Announcing the 39th winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award

Greetings, Carbon-Based Bipeds!

We’re delighted to share that ANNIE BOT by Sierra Greer, and published by The Borough Press, has been announced as the 39^th winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award science fiction book of the year.

Sierra Greer receives a trophy in the form of a commemorative engraved bookend and prize money to the value of £2025.00; a tradition that sees the annual prize money rise incrementally by year from the year 2001 in memory of Sir Arthur C. Clarke.

Chair of Judges, Dr Andrew M. Butler, said:

"I’m always impressed by the jury’s discussion and discernment in narrowing down our shortlist to a winner.

“They picked Sierra Greer’s Annie Bot, a tightly-focused first person account of a robot designed to be the perfect companion who struggles to become free."

Award Director Tom Hunter added:

“This year’s shortlist explored themes of planetary crisis, non-human intelligences, and technology run amok. Concepts that would have enthralled readers in the times of Mary Shelley, H.G. Wells or, of course, Sir Arthur C. Clarke, but refreshed and reimagined for the 21st century by our six nominated authors. But what might we be reading in the post-human future? A concept we’re still struggling to imagine even as it looms over our lived reality. Perhaps, if we ask nicely, Annie Bot might just show us the way.”

The winner was revealed at an award ceremony in London on Wednesday 25th June to an audience of authors, publishing professionals, and science fiction fans.

The judging panel for the Arthur C. Clarke Award 2025 were:

· Dolly Garland and Gene Rowe for the British Science Fiction Association.

· Nic Clarke and John Coxon for the Science Fiction Foundation.

· Glyn Morgan for the SCI-FI-LONDON film festival.

Dr Andrew M. Butler represented the Arthur C. Clarke Award directors in a non-voting role as the Chair of the Judges.

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The annual Arthur C. Clarke Award is presented for the best science fiction novel of the year, and selected from a list of novels whose UK first edition was published in the previous calendar year.

The award was originally established by a generous grant from Sir Arthur C. Clarke with the aim of promoting science fiction in Britain, and is currently administered by the Serendip Foundation, a voluntary organisation created to oversee the on-going delivery and development of the award.

Members of the judging panel are nominated by supporting organisations, currently the British Science Fiction Association, the Science Fiction Foundation and the SCI-FI-LONDON film festival.