2009 Hugo Award Winners

I'm both antsy and a quick walker, so I think I was the first person to make it back to the party hotel (the Delta) from the Palais where the Hugo Award ceremony just ended. (But I bet several people were liveblogging the Hugos, so this won't be the first notice of the winners.)

Sadly, no one asked me if the awards were over, so I'd didn't get the chance to say to the elevator operators -- as I'd been planning to do -- "Apres moi, le deluge."

Before I list the actual winners, I'll note that my predictions were correct in slightly more than half of the cases -- and that's fine, because the ones I got wrong were almost entirely because friends and people I greatly respect won instead of my cynical choices. So I'm very happy with this list of winners, and I hope you are, too.

Best Novel: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins; Bloomsbury UK)
Best Novella: “The Erdmann Nexus” by Nancy Kress (Asimov’s Oct/Nov 2008)
Best Novelette: “Shoggoths in Bloom” by Elizabeth Bear (Asimov’s Mar 2008)
Best Short Story: “Exhalation” by Ted Chiang (Eclipse Two)
Best Related Book: Your Hate Mail Will be Graded: A Decade of Whatever, 1998-2008 by John Scalzi (Subterranean Press)
Best Graphic Story: Girl Genius, Volume 8: Agatha Heterodyne and the Chapel of Bones Written by Kaja & Phil Foglio, art by Phil Foglio, colors by Cheyenne Wright (Airship Entertainment)
Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: WALL-E Andrew Stanton & Pete Docter, story; Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon, screenplay; Andrew Stanton, director (Pixar/Walt Disney)
Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog Joss Whedon, & Zack Whedon, & Jed Whedon & Maurissa Tancharoen , writers; Joss Whedon, director (Mutant Enemy)
Best Editor, Short Form: Ellen Datlow
Best Editor, Long Form: David G. Hartwell
Best Professional Artist: Donato Giancola
Best Semiprozine: Weird Tales edited by Ann VanderMeer & Stephen H. Segal
Best Fanzine: Electric Velocipede edited by John Klima
Best Fan Writer: Cheryl Morgan
Best Fan Artist: Frank Wu
The John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer: David Anthony Durham

I predicted that Chiang, Scalzi's Hate Mail, WALL-E, Doctor Horrible, Datlow, Hartwell, Giancola, Wu, and Durham would win. But I'm thrilled to death to see that the voting fans are not as cynical as I am, and that Ann VanderMeer, John Klima, and Cheryl Morgan won Hugos.

Congratulations to all; Now I'm off to find some parties.

Update: Two extra points to note.

One, Anticipation got their press release out just as soon as the ceremony ended. That might seem like a small thing, but it isn't, and they should be commended for being so buttoned up and professional.

Two, I forgot to mention that Andrew Porter, erstwhile publisher of SF Chronicle, was honored with the Big Heart Award (for service to fandom). I don't usually get into the fandom awards, but it's Andy, and I'm happy to see him get that recognition.

Update 2: The full voting breakdown has been posted by Anticipation. And I also reposted my original handicapping post with a rundown of what I got right and wrong.