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2026 Hugo Readalong: Astounding Award Discussion (Sophie Burnham, Kamilah Cole, Antonia Hodgson, Molly O'Neill, H.H. Pak and Jared Pechaček)

Welcome back to the 2026 Hugo Readalong! Today, we're discussing all the finalists for the Astounding Award for Best New Writer.

If you have read even one of the works by a nominated author and want to jump in to share your thoughts, please do! I'll include some prompts in top-level comments - feel free to respond to these or add your own. Unlike in threads devoted to just one or two works, it is unlikely that many participants have read all the works by all the finalists, so please hide any major spoilers.

The Astounding Award recognizes new writers in the first two years of their careers. This year's nominees are:

* Sophie Burnham (2nd year of eligibility) * Kamilah Cole (2nd year of eligibility) * Antonia Hodgson (1st year of eligibility) * Molly O’Neill (1st year of eligibility) * H.H. Pak (2nd year of eligibility) * Jared Pechaček (2nd year of eligibility)

For more information on the Readalong, check out our [full schedule post](https://old.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/1sx0s1a/2026_hugo_readalong_announcement_and_schedule/), or see the remainder of this year's schedule here:

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2026 Hugo Readalong: Astounding Award Discussion (Sophie Burnham, Kamilah Cole, Antonia Hodgson, Molly O'Neill, H.H. Pak and Jared Pechaček)