1972 in science fiction

The year 1972 was marked, in science fiction, by the following:

Events

• The 30th annual Worldcon, L.A.Con I, is held in Los Angeles, USA
• The first Eurocon is held in Trieste, Italy

Births and deaths

Births

• N. K. Jemisin
• China Miéville
• Adrian Tchaikovsky
• Andy Weir

Deaths

• Fredric Brown

Literary releases

Novels

Further information: Category:1972 science fiction novels

• Roadside Picnic, by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
• The Terminal Man by Michael Crichton

Short stories

Short story anthologies

• The first volume of The Best Science Fiction of the Year is published by Ballantine Books, edited by Terry Carr
• The first volume of The Annual World's Best SF is published by DAW Books, edited by Donald A. Wollheim and Arthur W. Saha

Comics

• Kamandi #1, by Jack Kirby
• Mazinger Z begins serialization in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine

Movies

Further information: Category: 1972 science fiction films

• Silent Running , dir. by Thomas Trumbull
• Slaughterhouse-Five , dir. by George Roy Hill
• Solaris , dir. by Andrei Tarkovsky
• Z.P.G. , dir. by Michael Campus

Awards

Hugos

• Best novel: To Your Scattered Bodies Go , by Philip José Farmer ^[1]
• Best novella: The Queen of Air and Darkness , by Poul Anderson ^[1]
• Best short story:" Inconstant Moon", by Larry Niven ^[1]
• Best dramatic presentation: A Clockwork Orange , dir. by Stanley Kubrick; screenplay by Stanley Kubrick; based on the novel by Anthony Burgess ^[1]
• Best professional magazine: The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction , ed. by Edward L. Ferman ^[1]
• Best professional artist:Frank Kelly Freas ^[1]
• Best fanzine: Locus , ed. by Charles N. Brown and Dena Brown ^[1]
• Best fan writer:Harry Warner Jr. ^[1]
• Best fan artist:Tim Kirk ^[1]

Nebulas

• Best novel: The Gods Themselves , by Isaac Asimov ^[2]
• Best novella: A Meeting with Medusa , by Arthur C. Clarke ^[2]
• Best novelette: " Goat Song" by Poul Anderson ^[2]
• Best short story: "When It Changed" by Joanna Russ ^[2]

Other awards

• Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film: Slaughterhouse-Five

References

1. "1972 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Award. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
2. "1972 - The Nebula Awards". Nebula Awards. Retrieved 18 October 2025.