NEWS: 2026 Dragon Awards Ballot Announced

Dragon Con has announced the ballot for the 2026 Dragon Awards. Winners will be announced at Dragon Con, to be held September 3-7, 2026 in Atlanta GA.

The nominees are:

Best Science Fiction Novel

God’s Junk Drawer, Peter Clines (Blackstone)
The Faith of Beasts, James S.A. Corey (Orbit)
Operation Bounce House, Matt Dinniman (Ace)
Radiant Star, Ann Leckie (Orbit US)
Slow Gods, Claire North (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
The Shattering Peace, John Scalzi (Tor; Tor UK)

Best Fantasy Novel (Including Paranormal)

Twelve Months, Jim Butcher (Ace)
Academy of Outcasts, Larry Correia (Aethon)
The Lost Reliquary, Lyndsay Ely (Saga)
Hell to Pay, Sherrilyn Kenyon (Oliver Heber)
Red City, Marie Lu (Tor)
Queen Demon, Martha Wells (Tor)

Best Young Adult / Middle Grade Novel

Make Me a Monster, Kalynn Bayron (Bloomsbury YA)
Ride or Die, Delilah S. Dawson (Delacorte)
The Executioners Three, Susan Dennard (Tor Teen)
Hazelthorn, CG Drews (Feiwel & Friends)
Sky on Fire, E.K. Johnston (Dutton Books for Young Readers)
Queen of Faces, Petra Lord (HarperCollins)

Best Alternate History Novel

World War 3.2, John Birmingham (Gigantic Bombs)
No Man’s Land, Richard K. Morgan (Del Rey)
A Resistance of Witches, Morgan Ryan (Viking)
The Winds of Fate, S.M. Stirling (Baen)
The Unnecessary War, Brian C. Thompson (self-published)
Powerless, Harry Turtledove (Caezik)

Best Horror Novel

The Possession of Alba Díaz, Isabel Cañas (Berkley; Solaris UK)
Play Nice, Rachel Harrison (Berkley)
King Sorrow, Joe Hill (Morrow; Headline UK)
The Bewitching, Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Del Rey; Arcadia UK)
Girl in the Creek, Wendy N. Wagner (Tor Nightfire)

Best Illustrative Book Cover

Jeff Brown for The Sapphire Heart, Abigail Bender, Victoria Hungria & Sandra Mead Miller (Three Scribes)
Dominic Harman for The Ishtar Deception, James L. Cambias (Baen)
T. Kingfisher for Hemlock & Silver (Tor; Tor UK)
Carson Lowmiller for Brigands & Breadknives, Travis Baldree (Tor)
Anna Moshak for The Second Death of Locke, V.L. Bovalino (Forever)
Joe Wilson for Pretenders to the Throne of God, Adrian Tchaikovsky (Head of Zeus)

Best Comic Book or Graphic Novel

Absolute Superman, Jason Aaron, illustrated by Rafa Sandoval
X-Men: Elsewhen, John Byrne
Daredevil, Stephanie Phillips, illustrated by Lee Garbett
Absolute Batman, Scott Snyder, illustrated by Nick Dragotta
Absolute Wonder Woman, Kelly Thompson, illustrated by Hayden Sherman
Something is Killing the Children, James Tynion IV, illustrated by Werther Dell’Edera

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy TV Series, TV or Internet