World's Top SF Literature Award, Did It Bow to China...? "Censored Authors"

"Sensitive Works to China Excluded from Candidate List"

The Hugo Awards, regarded as the most prestigious honor in the science fiction (SF) novel field in the United States, reportedly operated a 'blacklist' to avoid offending Chinese authorities.

On the 14th (local time), the British daily newspaper The Guardian reported, based on leaked internal correspondence from the Hugo Awards organizers, that "comments and works that could be considered sensitive in China were excluded from the final list of nominees."

The Hugo Award is regarded as the most prestigious award in the field of science fiction literature. [Image source=Hugo Awards official website]

Allegations that the Hugo Awards operated a 'blacklist' targeting certain authors and critics first surfaced last month. At that time, Chinese-Canadian novelist Cixin Zhao reportedly received enough votes to be nominated but was deemed "ineligible" without any clear reason in the final nomination.

The Guardian emphasized, "The emails leaked from the 2023 Hugo Awards committee confirmed suspicions that some authors were censored." The media also disclosed the contents of the leaked correspondence.

The letter, written on June 5 last year by Dave McCarty, the chair of the Hugo Awards judging panel, stated, "We need to emphasize works with sensitive political nature," and added, "If a work focuses on topics that could be problematic in China, Taiwan, Tibet, or other Chinese regions, we must be able to judge whether it is safe to publish."

Amid growing controversy, some judges responsible for selecting this year's winners reportedly resigned. The Guardian reported that the censorship controversy shocked many SF genre fans, and some authors and readers expressed concerns that the prestige of the Hugo Awards had been 'tainted.'