Month: June 2016

1941 Retro-Hugo Novelette Category Changes

~ Kevin ~ 3 Comments

MidAmericon II’s Hugo Award Administrators announced a change to the 1941 Retrospective Hugo Awards finalists on June 19. “Darker Than You Think” by Jack Williamson was mistakenly categorized as a novelette and initially announced as a finalist in that category, but has been removed from the ballot. The story is a novella but did not receive sufficient nominations to qualify as a finalist in that category. “Vault of the Beast” by A.E. Van Vogt (Astounding Science-Fiction, August 1940) should have been listed as the 5th finalist and has been added to the 1941 Retrospective Hugo Awards ballot.

MidAmeriCon II encourages anyone who has already registered votes for the Retro Hugo contest online to update their ballot as they feel appropriate. Members voting by mailed in paper ballot may write in “Vault of the Beast” and rank it as they see fit. The administrators will count their ballot appropriately.

Hugo Voter Packets Available

~ Kevin ~ 3 Comments

MidAmeriCon II, the 2016 Worldcon, has made available to its members selected Hugo Award finalists in reading packets, so that members can be better-informed voters. See the 1941 Retrospective Hugo Awards voting page and the 2016 Hugo Award voting page. for the respective 1941 and 2016 Finalist Packets. In both cases, members will use their online voting information to access the Finalist Packets.

Hugo Finalists Packets are organized by the individual Worldcon committees, and obviously there is no requirement that a shortlisted work appear in the Packet. For questions about this year’s two sets of Finalist Packets, contact MidAmeriCon II. The Hugo Awards web site does not organize the Hugo Voter Packet or the voting on the Hugo Awards.

2016, 1941 Hugo Award Base Designers Announced

~ Kevin

MidAmeriCon II, the 2016 Worldcon, announced on June 13 via their Twitter feed that they have selected designers for the 2016 Hugo Award and 1941 Retrospective Hugo Award trophy bases. Sara Felix (president of the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists) will design the 2016 Hugo Award base and Brent Simmons will design the 1941 Retro-Hugo Award base.

The Hugo Award trophy consists of a standard rocket design on a base. Each Worldcon is responsible for the bases for the Awards presented at their convention. In recent years, the design has been selected through an open competition judged by the current Worldcon committee.

Both the 2016 and 1941 bases will be revealed on August 17, 2016 at the opening ceremonies of MidAmeriCon II, the 74th World Science Fiction Convention, at the Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City MO. The trophies will be on display throughout the weekend at the convention. The 1941 Retrospective Hugo Awards will be presented on Thursday, August 18, 2016 during the Retro-Hugo Swing Dance/Ceremony at MidAmeriCon II. The 2016 Hugo Awards will be presented at a ceremony on the evening of Saturday, August 20, 2016 at MidAmeriCon II.