WorldCon

Worldcon, officially the World Science Fiction Convention, is the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS). It has been held each year since 1939, except for the years 1942 to 1945, during World War II. The members of each Worldcon are also the members of WSFS, who vote to select the site of the Worldcon two years later and to choose the winners of the annual Hugo Awards, which are presented at each convention.

Activities

Activities and events at the convention typically include:

• Activities to fund fan and external charities (fan funds auctions, blood drives, etc.)
• Art shows presenting paintings, drawings, sculpture and other work, primarily concerning science fiction and fantasy themes
• Autographing sessions, literary beer or coffee meetings, "Walks with the Stars", and other chances to meet favorite science fiction and fantasy professionals
• Awards ceremonies:
• Hugo Awards, Astounding Award for Best New Writer, and Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book
• Chesley Awards
• Costuming – both formal competition (the "Masquerade") and casual "hall costumes" or cosplay
• Dancing – one or more dances with live music or a DJ. (LoneStarCon 3 had three dances in 2013, including a Firefly Shindig contradance and a steampunk dance.)
• Exhibits – including photos of prominent fans and authors, historical displays, information about space and science, local information etc.
• Huckster room, the fan term for a dealer's or vendor's room – a large hall where fans can buy books, knickknacks, games, comic books, movies, jewelry, costumes and other goods
• Fan lounge (sometimes called the "Fanzine Lounge") – A place for reading, exchanging, contributing to and talking about fanzines
• Fan tables – where fan organizations and representatives of other conventions promote their groups
• Filk and other musical performances, music circles, and workshops
• Movies – an independent film festival, and other movies rooms showing science fiction movies, television shows, etc.
• Gaming – live-action and tabletop board games, card games, and role-playing games
• Live theatrical performances (Klingon opera, Rossum's Universal Robots productions, etc.)
• Panel discussions on a wide range of topics pertaining to speculative fiction (SF) literature; movies, audio and other media; art; graphic stories; fandom and fannish hobbies; science, technology, and society; costuming, gaming, and music
• Socializing in the "con suite", convention bars, and at parties (typically given by other conventions or bidders, clubs, publishers/magazines, and by private individuals)
• Speeches or other presentations by the Guests of Honor and other program participants
• Other business of the World Science Fiction Society, including voting on the location of future Worldcons and North American Science Fiction

Conventions (NASFiCs, which occur when the Worldcon is overseas) and any changes to the WSFS Constitution, which are made at WSFS business meetings during the convention

Worldcon #51 (1993)

Worldcon 1993 refers to the 51st World Science Fiction Convention, also known as ConFrancisco, which was held from September 2–6, 1993, in San Francisco, California, at the Moscone Center.

Here are some key details:

🏆 Hugo Awards 1993 (for works published in 1992)

• Best Novel: Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
• Best Novella: Barnacle Bill the Spacer by Lucius Shepard
• Best Novelette: The Nutcracker Coup by Janet Kagan
• Best Short Story: Georgia on My Mind by Charles Sheffield
• Best Dramatic Presentation: Batman Returns

Guests of Honor

• Professional: Larry Niven
• Fan: Jan Howard Finder
• Toastmaster: Guy Gavriel Kay

Notable Aspects

BackDrop Club on 8th Street was host for the 1993 ConFrancisco/ASB party See also [ Arisia party rules ]

Worldcon #83 (2025)

WorldCon #83 (2025) will be held in Seattle, Washington. Guests of honor will include: Martha Wells, Donato Giancola, Bridget Landry, and Alexander James Adams

Awards

Main article: Hugo Award

The World Science Fiction Society administers and presents the Hugo Awards, the oldest and most noteworthy award for science fiction. Selection of the recipients is by vote of the Worldcon members. Categories include novels and short fiction, artwork, dramatic presentations, and various professional and fandom activities.

Other awards may be presented at Worldcon at the discretion of the individual convention committee. This has often included the national SF awards of the host country, such as the Japanese Seiun Awards as part of Nippon 2007, and the Prix Aurora Awards as part of Anticipation in 2009. Though not sponsored by the Worldcon, the Astounding Award for Best New Writer and the Sidewise Award are usually presented, as well as the Chesley Awards, the Prometheus Award, and others.

Guests of Honor

Main article: List of Worldcon Guests of Honor ^↗

Each Worldcon committee selects a number of guests of honor (or "GoHs") for the convention. Typically, there is an author (aka "Writer" or "Pro") and a fan guest of honor. Many conventions also feature artists, editors, and science guests, and most have a toastmaster for major events such as the opening and closing ceremonies and the Hugo award ceremony. A few conventions have had two or even three author guests.

While other conventions may select guests based on current popularity, Worldcons typically choose guests of honor to acknowledge their significant lifetime contributions to the field. At the same time, although these are often well-known figures, some committees select lesser-known individuals precisely because they feel the guest's accomplishments deserve more recognition from the community. Selection is regarded by authors, fans, and others as a recognition of lifetime achievement. Consequently, the tradition is to award it only to those who have made significant contributions for at least 20 years. Guests of honor generally receive travel expenses, membership, and a small per diem from the convention, but no speaking fees.

To announce guests right after site selection, Worldcon bid committees choose one or more guests before the site selection vote takes place. Fans deem it inappropriate for bids to compete based on their guest selections (to prevent any guest of a losing bid from feeling that fandom voted against them personally), so bids keep their guest lists secret until the vote concludes, and losing bids often do not disclose their invited guests. This process is typically handled with the same confidentiality as the Hugo Awards, where only a few individuals may know who the guests will be ahead of time.

World Science Fiction Society

The name "Worldcon" is owned by the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS), an unincorporated literary society aiming to promote interest in science fiction. WSFS has no standing officers, only small standing committees, and a large membership composed of the members of the current Worldcon. Its main activities are running the selection (voting) process for the annual convention and various awards. The conventions themselves are run by non-profit, volunteer fan organizations, who bid to host the event.

The WSFS constitution is discussed and amended at the annual general meeting, known as the "business meeting," held at the Worldcon, typically during three morning sessions on consecutive days. All attending members of the Worldcon may attend, participate, and vote at the Business Meeting, though in practice, only a small number of members actually do so. The WSFS constitution outlines rules for site selection, the Hugo Awards, and its own amendment process. The business meeting also empanels several ad hoc committees to review amendments and manage certain administrative functions.

The only permanent ("standing") committee of WSFS (as opposed to the Business Meeting) is the Mark Protection Committee (MPC), which is responsible for maintaining the society's trademarks and domain names.

Site selection

Wikipedia article: List of Worldcons

Historically, most Worldcons were held in the United States; however, beginning in the later part of the 20th century, an increasing number of them have been hosted in other countries. In 2017, the 75th World Science Fiction Convention ("Worldcon 75") was held in Helsinki, Finland; the 2018 Worldcon was held in San Jose, California, and the 2019 Worldcon was held in Dublin, Ireland. The 2020 Worldcon was scheduled to be in New Zealand; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was a virtual event (accessed by internet only).

The first Worldcon to be held outside the US was the sixth, in 1948 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the first outside North America was the 15th World Science Fiction Convention, in 1957 in Bayswater, London. The first held in a country where English was not the primary language was the Heicon '70, the 28th World Science Fiction Convention held in Heidelberg, West Germany. The 2007 Worldcon in Yokohama, Japan, was the first to be held in Asia. Other non-US Worldcons held in the 21st century have included: the 2003 Worldcon in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; the 2005 Worldcon, held in Glasgow, Scotland; the 2009 Worldcon, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada; the 2010 Worldcon, in Melbourne, Australia; the 2014 Worldcon, in London, United Kingdom; the 2017 Worldcon, in Helsinki, Finland; the 2023 Worldcon, in Chengdu, China; and the 2024 Worldcon, in Glasgow, Scotland.

Sites for future Worldcons are determined by a vote of the Worldcon membership. Worldcons through 1970 were selected one year in advance, from 1971 through 1986 two years in advance, from 1987 to 2007 three years in advance, and from 2008 to the present, two years in advance again. For example, during the 2011 Worldcon in Reno, San Antonio was selected to host the 2013 Worldcon. The rules for lengthening or shortening the selection period were implemented by selecting two future Worldcons at the 1969 and 1984 conventions and by having the 2005 convention not select any.

To ensure that Worldcon is relocated to different locations, the WSFS constitution requires that the proposed sites be at least 500 miles (800 km) away from the convention site where the selection vote takes place.

When a Worldcon is held outside North America, a North American Science Fiction Convention (NASFiC) may also take place within North America that same year. Since 1975, whenever a Worldcon site outside North America is selected, WSFS administers a parallel site selection process for the NASFiC, voted on by WSFS members at the Worldcon (or NASFiC, if there is one) held one year prior to the prospective NASFiC. With the 2014 Worldcon taking place in the United Kingdom, members at the 2013 Worldcon in San Antonio chose Detroit as the site of the 2014 NASFiC and Spokane, Washington, as the location for the 2015 Worldcon.

In 2020, the 78th Worldcon was held in Wellington, New Zealand. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers announced in March 2020 that it would be a "virtual" con with attendees and panelists using video technologies to participate.

In 2021, the 79th Worldcon took place in Washington, D.C. In 2022, the 80th Worldcon was held in Chicago, Illinois. This was announced at the 2020 Worldcon, which was chosen by the members of the 78th Worldcon. Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was the other competing site. A group of writers and officers of the Worldcon signed an open letter against Saudi Arabia's bid to host the 2022 World Science Fiction Convention, citing human rights abuses and discriminatory laws.

Chengdu, China, hosted the 81st Worldcon in 2023. It was the second Worldcon to be held in Asia after the 65th Worldcon in Japan in 2007. Over 100 authors, including Hugo winners and Uyghur writers, signed an open letter calling for the hosting to be reconsidered due to ongoing human rights violations in the Uyghur region. The choice of location was also criticized for the effects of the Chinese government's censorship regime and the exclusion of authors publicly critical of human rights in China, such as R. F. Kuang, Xiran Jay Zhao, and Neil Gaiman.

The 82nd Worldcon took place in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2024. The 83rd Worldcon will occur in Seattle, Washington, in 2025. Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, reasserted its bid for 2026; however, this bid was replaced by one for Cairo, Egypt. Ultimately, the chosen site was Los Angeles, the only official bid at the time of voting. Montreal, Canada, and Tel Aviv, Israel, both submitted bids for 2027, but Tel Aviv later suspended its bid "due to the situation in Israel."

Convention committees

Wikipedia article: Science fiction convention

As WSFS itself is an unincorporated society, each Worldcon is organized by a separate committee that is usually legally incorporated in the local jurisdiction. In the United States, these are typically organized as 501(c)(3) non-profit corporations, while in the United Kingdom, they are commonly operated by companies limited by guarantee. The local organizers may be standalone, one-time committees formed to hold the event and then disbanded afterwards, or they may be organized by an existing local group. A few groups, such as MCFI in Boston, SFSFC (San Francisco Science Fiction Conventions, Inc.) in northern California, and SCIFI (Southern California Institute for Fan Interests Inc.) in southern California, are permanent corporations established to manage Worldcons or other one-off or rotating conventions in different years within the same geographical area.

Like most non-media science fiction conventions, all Worldcons are managed entirely by volunteers, with no paid staff. Senior committee members typically devote hundreds of hours (not to mention thousands of dollars in travel expenses in some cases) to preparing for a particular convention. While each convention is managed separately by the local committee, an informal and self-selected group of volunteers constitutes the "Permanent Floating Worldcon Committee," who volunteer for many Worldcons in different years; this group offers a measure of institutional continuity to otherwise disparate legal organizations.

Recent Worldcons have operated with budgets exceeding a million dollars. The primary source of revenue is convention membership; however, Worldcons also generate income from fees charged to exhibiting dealers, artists, and advertisers in publications. Additionally, some conventions succeed in attracting sponsorships amounting to as much as 5% of total income. The main expenses include facilities rental and related costs, followed by (if possible) membership reimbursements to program participants and volunteers, as well as expenses for publications, audiovisual equipment rental, and hospitality. Traditionally, all members (except for guests of honor) are required to pay for their membership. If the convention realizes a sufficient surplus after addressing operating expenses, it returns full or partial membership reimbursements to volunteers after the convention. Most Worldcons manage to maintain a small surplus, which the rules of WSFS suggest be allocated "for the benefit of WSFS as a whole;" typically, at least half of any surplus is donated to future Worldcons, a practice referred to as "pass-along funds."

Due to their size, Worldcons feature two layers of management between the chairperson and the staff. "Departments" handle specific convention functions, while "divisions" oversee the coordination of multiple departments. Department heads (sometimes called "area heads") may have one or more deputies and a sizable staff, or they might operate with no staff at all. Most Worldcons have between five and twelve division heads who constitute the convention executive group.

Badges and ribbons

Attendees receive a convention badge that displays each attendee's name, membership number, and (if desired) "fannish" nickname. The customary practice is for all attendees at the same convention (occasionally excepting Guests of Honor) to wear badges of the same design, though each Worldcon's badge design is unique to that convention.

To help convention staff and members quickly identify the functions of other staff, Worldcons use ribbons of different colors attached to convention badges to signify varying roles and responsibilities. There are often ribbons that indicate rank, division, department, or specialized functions; ribbons also identify program participants, other noteworthy members (for example, "Past Worldcon Guest of Honor," "Hugo Award Nominee," etc.), or categories of members ("Dealers," "Artists," "Party Hosts") interacting with convention staff. Some committee members may perform a variety of current or past roles and could have numerous ribbons attached, creating a cascade from their badge. Extending this tradition, other groups and individuals create additional special ribbons for use at the convention, which may be serious or silly. Convention badge ribbons are important memorabilia for some people, becoming valuable years later as they evoke memories of events from the convention and may be displayed in exhibits at future conventions.

See also

Wikipedia article: List of Worldcons

Wikipedia article: List of Worldcons by city

External links

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