Worldcon Award Winners
Attending the world science fiction convention gives members the opportunity to vote on the annual Hugo awards for science fiction & fantasy writing and related media. The Hugo awards are the only annual fan elected awards, but interestingly enough, participation is low – in 1999, a typical year, 2425 members were eligible to vote but only 438 did, 18%.
The entire list of awards is listed on the convention site. Many of the award-winning pieces and materials are freely available online, and I’ve compiled links to them below. Go, read, enjoy!
Sidewise award, Short Form (alternate history):
”Quaestiones Super Caelo et Mundo“, Michael F. Flynn (Analog Jul 2007)
”Recovering Apollo 8“, Kristine Kathryn Rusch (Asimov’s Feb 2007)
Hugo Award
Novella
”All Seated on the Ground“, Connie Willis (Asimov’s Dec 2007; Subterranean Press)
Short Story
”Tideline“, Elizabeth Bear (Asimov’s Jun 2007)
Fanzine
”File 770“, Mike Glyer
Fan Writer
John Scalzi, “Whatever”
John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer
Let’s talk about awards for the creative arts.
Each of these winners is very different from the others, and the choice of who is nominated and who wins is purely subjective, the whim of a moment. These above are only the tip of the iceberg – there are hundreds of novels, short stories and fan sites published in print and online every year. All of them are winners too; their authors have taken the time to conceptualize them, grow them, perfect them and pursue publishing them.
So browse and read wherever your heart and mind take you – you will never regret it.
August 14th, 2008
You need to take 219 of your friends to the Con and get yourself a Hugo.
August 15th, 2008
Bill, I’d have to do something to make me eligible for one, first – like actually get something published.
August 15th, 2008
What does “published” mean today? On the web, printed by a large company, or 100 copies you make yourself and sell at the Saturday market?
August 21st, 2008
Bill:
Yes.
Seriously; it doesn’t matter what the medium is. Most Hugo Award categories were medium-neutral anyway, and those that were not will be if a pending amendment to the WSFS Constitution is ratified next year in Montreal.
And if you think, “It’s silly that 100 copies made at Saturday market is eligible,” then consider that it’s rather unlikely that such a small-distribution work would get sufficient nominations to make the ballot. WSFS rules are built on an assumption that we should trust the members of Worldcon to nominate what they personally like and let it work itself out.
August 21st, 2008
Kevin – totally agree. And I’ve been reading some of the discussion about expanding Worldcon panels and events to encompass more media tracks – film, tv, anime, comics – to attract younger fans and boost attendance. I may be relatively new to organized fandom, so my perspective might be naive, as I realize that many factors come into play. From a long-term sustainability position I think it’s a worthwhile discussion.
The small-distribution and alternative publication discussion is particularly apropos, given that small distribution, huge-talent new writer Mary Robinette Kowal won the Campbell award this year. I am glad I got to read some of her stuff and I anticipate seeing much more of it.