The judges for the Sidewise Awards for Alternate History are pleased
to announce the winners of the
2025 Sidewise Awards, presented Aug. 31, 2025, at
LAcon V, the 84th World Science Fiction Convention.
The awards honor the best alternate history published in calendar 2025.
Winner for
2025
Best Short-Form Alternate History
Alan Smale.
"Caesar at Sea"
In
Skull X Bones
(ed. David B. Coe & Joshua Palmatier), ZNB Books 2025.
Other Finalists
Lee Allred.
"Two If by Seekrieg"
In
Thin Red Tales: Military Alternate History
(ed. James Young), Arc of Ares 2025.
Kelli Fitzpatrick.
"The Leavitt Space Telescope"
In
Twisting, Turning Timeshifts: HERitage Vol. 2
(ed. D.J. Stevenson), 2025.
Alan Smale.
"Darwin's Rocket"
In
The Sunday Morning Transport, Oct. 19, 2025.
Winner for
2025
Best Long-Form Alternate History
Vaishnavi Patel.
Ten Incarnations of Rebellion
Ballantine Books 2025.
Other Finalists
James Alistair Henry.
Pagans
Moonflower Publishing 2025.
R.A. Moss.
Tobacco Republic:
What If the 13 Colonies Never United?
Beck & Branch 2025.
2025
Special Achievement Award
Ronald D. Moore.
For bringing alternate history to television with shows like For All Mankind and Star City.
The Sidewise Awards have been presented annually since 1995 to recognize excellence in alternate historical fiction.
The judges for the 2026 awards will be
Andrea Horbinski,
Matt Mitrovich,
Alana Phelan,
Arturo Serrano,
Kurt Sidaway,
and
Steven H Silver.
Please address all inquiries and correspondence to the awards administrator, Steven H Silver.