1985 in science fiction

The year 1985 was marked, in science fiction, by the following:

Events

• The 43rd annual Worldcon, Aussiecon Two, was held in Melbourne, Australia
• The first Deutscher Science Fiction Preis are awarded

Births and deaths

Births

• Arkady Martine

Deaths

• Theodore Sturgeon

Literary releases

Novels

Further information: Category:1985 science fiction novels

• Chapterhouse: Dune by Frank Herbert
• Contact by Carl Sagan
• Ender's Game , by Orson Scott Card
• Galápagos , by Kurt Vonnegutt
• The Handmaid's Tale , by Margaret Atwood
• Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World , by Haruki Murakami

Comics

• Appleseed , by Masamune Shirow, begins serialization in Comic Gaia

Movies

Further information: Category: 1985 science fiction films

• Back to the Future , dir. by Robert Zemeckis
• Brazil , dir. by Terry Gilliam
• The Quiet Earth , dir. by Geoff Murphy

Television

• The Twilight Zone (1985 revival)

Video games

• A Mind Forever Voyaging

Awards

Hugos

• Best novel: Neuromancer by William Gibson ^[1]
• Best novella: Press Enter by John Varley ^[1]
• Best novelette: "Bloodchild" by Octavia E. Butler ^[1]
• Best short story: "The Crystal Spheres" by David Brin ^[1]
• Best related work: Wonder's Child: My Life in Science Fiction by Jack Williamson ^[1]
• Best dramatic presentation: 2010: The Year We Make Contact , dir. by Peter Hyams; screenplay by Peter Hyams; based on the novel by Arthur C. Clarke ^[1]
• Best professional editor: Terry Carr ^[1]
• Best professional artist: Michael Whelan ^[1]
• Best Semiprozine: Locus , ed. by Charles N. Brown
• Best fanzine: File 770 ed. by Mike Glyer ^[1]
• Best fan writer: David Langford ^[1]
• Best fan artist: Alexis A. Gilliland ^[1]

Nebulas

• Best novel: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card ^[2]
• Best novella: Sailing to Byzantium , by Robert Silverberg ^[2]
• Best novelette: "Portraits of His Children" by George R. R. Martin ^[2]
• Best short story: "Out of All Them Bright Stars" by Nancy Kress ^[2]

Other awards

• BSFA Award for Best Novel: Helliconia Winter by Brian W. Aldiss
• Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel: The Integral Trees , by Larry Niven
• Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film: Back to the Future

References

1. "1985 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Award. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
2. "1985 - The Nebula Awards". Nebula Awards. Retrieved 4 October 2025.