1939 Retro Hugo Voter Packet Available

Loncon 3 has released the 1939 Retro Hugo voter packet. It is now available for download by Supporting, Attending, and Young Adult members of the Worldcon.

The 1939 Retro Hugos celebrate the science fiction and fantasy that fans at the very first Worldcon in 1939 would have known.

The voter packet is an electronic package of nominated works made available by Hugo nominees and their publishers. It includes full editions of several of the works nominated for the Retro Hugos, though it was not possible to acquire permission for all of the nominated works to be included.

The 1939 Retro Hugo Awards will be presented on August 14 at a ceremony presided over by Mary Robinette Kowal and Rob Shearman, with music provided by the Brideshead Ballroom Stompers.

The full press release follows the jump.

MEDIA RELEASE #27

Loncon 3, the 72nd World Science Fiction Convention

14-18 August 2014 at ExCeL London

http://www.loncon3.org

[email protected]

1939 Retro Hugo Voter Packet and Hugo Base Design

London, 1 July 2014 – Loncon 3, the 72nd World Science Fiction Convention (“Worldcon”), which is taking place at ExCeL London from 14-18 August 2014, has two important developments to announce.

1939 Retro Hugo Voter Packet

The 1939 Retro Hugo voter packet is now available for download by Supporting, Attending, and Young Adult members of Loncon 3. The packet is an electronic package of nominated works made available by Hugo nominees and their publishers.

The Hugo Awards are the leading awards for excellence in the fields of science fiction and fantasy, and are voted on by the Worldcon membership. The 1939 Retro Hugos celebrate the science fiction and fantasy that fans at the very first Worldcon in 1939 would have known.

The voter packet includes full editions of several of the works nominated for the Retro Hugos, though it was not possible to acquire permission for all of the nominated works to be included.

The packet is available now at http://loncon3.org/hugo_vote/retro_hugo_voter_packet.php and will remain available until voting closes at 11:59 p.m. PDT on Thursday 31 July 2014.

The 1939 Retro Hugo Awards will be presented at a ceremony on the evening of Thursday 14 August at a ceremony jointly presented by Mary Robinette Kowal and Rob Shearman, with music provided by the Brideshead Ballroom Stompers. The ceremony will be streamed live via the Internet to enable fans around the world to take part in this commemoration of the best of the science fiction and fantasy of 1939.

Full details of the Hugo and Retro Hugo Awards are available at the Loncon 3 website at http://www.loncon3.org/hugo_awards.php.

Hugo and Retro Hugo Base DesignAfter reviewing the design proposals, the winner of the design competition for the Loncon 3 Hugo base has been selected.

The winning design for the 2014 award was submitted by Joy Alyssa Day. This is Ms. Day’s first Hugo base design.

The base for the 1939 Retro Hugo will be created by Marina Gélineau, who also participated in the design competition. This is Ms. Gélineau’s second Hugo base; she previously designed the 2011 base awarded by Renovation.

Both bases will be unveiled at the Opening Ceremony of Loncon 3 and will be on display throughout the run of the convention.

The actual Hugo Award trophy takes the form of a silver rocket. (The original concept by Jack McKnight and Ben Jason was inspired by the gleaming finned rocketships of Willy Ley.) The exact design has become standardized in recent years and the rockets are currently produced by British fan Peter Weston. The base on which the rocket is mounted is the responsibility of each Worldcon committee, and therefore the design changes each year, usually inspired by the location of the convention.

For information on how to join the more than 5,000 fans of science fiction and fantasy who have already signed up to attend Loncon 3, please visit http://www.loncon3.org/memberships/.

ENDS

For more information please contact [email protected]

ABOUT THE WORLD SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTION

Founded in 1939, the World Science Fiction Convention is one of the largest international gatherings of authors, artists, editors, publishers, and fans of science fiction and fantasy. The annual Hugo Awards, the leading award for excellence in the fields of science fiction and fantasy, are voted on by the Worldcon membership and presented during the convention.

Loncon 3 is the trading name of London 2014 Ltd, a company limited by guarantee, registered in England, company number: 7989510. Registered Office: 176 Portland Road, Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE2 1DJ, UK.

“World Science Fiction Society”, “WSFS”, “World Science Fiction Convention”, “Worldcon”, “NASFiC”, “Hugo Award”, the Hugo Award Logo, and the distinctive design of the Hugo Award Trophy Rocket are service marks of the World Science Fiction Society, an unincorporated literary society.