The 2026 Dragon Awards ballot was published on August 3. Registered voters should expect to receive notice by email.

To be eligible for the 2026 Dragon Awards the book, comic, game, movie, must have been released between July 1, 2025 and the close of the eligibility period, June 30, 2026, which accounts for the mix of nominees from last year and this year. No part of the work may be created by artificial intelligence.

Most categories have six nominees, but Best Science Fiction or Fantasy TV Series, TV or Internet and Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Movie have eight.

Recipients of the award will be announced at Dragon Con.

Best Science Fiction Novel

• The Faith of Beasts by James S.A. Corey
• Radiant Star by Ann Leckie
• Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman
• Slow Gods by Claire North
• The Shattering Peace by John Scalzi
• God’s Junk Drawer by Peter Clines

Best Fantasy Novel (Including Paranormal)

• Red City by Marie Lu
• Queen Demon by Martha Wells
• Academy of Outcasts by Larry Correia
• Hell to Pay by Sherrilyn Kenyon
• The Lost Reliquary by Lyndsay Ely
• Twelve Months by Jim Butcher

Best Young Adult / Middle Grade Novel

• Make Me a Monster by Kalynn Bayron
• The Executioners Three by Susan Dennard
• Hazelthorn by CG Drews
• Ride or Die by Delilah S. Dawson
• Sky on Fire by E.K. Johnston
• Queen of Faces by Petra Lord

Best Alternate History Novel

• Powerless by Harry Turtledove
• World War 3.2 by John Birmingham
• The Winds of Fate by S.M. Stirling
• The Unnecessary War by Brian C. Thompson
• A Resistance of Witches by Morgan Ryan
• No Man’s Land by Richard K. Morgan

Best Horror Novel

• It Was Her House First by Cherie Priest
• Play Nice by Rachel Harrison
• Girl in the Creek by Wendy N. Wagner
• The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• King Sorrow by Joe Hill
• The Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel Cañas

Best Illustrative Book Cover

• Brigands & Breadknives, by Carson Lowmiller
• The Ishtar Deception, by Dominic Harman
• The Sapphire Heart, by Jeff Brown
• Hemlock & Silver, by T. Kingfisher
• Pretenders to the Throne of God, by Joe Wilson
• The Second Death of Locke, by Anna Moshak

Best Comic Book / Graphic Novel

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

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy TV Series, TV or Internet

• Strange New Worlds Season 3, Paramount+
• Foundation Season 3, Apple TV
• A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, HBO
• Alien: Earth, FX
• Fallout Season 2, Amazon
• Plur1bus, Apple TV
• The Boys Season 5, Amazon
• Widow’s Bay, Apple TV

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Movie

• Superman, by James Gunn
• Project Hail Mary, by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
• Disclosure Day, by Steven Spielberg
• Predator: Badlands, by Dan Trachtenberg
• Frankenstein, by Guillermo del Toro
• Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, by Jon Favreau
• Toy Story 5, by Andrew Stanton
• The Sheep Detectives, by Kyle Balda

Best Digital Game

• Hades II, Supergiant Games
• Hollow Knight: Silksong, Team Cherry
• Silent Hill f, NeoBards Entertainment
• Ghost of Yōtei, Sucker Punch Productions
• Forza Horizon 6, Playground Games
• Battlefield 6, Battlefield Studios

Best Tabletop Game

• Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerûn, Wizards of the Coast
• ACKS II Revised Rulebook, Autarch
• Magic: the Gathering – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Wizards of the Coast
• 7 Wonders Dice, Repos Production
• Warhammer 40,000 The Maelstrom, Games Workshop
• Wingspan Americas Expansion, Stonemaier Games