annual Prometheus category, Libertarian Futurist Society members benefit from the luxury of time.
If at first a work is overlooked or doesn’t rank high enough to become a finalist, it can be nominated and renominated in future years.
RENOMINATIONS IN THE HALL OF FAME CATEGORY
Unlike the Best Novel category, in which novels only get one chance to be considered and nominated in the calendar year of their initial publication, the Prometheus Hall of Fame allows – and encourages – classic works to be reconsidered in future years if they don’t win.
In fact, quite a few works have been inducted into the Hall of Fame in their first year of nomination. Among them: George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm, inducted in 2011; Kurt Vonnegut’s satirical cautionary story “Harrison Bergeron,” inducted in 2019; and Robert Heinlein’s novel Citizen of the Galaxy, the 2022 winner.
Yet quite a few works have been inducted on their second try.
Among them: Poul Anderson’s 1953 story “Sam Hall,” first nominated in 2019 and inducted in 2020; and F. Paul Wilson’s 1978 short story “Lipidleggin’,” first nominated in 2020 and inducted in 2021.
Some works have been inducted only after a series of nominations, often ending up as finalists but without winning in their first or second (or even third) tries.
Among them: Harlan Ellison’s 1965 story “Repent, Harlequin! Said the Ticktockman.” First nominated in 2010, Ellison’s story became a finalist in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 before finally moving up enough in the rankings to be inducted in 2015.
Another example is interesting relevant, because it reminds us that a worthy work can enter the list of nominees but fall off again before being renominated.
First nominated in 2002, Anthony Burgess’ novel A Clockwork Orange became a finalist in 2002 and 2003 but wasn’t nominated in 2004 or 2005.
Once Burgess’ dystopian classic was renominated in 2006, it began picking up steam and rising in the ranks among the 2006 and 2007 finalists before finally winning in 2008.
One lesson from the recent history of the Prometheus Hall of Fame: Don’t give up!
If you have a favorite classic work that’s eligible for the Prometheus Award, go ahead and nominate it – or renominate it. And feel free to explain why you’re nominating it and how it fits the distinctive dual focus of our award on both literary quality and liberty.
HOW TO NOMINATE FOR THE HALL OF FAME
The deadline for Prometheus Hall of Fame nominations is Sept. 30, 2026, but don’t wait.
Libertarian Futurist Society members are encouraged to nominate eligible classic works soon, so that the Prometheus Hall of Fame Judging Committee, headed by LFS President William H. Stoddard, has enough time to read or watch each nominee and fully consider their merits.
Publishers, authors and sf/fantasy fans who aren’t LFS members are also welcome to bring worthy and potentially eligible works to our attention.
To nominate a work for the Prometheus Hall of Fame, contact Stoddard at halloffame@lfs.org
Please include the full title of the work, its author(s) and original year of publication, screening or broadcast. A nominating statement, explaining why you believe it deserves recognition and fits our award, is optional but welcome and highly encouraged.
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 the 106 works that have won a Prometheus 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.
