The Pilgrim Award was created in 1970 by the SFRA to honor lifetime contributions to SF and fantasy scholarship. The award was named for J. O. Bailey's pioneering book, Pilgrims through Space and Time.

1970  J. O. Bailey (USA)
1971  Marjorie Hope Nicholson (USA)
1972  Julius Kagarlitski (USSR)
1973  Jack Williamson (USA)
1974  I. F. Clarke (UK)
1975  Damon Knight (USA)
1976  James Gunn (USA)
1977  Thomas D. Clareson (USA)
1978  Brian W. Aldiss (UK)
1979  Darko Suvin (Canada)
1980  Peter Nichols (UK)
1981  Sam Moskowitz (USA)
1982  Neil Barron (USA)
1983  H. Bruce Franklin (USA)
1984  Everett F. Bleiler (USA)
1985  Samuel R. Delany (USA)
1986  George E. Slusser (USA)
1987  Gary K. Wolfe (USA)
1988  Joanna Russ (USA)
1989  Ursula K. Le Guin (USA)
1990  Marshall B. Tymn (USA)
1991  Pierre Versins (France)
1992  Mark Hillegas (USA)
1993  Robert Reginald (USA)
1994  John Clute (UK)
1995  Vivian Sobchack (USA)
1996  David Ketterer (Canada)
1997  Marleen Barr (USA)
1998  L. Sprague de Camp (USA)
1999  Brian Stableford (UK)
2000  Hal Hall (USA)
2001  Dave Samuelson (USA)
2002  Mike Ashley (UK)
2003  Gary Westfahl (USA)
2004  Edward James (UK)
2005  Gérard Klein (France)
2006  Fredric Jameson (USA)
2007  Algis Budrys (USA)
2008  Gwyneth Jones (UK)
2009  Brian Attebery
2010  Eric Rabkin
2011  Donna Haraway
2012 Pamela Sargent
2013 N. Katherine Hayles