70th World Science Fiction Convention
| Chicon 7, the 70th World Science Fiction Convention | |
|---|---|
|
Chicon 7 logo | |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Venue | Hyatt Regency Chicago |
| Location(s) | Chicago, Illinois |
| Country | United States |
| Inaugurated | August 30-September 3, 2012 |
| Attendance | 4,628+ |
| Organized by | Chicago Worldcon Bid |
| Filing status | 501(c)(3) non-profit |
| Website | |
| chicon.org | |
The 70th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as Chicon 7, was held in Chicago, Illinois, August 30-September 3, 2012, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. The convention committee was chaired by Dave McCarty and organized under the auspices of the Chicago Worldcon Bid corporation.
Programming
The Guests of Honor were author Mike Resnick,[1] artist Rowena Morrill, astronaut Story Musgrave, fan Peggy Rae Sapienza, and agent guest Jane Frank. Sy Liebergot was a Special Guest.[2] The toastmaster was John Scalzi. Morrill was not in attendance at the convention due to health issues.[3][4]
The bid
The "Chicago in 2012" bid committee issued a series of ten short magazines, called bidzines, each featuring a story by a different Chicago-related author, such as Frederik Pohl, Jody Lynn Nye, Phyllis Eisenstein, and Mike Resnick. Each story was approximately 2,000 words and additional stories by other Chicago authors, including Richard Garfinkle and Lois Tilton, were published on the bid's website. "Cover" art was provided by noted artists such as Kaja Foglio and Frank Wu.[5]
The bid also did not sell supporting memberships as most Worldcon bids do, instead asking supporters to simply make a donation to help the bid. Supporters who donated at least $100 and voted in site selection automatically had their support converted to an attending membership.[6]
Site selection
Chicago's bid to host the Worldcon was formally unopposed and won in balloting among the members of the 68th World Science Fiction Convention held in Melbourne, Australia, in 2010. With only 526 ballots cast, this election had the lowest turnout since voting records began to be kept in 1974. The voting breakdown was 447 votes for Chicago, 20 ballots expressed no preference, and there were 59 write-in votes for various sites.[7][8]
Chicon 7 members overwhelmingly selected the formally unopposed "London in 2014" bid to host the 72nd World Science Fiction Convention in August 2014.[9]
Awards
The Hugo Awards, named after Hugo Gernsback, are presented every year for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year.[10] Results were based on the 1,922 ballots submitted by members of the World Science Fiction Society.[11][12][13] This was the second-highest total number of ballots ever cast for the Hugo.[14] The unique base design for this year's Hugo Award trophies was designed by Deb Kosiba, designer of the trophy bases for both the 2005 and 2006 Hugo Awards.[15] This was the first year for the new Best Fancast category, separating podcasts from more traditional fanzines.[12]
Other awards, including the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, are also presented each year at Worldcon.[10] Special awards presentations at Chicon 7 included the Chesley Awards for artistic excellence.[16]
Hugo Awards
- Best Novel: Among Others by Jo Walton (Tor Books)[12]
- Best Novella: "The Man Who Bridged the Mist" by Kij Johnson (September/October 2011 Asimov's)
- Best Novelette: "Six Months, Three Days" by Charlie Jane Anders (Tor.com)
- Best Short Story: "The Paper Menagerie" by Ken Liu (March/April 2011 Fantasy & Science Fiction)
- Best Related Work: The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, Third Edition by John Clute, David Langford, Peter Nicholls, and Graham Sleight (Victor Gollancz Ltd)
- Best Graphic Story: Digger, Ursula Vernon (writer, artist) (Sofawolf Press)
- Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: Game of Thrones (Season One), David Benioff (creator) D. B. Weiss (creator), multiple directors and writers (HBO)
- Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: Doctor Who, "The Doctor's Wife", screenplay by Neil Gaiman, directed by Richard Clark (BBC Cymru Wales)[17]
- Best Professional Editor, Long Form: Betsy Wollheim (DAW Books)
- Best Professional Editor, Short Form: Sheila Williams (Asimov's Science Fiction)
- Best Professional Artist: John Picacio
- Best Semiprozine: Locus, edited by Liza Groen Trombi and Kirsten Gong-Wong
- Best Fanzine: SF Signal, edited by John DeNardo
- Best Fancast: SF Squeecast, by Lynne M. Thomas, Seanan McGuire, Paul Cornell, Elizabeth Bear, and Catherynne M. Valente
- Best Fan Writer: Jim C. Hines
- Best Fan Artist: Maurine Starkey
The Hugo Awards ceremony was intended to be webcast live via Ustream, but automatic routines on the site mistook brief film clips from the dramatic presentation categories as copyright infringement, even though they had been provided by NBC and the BBC. The stream was terminated in the middle of Neil Gaiman's acceptance speech and Worldcon temporarily banned as a user on the site.[14][17][18]
Other awards
- Big Heart Award: Juanita Coulson
- Special Committee Award: Robert Weinberg
- John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer: E. Lily Yu
References
- ↑ Wilson, James J.J. (August 31, 2012). "Sci-fi group honors Highland Park High alum". Highland Park News. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
- ↑ "Chicon 7 Announces NASA's Sy Liebergot as Special Guest" (Press release). Chicon 7. February 13, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
- ↑ "Rowena Morrill Unable to Attend Worldcon". Locus. August 24, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
- ↑ "Artist Guest of Honor Rowena Morrill Unable to Attend Chicon 7" (Press release). Chicon 7. August 23, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
- ↑ "The Pulps". Chicago in 2012 Worldcon Bid. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
- ↑ "Donate Worldcon Bid". Chicago in 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
- ↑ Glyer, Mike (September 5, 2010). "Chicago in 2012 Confirmed in Early Returns". File 770. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
- ↑ Glyer, Mike (September 5, 2010). "It's Chicon 7". File 770. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
- ↑ Glyer, Mike (September 3, 2012). "2014 Worldcon: Loncon 3". File 770. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
- 1 2 "Hugo Award FAQ". The Hugo Awards. World Science Fiction Society. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
- ↑ Keane, Erin (August 31, 2012). "Don't sleep on the Hugo Awards". Salon. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
- 1 2 3 "2012 Hugo Awards Final Ballot Results & Nominating Statistics" (PDF) (Press release). 70th World Science Fiction Convention. September 2, 2012. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
- ↑ Davis, Lauren (September 2, 2012). "Congrats to the winners of the 2012 Hugo Awards!". io9. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
- 1 2 "2012 Hugo Awards to be Streamed". The Hugo Awards. World Science Fiction Society. August 23, 2012.
- ↑ "Chicon 7 Confirms High Turnout for Hugo Awards Ballot, Announces More Ceremony Details" (Press release). Chicon 7. August 23, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
- ↑ Glyer, Mike (August 10, 2012). "Chicon 7 Art Focus". File 770. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
- 1 2 Gross, Doug (September 4, 2012). "Ustream apologizes for killing Hugo Awards webcast". CNN. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
- ↑ Newitz, Annalee (September 3, 2012). "How copyright enforcement robots killed the Hugo Awards". io9. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
External links
| Preceded by 69th World Science Fiction Convention (Renovation in Reno, Nevada) (2011) |
List of Worldcons 70th World Science Fiction Convention (Chicon 7 in Chicago, Illinois) (2012) |
Succeeded by 71st World Science Fiction Convention (LoneStarCon 3 in San Antonio, Texas) (2013) |