Another Fan Artist Disqualified from Hugo Ballot

Mansik Yang is the second Best Fan Artist Hugo finalist this year to tell the Worldcon 75 award administrators he did not publish any non-commercial work in 2016. As a result the artist has been removed from the ballot and replaced by Elizabeth Leggett.

Worldcon 75, in a statement on Facebook, commented: “We appreciate his bringing the matter to our attention, and regret that we were not able to clarify the situation sooner.”

Paper Hugo ballots, which were about to be dispatched, are now being reprinted and the online Hugo ballot is being updated. Voters who have already expressed preference votes for Mansik Yang will be individually informed of the change to the final ballot.

This change is in addition to the replacement of Alex Garner by Steve Stiles, announced last month. Both Yang and Garner were names on Vox Day’s Rabid Puppy slate. (The Measuring the Rabid Puppies Effect on the 2017 Hugo Ballot post has been updated accordingly.)

The revised final ballot for Best Fan Artist is therefore Ninni Aalto, Elizabeth Leggett, Vesa Lehtimäki, Likhain (M. Sereno), Spring Schoenhuth, and Steve Stiles.

Steve Stiles Replaces Alex Garner on Hugo Ballot

The Worldcon 75 Hugo Administrators have removed Best Fan Artist nominee Alex Garner from the Hugo ballot after being informed by him that the entirety of his published 2016 work was professional and not fan art.

Nicholas Whyte, lead administrator, said, “With regret, we have no alternative but to disqualify him as a finalist for Best Fan Artist. We very much appreciate his candor in dealing with this awkward situation, and respect his integrity in bringing the matter to our attention.”

Alex Garner’s name appeared on Vox Day’s 2017 Rabid Puppies slate, therefore removing him has also changed the calculus of the “Measuring the Rabid Puppies Effect on the 2017 Hugo Ballot” post, which has been updated.

Garner’s place on the ballot for Best Fan Artist has been taken by the next available candidate, Steve Stiles.

Whyte adds, “Paper Hugo ballots will be reprinted and the online Hugo ballot (which will go live shortly) will be amended accordingly.”

The full press release follows the jump.

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