The World Fantasy Award for Best Novel is awarded annually for fantasy novels of 40,000 words or longer published in English or translated into English. The award is given by the World Fantasy Convention for a book published during the previous calendar year. In June of a given year a ballot is posted to allow attendees of the current and previous two conventions to vote for two of the finalists, and a panel of five judges adds three or more nominees before voting on the overall winner. The judges panel usually consists of Fantasy authors, and is elected each year by the World Fantasy Awards Administration, which has the power to break ties.
The following list is based on the Wikipedia entry for the award. Winners are marked by an * and colored green.
| Year | Author | Novel | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Patricia A. McKillip* | The Forgotten Beasts of Eld | |
| 1975 | H. Warner Munn | Merlin’s Ring | |
| 1975 | Poul Anderson | A Midsummer Tempest | |
| 1976 | Richard Matheson* | Bid Time Return | |
| 1976 | Stephen King | Salem’s Lot | |
| 1977 | William Kotzwinkle* | Doctor Rat | |
| 1977 | John Steinbeck | The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights | |
| 1977 | Karl Edward Wagner | Dark Crusade | |
| 1977 | Ramsey Campbell | The Doll Who Ate His Mother | |
| 1977 | Gordon R. Dickson | The Dragon and the George | |
| 1977 | Michael Moorcock | The Sailor on the Seas of Fate | |
| 1978 | Fritz Leiber* | Our Lady of Darkness | |
| 1978 | Stephen R. Donaldson | The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever | |
| 1978 | Charles L. Grant | The Hour of the Oxrun Dead | |
| 1979 | Michael Moorcock* | Gloriana</td> | |
| 1979 | Les Daniels | The Black Castle | |
| 1979 | Tanith Lee | Night’s Master | |
| 1979 | Charles L. Grant | The Sound of Midnight | |
| 1979 | Stephen King | The Stand | |
| 1980 | Elizabeth A. Lynn* | Watchtower | |
| 1980 | Elizabeth A. Lynn | The Dancers of Arun | |
| 1980 | Patricia Wrightson | The Dark Bright Water | |
| 1980 | Patricia A. McKillip | Harpist in the Wind | |
| 1980 | Charles L. Grant | The Last Call of Mourning | |
| 1980 | Chelsea Quinn Yarbro | The Palace | |
| 1981 | Gene Wolfe* | The Shadow of the Torturer | |
| 1981 | Chelsea Quinn Yarbro | Ariosto | |
| 1981 | Parke Godwin | Firelord | |
| 1981 | Stephen King | The Mist | |
| 1981 | Peter Straub | Shadowland | |
| 1982 | John Crowley* | Little, Big | |
| 1982 | Gene Wolfe | The Claw of the Conciliator | |
| 1982 | Ramsey Campbell | The Nameless | |
| 1982 | Michael Moorcock | The War Hound and the World’s Pain | |
| 1982 | D. M. Thomas | The White Hotel | |
| 1983 | Michael Shea* | Nifft the Lean | |
| 1983 | George R. R. Martin | Fevre Dream | |
| 1983 | Charles L. Grant | The Nestling | |
| 1983 | Thomas Tessier | Phantom | |
| 1983 | Gene Wolfe | The Sword of the Lictor | |
| 1984 | John M. Ford* | The Dragon Waiting | |
| 1984 | George R. R. Martin | The Armageddon Rag | |
| 1984 | Jack Vance | Lyonesse | |
| 1984 | Stephen King | Pet Sematary | |
| 1984 | R. A. MacAvoy | Tea with the Black Dragon | |
| 1984 | Manuel Mujica Láinez | The Wandering Unicorn | |
| 1985 | Barry Hughart* | Bridge of Birds | |
| 1985 | Robert Holdstock* | Mythago Wood | |
| 1985 | Diana Wynne Jones | Archer’s Goon | |
| 1985 | T. E. D. Klein | The Ceremonies | |
| 1985 | Stephen King | The Talisman | |
| 1985 | Peter Straub | The Talisman | |
| 1986 | Dan Simmons* | Song of Kali | |
| 1986 | Clive Barker | The Damnation Game | |
| 1986 | Lisa Goldstein | The Dream Years | |
| 1986 | Peter Carey | Illywhacker | |
| 1986 | Anne Rice | The Vampire Lestat | |
| 1986 | Paul Hazel | Winterking | |
| 1987 | Patrick Süskind* | Perfume | |
| 1987 | Stephen King | It | |
| 1987 | Charles L. Grant | The Pet | |
| 1987 | Gene Wolfe | Soldier of the Mist | |
| 1987 | Dean Koontz | Strangers | |
| 1987 | Margaret Mahy | The Tricksters | |
| 1988 | Ken Grimwood* | Replay | |
| 1988 | John Crowley | Ægypt | |
| 1988 | Stephen King | Misery | |
| 1988 | Tim Powers | On Stranger Tides | |
| 1988 | Orson Scott Card | Seventh Son | |
| 1988 | Robert R. McCammon | Swan Song | |
| 1988 | Clive Barker | Weaveworld | |
| 1989 | Peter Straub* | Koko | |
| 1989 | Joe R. Lansdale | The Drive-In | |
| 1989 | Robert Cormier | Fade | |
| 1989 | James Blaylock | The Last Coin | |
| 1989 | Thomas Harris | The Silence of the Lambs | |
| 1989 | Jonathan Carroll | Sleeping in Flame | |
| 1990 | Jack Vance* | Madouc | |
| 1990 | Dan Simmons | Carrion Comfort | |
| 1990 | Jonathan Carroll | A Child Across the Sky | |
| 1990 | Charles L. Grant | In a Dark Dream | |
| 1990 | Gene Wolfe | Soldier of Arete</td> | |
| 1990 | Tim Powers | The Stress of Her Regard | |
| 1991 | James K. Morrow* | Only Begotten Daughter | |
| 1991 | Ellen Kushner* | Thomas the Rhymer | |
| 1991 | Terry Pratchett | Good Omens | |
| 1991 | Neil Gaiman | Good Omens | |
| 1991 | Valerie Martin | Mary Reilly | |
| 1991 | Guy Gavriel Kay | Tigan | |
| 1992 | Robert R. McCammon* | Boy’s Life | |
| 1992 | Emma Bull | Bone Dance | |
| 1992 | A. A. Attanasio | Hunting the Ghost Dancer | |
| 1992 | Charles de Lint | The Little Country | |
| 1992 | Jonathan Carroll | Outside the Dog Museum | |
| 1992 | James Blaylock | The Paper Grail | |
| 1993 | Tim Powers* | Last Call | |
| 1993 | Kim Newman | Anno Dracula | |
| 1993 | Jane Yolen | Briar Rose | |
| 1993 | Steve Szilagyi | Photographing Fairies | |
| 1993 | Geoff Ryman | Was | |
| 1994 | Lewis Shiner* | Glimpses | |
| 1994 | Poppy Z. Brite | Drawing Blood | |
| 1994 | Peter S. Beagle | The Innkeeper’s Song | |
| 1994 | Michael Swanwick | The Iron Dragon’s Daughter | |
| 1994 | Judith Tarr | Lord of the Two Lands | |
| 1994 | Kathe Koja | Skin | |
| 1994 | Peter Straub | The Throat | |
| 1995 | James K. Morrow* | Towing Jehovah | |
| 1995 | Michael Bishop | Brittle Innings | |
| 1995 | Brooke Stevens | The Circus of the Earth and the Air | |
| 1995 | Jonathan Carroll | From the Teeth of Angels | |
| 1995 | John Crowley | Love & Sleep | |
| 1995 | Elizabeth Hand | Waking the Moon | |
| 1996 | Christopher Priest* | The Prestige | |
| 1996 | James Blaylock | All the Bells on Earth | |
| 1996 | Tim Powers | Expiration Date | |
| 1996 | Vikram Chandra | Red Earth and Pouring Rain | |
| 1996 | Graham Joyce | Requiem | |
| 1996 | Nina Kiriki Hoffman | The Silent Strength of Stones | |
| 1997 | Rachel Pollack* | Godmother Night | |
| 1997 | Marc Laidlaw | The 37th Mandala | |
| 1997 | William Kotzwinkle | The Bear Went Over the Mountain | |
| 1997 | Mark Sumner | Devil’s Tower</td> | |
| 1997 | George R. R. Martin | A Game of Thrones | |
| 1997 | Melanie Rawn | The Golden Key | |
| 1997 | Jennifer Roberson | The Golden Key | |
| 1997 | Kate Elliott | The Golden Key</td> | |
| 1997 | Terence M. Green | Shadow of Ashland | |
| 1998 | Jeffrey Ford* | The Physiognomy | |
| 1998 | Harvey Jacobs | American Goliath | |
| 1998 | Arturo Pérez-Reverte | The Club Dumas (nomination withdrawn) | |
| 1998 | Eric Nylund | Dry Water | |
| 1998 | Patrick O’Leary | The Gift | |
| 1998 | Charles de Lint | Trader | |
| 1999 | Louise Erdrich* | The Antelope Wife | |
| 1999 | Thomas Sullivan | The Martyring | |
| 1999 | Sean Stewart | Mockingbird | |
| 1999 | Guy Gavriel Kay | Sailing to Sarantium | |
| 1999 | Charles de Lint | Someplace to Be Flying | |
| 2000 | Martin Scott* | Thraxas | |
| 2000 | Steven Erikson | Gardens of the Moon | |
| 2000 | James Blaylock | The Rainy Season | |
| 2000 | Nina Kiriki Hoffman | A Red Heart of Memories | |
| 2000 | Peter S. Beagle | Tamsin | |
| 2000 | Terence M. Green | A Witness to Life | |
| 2001 | Tim Powers* | Declare | |
| 2001 | Sean Stewart* | Galveston | |
| 2001 | Philip Pullman | The Amber Spyglass | |
| 2001 | Paula Volsky | The Grand Ellipse | |
| 2001 | Guy Gavriel Kay | Lord of Emperors | |
| 2001 | China Miéville | Perdido Street Station | |
| 2002 | Ursula K. Le Guin* | The Other Wind | |
| 2002 | Neil Gaiman | American Gods | |
| 2002 | Jay Russell | Brown Harvest | |
| 2002 | Lois McMaster Bujold | The Curse of Chalion | |
| 2002 | Ray Bradbury | From the Dust Returned | |
| 2002 | Charles de Lint | The Onion Girl | |
| 2002 | Jonathan Carroll | The Wooden Sea | |
| 2003 | Graham Joyce* | The Facts of Life | |
| 2003 | Patricia A. McKillip | Ombria in Shadow | |
| 2003 | Gregory Frost | Fitcher’s Brides | |
| 2003 | Jeffrey Ford | The Portrait of Mrs. Charbuque | |
| 2003 | China Miéville | The Scar | |
| 2004 | Jo Walton* | Tooth and Claw | |
| 2004 | K. J. Bishop | The Etched City | |
| 2004 | Kij Johnson | Fudoki | |
| 2004 | Ian R. MacLeod | The Light Ages | |
| 2004 | Jeff VanderMeer | Veniss Underground | |
| 2005 | Susanna Clarke* | Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell | |
| 2005 | China Miéville | Iron Council | |
| 2005 | Sean Stewart | Perfect Circle | |
| 2005 | Stephen R. Donaldson | The Runes of the Earth | |
| 2005 | Gene Wolfe | The Wizard Knight | |
| 2006 | Haruki Murakami* | Kafka on the Shore | |
| 2006 | Graham Joyce | The Limits of Enchantment | |
| 2006 | Bret Easton Ellis | Lunar Park | |
| 2006 | Patricia A. McKillip | Od Magic | |
| 2006 | Paul Park | A Princess of Roumania | |
| 2006 | Hal Duncan | Vellum | |
| 2007 | Gene Wolfe* | Soldier of Sidon | |
| 2007 | Scott Lynch | The Lies of Locke Lamora | |
| 2007 | Stephen King | Lisey’s Story | |
| 2007 | Catherynne M. Valente | In the Night Garden | |
| 2007 | Ellen Kushner | The Privilege of the Sword | |
| 2008 | Guy Gavriel Kay* | Ysabel | |
| 2008 | John Marks | Fangland | |
| 2008 | Will Shetterly | The Gospel of the Knife | |
| 2008 | Michael Marshall Smith | The Servants | |
| 2008 | Emma Bull | Territory | |
| 2009 | Jeffrey Ford* | The Shadow Year | |
| 2009 | Margo Lanagan* | Tender Morsels | |
| 2009 | Neil Gaiman | The Graveyard Book | |
| 2009 | Kage Baker | The House of the Stag | |
| 2009 | Daryl Gregory | Pandemonium | |
| 2010 | China Miéville* | The City & the City | |
| 2010 | James Enge | Blood of Ambrose | |
| 2010 | Jeff VanderMeer | Finch | |
| 2010 | Kit Whitfield | In Great Waters | |
| 2010 | Caitlín R. Kiernan | The Red Tree | |
| 2011 | Nnedi Okorafor* | Who Fears Death | |
| 2011 | N. K. Jemisin | The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms | |
| 2011 | Karen Lord | Redemption in Indigo | |
| 2011 | Graham Joyce | The Silent Land | |
| 2011 | Guy Gavriel Kay | Under Heaven | |
| 2011 | Lauren Beukes | Zoo City | |
| 2012 | Lavie Tidhar* | Osama | |
| 2012 | Stephen King | 11/22/63 | |
| 2012 | Jo Walton | Among Others | |
| 2012 | George R. R. Martin | A Dance with Dragons | |
| 2012 | Christopher Buehlman | Those Across the River | |
| 2013 | G. Willow Wilson* | Alif the Unseen | |
| 2013 | N. K. Jemisin | The Killing Moon | |
| 2013 | Graham Joyce | Some Kind of Fairy Tale | |
| 2013 | Caitlín R. Kiernan | The Drowning Girl | |
| 2013 | Anna Tambour | Crandolin |