Category Archives: Worldcon

Seattle Worldcon 2025 Hugo Award Finalists

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Seattle Worldcon 2025, the 83rd World Science Fiction Convention today announced the finalists for the 2025 Hugo Awards, Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book, and Astounding Award for Best New Writer. A full list of the Finalists can be found at the Seattle Worldcon 2025 Webpage.

VOTING TOTALS. 1,738 1,338 valid electronic nominating ballots were received by the deadline of March 14 at 11:59 p.m. PDT and counted from the members of the 2024 and 2025 World Science Fiction Conventions for the 2025 Hugo Awards. ​​ Unfortunately, 2 mailed ballots were received 2.5 weeks later on April 3rd after the deadline of receipt.

Voting on the final ballot will open during April 2025. Only Seattle Worldcon 2025 WSFS members will be able to vote on the final ballot and choose the winners for the 2025 Awards.

The 2025 Hugo Awards, the Lodestar Award, and the Astounding Award will be presented on Saturday evening, August 16, 2025 at a formal ceremony at Seattle Worldcon 2025.

BEST NOVEL

  • Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Orbit US, Tor UK)
  • The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (Avid Reader Press, Sceptre)
  • Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Tordotcom)
  • Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell (DAW)
  • A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher (Tor)
  • The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (Del Rey, Hodderscape UK)

1078 ballots cast for 554 nominees, Finalists range 90 to 157

BEST NOVELLA

  • The Brides of High Hill by Nghi Vo (Tordotcom)
  • The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed (Tordotcom)
  • Navigational Entanglements by Aliette de Bodard (Tordotcom)
  • The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain by Sofia Samatar (Tordotcom)
  • The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler (Tordotcom)
  • What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher (Nightfire)

739 ballots cast for 209 nominees, Finalists range 75 to 135

BEST NOVELETTE

  • “The Brotherhood of Montague St. Video” by Thomas Ha (Clarkesworld, May 2024)
  • “By Salt, By Sea, By Light of Stars” by Premee Mohamed (Strange Horizons, Fund Drive 2024)
  • “The Four Sisters Overlooking the Sea” by Naomi Kritzer (Asimov’s, September/October 2024)
  • “Lake of Souls” by Ann Leckie in Lake of Souls (Orbit)
  • “Loneliness Universe” by Eugenia Triantafyllou (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 58)
  • “Signs of Life” by Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 59)

394 ballots cast for 188 nominees, Finalists range 36 to 58

BEST SHORT STORY

  • “Five Views of the Planet Tartarus” by Rachael K. Jones (Lightspeed Magazine, Jan 2024 (Issue 164))
  • “Marginalia” by Mary Robinette Kowal (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 56)
  • “Stitched to Skin Like Family Is” by Nghi Vo (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 57)
  • “Three Faces of a Beheading” by Arkady Martine (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 58)
  • “We Will Teach You How to Read | We Will Teach You How to Read” by Caroline M. Yoachim (Lightspeed Magazine, May 2024 (Issue 168))
  • “Why Don’t We Just Kill the Kid in the Omelas Hole” by Isabel J. Kim (Clarkesworld, February 2024)

610 ballots cast for 673 nominees, Finalists range 32 to 110

BEST SERIES

  • Between Earth and Sky by Rebecca Roanhorse (Saga Press)
  • The Burning Kingdoms by Tasha Suri (Orbit)
  • InCryptid by Seanan McGuire (DAW)
  • Southern Reach by Jeff VanderMeer (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
  • The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson (Tor Books)
  • The Tyrant Philosophers by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Ad Astra)

621 ballots cast for 201 nominees, Finalists range 57 to 90

BEST GRAPHIC STORY OR COMIC

  • The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag (Graphix)
  • The Hunger and the Dusk: Vol. 1 written by G. Willow Wilson, art by Chris Wildgoose (IDW Publishing)
  • Monstress, Vol. 9: The Possessed written by Marjorie Liu, art by Sana Takeda (Image)
  • My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Book 2 by Emil Ferris (Fantagraphics)
  • Star Trek: Lower Decks: Warp Your Own Way written by Ryan North, art by Chris Fenoglio (IDW Publishing)
  • We Called Them Giants written by Kieron Gillen, art by Stephanie Hans, lettering by Clayton Cowles (Image)

265 ballots cast for 259 nominees, Finalists range 13 to 37

BEST RELATED WORK

  • “Charting the Cliff: An Investigation into the 2023 Hugo Nomination Statistics” by Camestros Felapton and Heather Rose Jones (File 770, February 22, 2024)
  • r/Fantasy’s 2024 Bingo Reading Challenge (r/Fantasy on Reddit), presented by the r/Fantasy Bingo team: Alexandra Forrest (happy_book_bee), Lisa Richardson, Amanda E. (Lyrrael), Arka (RuinEleint), Ashley Rollins (oboist73), Christine Sandquist (eriophora), David H. (FarragutCircle), Diana Hufnagl, Pia Matei (Dianthaa), Dylan H. (RAAAImmaSunGod), Dylan Kilby (an_altar_of_plagues), Elsa (ullsi), Emma Surridge (PlantLady32), Gillian Gray (thequeensownfool), Kahlia (cubansombrero), Kevin James, Kopratic, Kristina (Cassandra_sanguine), Lauren Mulcahy (Valkhyrie), Megan, Megan Creemers (Megan_Dawn), Melissa S. (wishforagiraffe), Mike De Palatis (MikeOfThePalace), Para (improperly_paranoid), Sham, The_Real_JS, Abdellah L. (messi1045), AnnTickwittee, Chad Z. (shift_shaper), Emma Smiley (Merle), Rebecca (toughschmidt22), smartflutist661
  • “The Spectacular Failure of the Star Wars Hotel” by Jenny Nicholson (YouTube)
  • Speculative Whiteness: Science Fiction and the Alt-Right by Jordan S. Carroll (University of Minnesota Press)
  • Track Changes by Abigail Nussbaum (Briardene Books)
  • “The 2023 Hugo Awards: A Report on Censorship and Exclusion” by Chris M. Barkley and Jason Sanford (Genre Grapevine and File770, February 14, 2024)

431 ballots cast for 209 nominees, Finalists range 28 to 95

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION, LONG FORM

  • Dune: Part Two, screenplay by Denis Villeneuve and Jon Spaihts, directed by Denis Villeneuve (Legendary Pictures / Warner Bros. Pictures)
  • Flow, screenplay by Gints Zilbalodis and Matīss Kaža, directed by Gints Zilbalodis (Dream Well Studio)
  • Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, screenplay by George Miller and Nick Lathouris, directed by George Miller (Warner Bros. Pictures)
  • I Saw the TV Glow, screenplay by Jane Schoenbrun, directed by Jane Schoenbrun (Fruit Tree / Smudge Films / A24)
  • Wicked, screenplay by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox, directed by Jon M. Chu (Universal Pictures)
  • The Wild Robot, screenplay by Chris Sanders and Peter Brown, directed by Chris Sanders (DreamWorks Animation)

610 ballots cast for 217 nominees, Finalists range 80 to 219

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION, SHORT FORM

  • Fallout: “The Beginning” written by Gursimran Sandhu, directed by Wayne Che Yip (Amazon Prime Video)
  • Agatha All Along: “Death’s Hand in Mine” written by Gia King & Cameron Squires, directed by Jac Schaeffer (Marvel, Disney+)
  • Doctor Who: “Dot and Bubble” written by Russell T  Davies, directed by Dylan Holmes Williams (BBC, Disney+)
  • Star Trek: Lower Decks: “Fissure Quest” created by Mike McMahan and written by Lauren McGuire based on Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry, directed by Brandon Williams (CBS Eye Animation Productions for Paramount+)
  • Star Trek: Lower Decks: “The New Next Generation” created and written by Mike McMahan, based on Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry, directed by Megan Lloyd (CBS Eye Animation Productions for Paramount+)
  • Doctor Who: “73 Yards” written by Russell T Davies, directed by Dylan Holmes Williams (BBC, Disney+)

451 ballots cast for 302 nominees, Finalists range 31 to 59

BEST GAME OR INTERACTIVE WORK

  • Caves of Qud, co-creators Brian Bucklew and Jason Grinblat; contributors Nick DeCapua, Corey Frang, Craig Hamilton, Autumn McDonell, Bastia Rosen, Caelyn Sandel, Samuel Wilson (Freehold Games); sound design A Shell in the Pit; publisher Kitfox Games
  • Dragon Age: The Veilguard produced by BioWare
  • The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom produced by Nintendo
  • Lorelei and the Laser Eyes produced by Simogo
  • Tactical Breach Wizards developed by Suspicious Developments
  • 1000xRESIST developed by sunset visitor 斜陽過客, published by Fellow Traveller

298 ballots cast for 187 nominees, Finalists range 19 to 34

BEST EDITOR SHORT FORM

  • Scott H. Andrews
  • Jennifer Brozek
  • Neil Clarke
  • Jonathan Strahan
  • Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas
  • Sheila Williams

322 ballots cast for 165 nominees, Finalists range 28 to 80

BEST EDITOR LONG FORM

  • Carl Engle-Laird
  • Ali Fisher
  • Lee Harris
  • David Thomas Moore
  • Diana M. Pho
  • Stephanie Stein

162 ballots cast for 89 nominees, Finalists range 15 to 40

BEST PROFESSIONAL ARTIST

  • Micaela Alcaino
  • Audrey Benjaminsen
  • Rovina Cai
  • Maurizio Manzieri
  • Tran Nguyen
  • Alyssa Winans

214 ballots cast for 209 nominees, Finalists range 14 to 37

BEST SEMIPROZINE

  • The Deadlands, publisher Sean Markey; editors E. Catherine Tobler, Nicasio Andres Reed, David Gilmore, Laura Blackwell, Annika Barranti Klein; proofreader Josephine Stewart; columnist Amanda Downum; art and design Cory Skerry, Christine M. Scott; social media Felicia Martínez; assistant Shana Du Bois.
  • Escape Pod, editors Mur Lafferty and Valerie Valdes, assistant editors Premee Mohamed and Kevin Wabaunsee, hosts Tina Connolly and Alasdair Stuart, producers Summer Brooks and Adam Pracht; and the entire Escape Pod team
  • FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction, publisher and executive editor DaVaun Sanders, poetry editor B. Sharise Moore, art director Christian Ivey, acquiring editors Rebecca McGee, Kerine Wint, Egbiameje Omole,Emmalia Harrington, Genine Tyson, Tonya R. Moore, sponsor coordinator Nelson Rolon
  • khōréō – produced by Zhui Ning Chang, Aleksandra Hill, Danai Christopoulou, Isabella Kestermann, Kanika Agrawal, Sachiko Ragosta, Lian Xia Rose, Jenelle DeCosta, Melissa Ren, Elaine Ho, Ambi Sun, Cyrus Chin, Nivair H. Gabriel, Jeané Ridges, Lilivette Domínguez, Isaree Thatchaichawalit, Jei D. Marcade, M. L. Krishnan, Ysabella Maglanque, Aaron Voigt, Adialyz Del Valle Berríos, Adil Mian, Akilah White, Alexandra Millatmal, Anselma Widha Prihandita, E. Broderick, K. S. Walker, Katarzyna Nowacka, Katie McIvor, Kelsea Yu, Lynn D. Jung, Madeleine Vigneron, Marie Croke, Merulai Femi, Phoebe Low, S. R. Westvik, Sanjna Bhartiya, Sara Messenger, Sophia Uy, Tina Zhu, Yuvashri Harish, Zohar Jacobs
  • Strange Horizons, by the Strange Horizons Editorial Collective 
  • Uncanny Magazine, publishers and editors-in-chief: Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas; managing editor Monte Lin; poetry editor Betsy Aoki, podcast producers Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky.

334 ballots cast for 94 nominees, Finalists range 38 to 108

BEST FANZINE

  • Ancillary Review of Books, editors Jake Casella Brookins, Zachary Gillan, Lane Gillespie, Misha Grifka Wander, Gareth A. Reeves, Bianca Skrinyár, Cynthia Zhang
  • Black Nerd Problems, editors William Evans and Omar Holmon
  • The Full Lid, written by Alasdair Stuart and edited by Marguerite Kenner
  • Galactic Journey, founder Gideon Marcus, editor Janice L. Newman, associate writers Cora Buhlert, Jessica Holmes, Kerrie Dougherty, Kris Vyas-Myall, and Natalie Devitt, and the rest of the Journey team
  • Journey Planet, edited by Allison Hartman Adams, Amanda Wakaruk, Ann Gry, Jean Martin, Sara Felix, Sarah Gulde, Chuck Serface, David Ferguson, Olav Rokne, Paul Weimer, Steven H Silver, Christopher J. Garcia and James Bacon
  • Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog, editors Olav Rokne and Amanda Wakaruk

243 ballots cast for 77 nominees, Finalists range 25 to 67

BEST FANCAST

  • The Coode Street Podcast, presented by Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe, producer Jonathan Strahan
  • Eight Days of Diana Wynne Jones, presented by Emily Tesh and Rebecca Fraimow
  • Hugo, Girl!, presented by Haley Zapal, Amy Salley, Lori Anderson, and Kevin Anderson
  • Hugos There, presented by Seth Heasley
  • A Meal of Thorns, presented by Jake Casella Brookins
  • Worldbuilding for Masochists, presented by Marshall Ryan Maresca, Cass Morris and Natania Barron

376 ballots cast for 197 nominees, Finalists range 24 to 64

BEST FAN WRITER

  • Camestros Felapton
  • Abigail Nussbaum
  • Roseanna Pendlebury
  • Jason Sanford
  • Alasdair Stuart
  • Örjan Westin

329 ballots cast for 158 nominees, Finalists range 27 to 62

BEST FAN ARTIST

  • Iain J. Clark
  • Sara Felix
  • Meg Frank
  • Michelle Morrell
  • Alison Scott
  • España Sheriff

186 ballots cast for 120 nominees, Finalists range 16 to 37

BEST POEM

  • Calypso by Oliver K. Langmead (Titan)
  • “Ever Noir” by Mari Ness (Haven Spec Magazine, Issue 16, July 2024)
  • “there are no taxis for the dead” by Angela Liu (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 58)
  • “A War of Words” by Marie Brennan (Strange Horizons, September 2024)
  • “We Drink Lava” by Ai Jiang (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 56)
  • “Your Visiting Dragon” by Devan Barlow (Strange Horizons, Fund Drive 2024)

219 ballots cast for 266 nominees, Finalists range 11 to 26

LODESTAR AWARD FOR BEST YOUNG ADULT  BOOK

  • The Feast Makers by H.A. Clarke (Erewhon)
  • Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao (Tundra Books)
  • The Maid and the Crocodile by Jordan Ifueko (Amulet)
  • Moonstorm by Yoon Ha Lee (Delacorte Press)
  • Sheine Lende by Darcie Little Badger (Levine Querido)
  • So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

268 ballots cast for 175 nominees, Finalists range 18 to 52

ASTOUNDING AWARD FOR BEST NEW WRITER (sponsored by Dell Magazines)

  • Moniquill Blackgoose (2nd year of eligibility)
  • Bethany Jacobs (2nd year of eligibility)
  • Hannah Kaner (2nd year of eligibility)
  • Angela Liu (2nd year of eligibility)
  • Jared Pechaček (1st year of eligibility)
  • Tia Tashiro (2nd year of eligibility)

341 ballots cast for 168 nominees, Finalists range 28 to 96

NOMINEES RULED INELIGIBLE. The following nominees received enough votes to qualify for the final ballot, but were found to be ineligible:

  • Best Series: The Singing Hills Cycle, by Nghi Vo (fewer than 240,000 words in total)
  • Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: Dune, the Musical (first performed in 2023)

DECLINED NOMINATION. The following nominees received enough votes to qualify for the final ballot, but declined nomination:

  • Lodestar Award: Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White (Peachtree Teen)
  • Best Semiprozine: Beneath Ceaseless Skies

STATISTICAL NOTE. In three different categories — Best Novella, Best Related Work and Best Professional Artist — the same total number of total nominees received nominating votes.

HUGO AWARD BASE DESIGNER. Seattle Worldcon 2025 has announced that the Hugo Awards Base will be designed by Joy Alyssa Day, a professional glass sculpture artist. Joy specializes in blown glass sculptures that capture the awe and beautifulness of space. Joy, with her partner BJ, have previously designed the Hugo Awards base for LonCon in 2014.

Joy lived for many years in the Pacific Northwest, and it holds a place dear to her. She says, “I began going to conventions with my parents at the young age of 14, and have always loved the community of fandom, from small, local cons, to the Worldcon level. To be able to use my artwork to honor those who help bring the fans together is a great gift. Having lived in the Pacific Northwest for a number of years, I have loved the beauty of the land, and the connection to the fandom there, my friends. It was natural to want to continue to be a part of that fandom’s history, and I’m so happy to be chosen.”  Examples of Joy’s sculptures can be found at her website, GlassSculpture.

Questions about the Hugo Awards process may be directed to hugo-help@seattlein2025.org

[Based on a press release.]

Update 04/07/2025: Today Hugo Administrator Nicholas Whyte issued a correction. The correct number of total votes is 1,338.

Chris Barkley Pursues His 2023 Hugo Trophy in a Small Claims Court Action Against Dave McCarty

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Chris Barkley still doesn’t have his 2023 Hugo Award trophy. And now he’s taken the 2023 Hugo Administrator to court.

Barkley was one of the winners who opted to have the Chengdu Worldcon Committee ship his trophy to the United States. The awards were sent to Hugo Administrator Dave McCarty. However, as McCarty told Barkley in February 2024, all of the display cases and some of the awards were damaged in transit from China. The damage to Barkley’s Hugo display box was so bad that it was totally unusable, the award base needed to be tightened up, and there was a notable chip in the paint on the panda. He told Chris he could either have the award the next day, or McCarty could have it repaired and restored. Chris decided to go with the repairs. He still hasn’t received his, although Barkley learned some others have gotten theirs.

That conversation happened just before Barkley received the information revealed in “The 2023 Hugo Awards: A Report on Censorship and Exclusion” (co-authored with Jason Sanford), which was published later the same month, and may have something to do with McCarty’s subsequent failure to turn over Barkley’s award.

Barkley’s efforts to follow up having been fruitless, he decided to take legal action against McCarty. Today was the first hearing in Cook County Small Claims Court. Barkley told his GoFundMe supporters this is what happened:

A Statement Sent to Chris Barkley’s GoFundMe Donors,
27 March 2025

Dear Donors,

Today I can finally reveal the somewhat historic action that was formally taken last month with the indispensable  help of your generous contributions.

On February 5th, 2025, I traveled from Cincinnati, Ohio to Chicago, Illinois to formally file a lawsuit in Cook County Small Claims Court against David Lawrence McCarty in the amount of $3000.00.

The reason for doing so was simple; I filed on behalf of any 2023 Hugo Award recipients, including myself, who, as of this date, have not received their Hugo Awards.

This lawsuit, which, to the best of my knowledge, is the first time anyone has EVER sued to recover a Hugo Award. It was initiated as a last resort to call attention to Mr. McCarty’s lack of response regarding the status of any of the awards being repaired and/or to be delivered to the 2023 recipients.

This morning, in a case called via Zoom in Cook County Courtroom 1103, Case Number 20251103122 was called. I was present as was Mr. McCarty.

The judge addressed Mr. McCarty first, asking for a comment about the case brought against him.  

Mr. McCarty then said, “I don’t think I owe anything.”  

Whether Mr. McCarty was probably referring to the monetary amount of the case. But as far as I’m concerned, he may as well have been talking about his recalcitrant  attitude towards sf fandom and his failure to live up to the responsibilities he was entrusted with.

When I was asked for comment by the judge, I responded that I was willing to work with Mr. McCarty to arbitrate the situation, the judge stated that Mr. McCarty HAD openly rejected arbitration with his statement.

The judge then set another Zoom meeting date for the morning of April 24th to set a trial date. She then told Mr. McCarty that if he wished to arbitrate the case before that then, he could do so at Daley Plaza on the sixth floor.

At no time did Mr. McCarty and I exchange any direct dialog.

Mr. McCarty, through a documented series of actions, words and deeds, has demonstrated that he does not care for courtesy, diplomacy, equity or the Constitution of the World Science Fiction Society.

Mr. McCarty, in just five minutes, could have agreed to send out any remaining Hugo Awards owed to the 2023 Hugo Award recipients, including myself, and satisfied a major complaint of his stewardship as the Chengdu Hugo Award Administrator.

Instead, he has deliberately chosen to needlessly prolong this legal proceeding and keep the recipient, and myself waiting for their awards.

I have also decided that if there were any leftover funds, either from this GoFundMe or from a settlement from Mr. McCarty, they would be donated equally between the Trans-Atlantic and Down-Under Fan Funds, two well known fan-run charities that I have greatly respected over the years.

Today marks an opening salvo in what I hope is the last battle for holding Mr. McCarty accountable for his neglect and malfeasance.

As for myself, I will continue to champion the cause of the 2023 Hugo Award recipients, in a Cook County courtroom and in the court of public opinion as well.

Chris M. Barkley
Cincinnati, OH

Hugo Nominations Close 3/14

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By John Hertz: Since Hugo nominations close on March 14th (“Pi Day”), I recommend reading (or re-reading) Alfred Bester’s superb story “The Pi Man”.

“The Pi Man” quotes my saying (at “Time For Tea”) that the story is “coruscating, gripping, strange”.

More fully, I said, “At short-story length he may never have surpassed ‘The Pi Man’, coruscating, gripping, strange; he should never have revised it years later.” (It was published in 1959, revised 1978.)

Simple Simon met a pie man
Going to the fair;
Said Simple Simon to the pie man,
“Let me taste your ware.”

Said the pie man to Simple Simon,
“Show me first your penny.”
Said Simple Simon to the pie man,
“Indeed I have not any.”

Alfred Bester

Alternate Futures for the Astounding Award

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Following the report that Asimov’s, Analog and F&SF have been purchased by a new owner, John Scalzi speculated about the fate of the Astounding Award for Best New Writer. Although voting is administered by the Worldcon, the Astounding Award belongs to Dell Magazines, publisher of Analog prior to this sale. Will Analog’s new owners continue the sponsorship? John Scalzi has volunteered a landing place if one is needed.

Formerly named the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, it has been presented at the Worldcon since 1973, two years after Campbell’s death. The award was established by Conde Nast, publisher of Analog at the time. In 2019 it was renamed for the Golden Age prozine Campbell edited – Astounding — following a storm over the Campbell name catalyzed by Jeannette Ng’s award acceptance remarks about Campbell’s racism.

The new owners could keep on sponsoring the Astounding Award, of course. In case they don’t, John Scalzi made this offer in a post at Whatever:

 If the new owners of Asimov’s and Analog don’t want to take sponsorship of the Astounding Award (or the award is not otherwise folded into the responsibilities of WSFS/the individual Worldcons), we’ll take it on. The ideal plan would be for the Scalzi Family Foundation to act as a bridge sponsor while we set up an endowment that would allow the Astounding Award to be run indefinitely.

UPDATE: Scalzi has learned from Asimov’s editor Sheila Williams that the new owners will continue to sponsor the various awards their magazines have been giving:

Sheila Williams (editor of Asimov’s) says: “Analog and Asimov’s new owners fully intend to support the awards that we and the mystery magazines bestow each year. We are also grateful for your continued support and love that you are determined to help keep Analog’s legacy going.”

2025 Worldcon Picks Virtual Business Meeting Platform

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Seattle Worldcon 2025, which announced in December that virtual Business Meetings for the first time ever will replace the at-con meeting, today revealed what virtual platform provider they will be using.  They have selected Lumi Global.

Seattle still has not shared with Worldcon members what the procedures will be for them to access and use the platform, only saying “We will host a practice session at a time and date to be announced to help the community get to know Lumi’s platform”.

The dates of the virtual Business Meetings were already announced in December.

  • Friday, July 4, 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m., Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7)
  • Sunday, July 13, 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m., Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7)
  • Saturday, July 19, 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m., Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7)
  • Friday, July 25, 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m., Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7)

The committee says these meetings will run for up to three-and-a-half hours each.

The Business Meeting agenda will be released after the submission deadline of June 4, 2025.

2025 Hugo Nominations Open

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Seattle Worldcon 2025 began accepting nominations for the 2025 Hugo Awards on February 10.

The nominations period for Hugo Awards, Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book, and Astounding Award for Best New Writer will close on March 14th, 2025, 11:59 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7).

Seattle Worldcon 2025 will administer the eighteen Hugo Award categories specified in the WSFS Constitution, plus a Special Category this year for Best Poem, the Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book, presented by the World Science Fiction Society, and the Astounding Award for Best New Writer, presented by Dell Magazines.

Nominations can be submitted by all individuals holding WSFS Memberships in either the 2024 (Glasgow) or 2025 (Seattle) Worldcons as of 11:59 p.m. Pacific time on January 31. 

More information about the Hugo Awards can be found on the Seattle Worldcon 2025 website. 

A PDF version of the paper nominating ballot can be downloaded by members who prefer to submit their nominations by postal mail. All ballots, whether submitted electronically or by postal mail, must be received by the deadline of March 14th, 2025, 23:59 Pacific (UTC-7). 

Instructions will also be sent to all eligible WSFS Members by email, using the email address associated with their membership.

Worldcon members who are uncertain of their status or who experience problems with the online nominating form should contact the committee at hugo-help@seattlein2025.org. 

Seattle 2025 Hugo Administrator Nicholas Whyte says:

The Hugo Awards are fan-run, fan-given, and fan-supported. We encourage all eligible members to nominate whatever works and creators you have personally read or seen that were your favourites from 2024. The works and creators with sufficient nominations will move onto the final ballot for the 2025 Hugo Awards, which will be announced later this year after the close of nominations. At that time we will also publish the reasons for any disqualifications of potential finalists, and any withdrawals of potential finalists from the ballot. 

While members of both the 2024 and 2025 Worldcons can nominate for the 2024 Awards, only members of the 2025 Worldcon are eligible to vote on the final ballot. To become a member of Seattle 2025, see theirr Membership Page for information about joining the convention.

Pass Along Funds Received by LAcon V

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The Worldcon “pass-along funds policy” is a commitment to distribute at least one-half of a Worldcon’s surplus to the next three Worldcons that make the same promise.

Having agreed to that policy, once LAcon V was officially voted host of the 2026 Worldcon last August they were in line to receive pass-along funds. Chair Joyce Lloyd and Finance Manager Bruce Farr report these amounts have been received:

Chicago 8 — $18,000
Chengdu Worldcon — $60,000
Glasgow 2024 — $25,240

OTHER LACON V NEWS. The committee has responded to the LA-area fires and windstorm damage by putting off their first membership rate hike for another two months. As they announced on Facebook:

In keeping with the past practice of most Worldcons, LAcon V had planned to have our first membership increase this February.

Given that the past few weeks have been challenging ones for people throughout the Los Angeles community, we have decided to delay any membership price increases until May 1, 2025.

We will announce price increase information in the next couple of months.

Los Angeles residents have shown incredible resilience, supporting one another and persevering during these fires. We are proud to call this city home, and look forward to welcoming the science fiction and fantasy fandom world back to the City of Angels in 2026.

Glasgow 2024 Business Meeting Minutes Published

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The World Science Fiction Society website has posted the latest version of the WSFS Constitution, together with a summary of the business passed on to next year’s Worldcon, and the Glasgow 2024 Business Meeting minutes on the Rules of the World Science Fiction Society page.

Still to be updated are the Resolutions & Rulings of Continuing Effect, which come from WSFS’ Nitpicking & Flyspecking Committee.

 [Thanks to Kevin Standlee for the story.]

Bidders for Future Worldcons and Smofcons Heard from in Smofcon 41 Q&A Session

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By Vincent Docherty: The traditional Q&A was held at SMOFcon 41 on Saturday in the DoubleTree by Hilton Seattle Airport, site of a number of previous conventions, including Westercon.

The Q&A was hosted by Vincent Docherty and Theresa (TR) Renner, and featured presentations by and questions for future SMOFcon bids, the upcoming seated Worldcons and future Worldcon bids, now including an exploratory bid for Maastricht in the Netherlands for 2032. Several of these had completed questionnaires in advance.

FUTURE SMOFCONS. SMOFcon 42 will be held in Stockholm, Sweden, 5-7 Dec 2025. It will be chaired by Carolina Gómez Lagerlöf, who presented the bid, which was unopposed and voted in by acclamation. The convention website is live including the membership registration page. Hotel booking will open in January.

Expressions of interest for future SMOFcons were presented, including:

  • DC/MD/VA (run by BWAWA and chaired by Cathy Green) in 2026
  • A 2027 LA, CA  to Mexico cruise ship based SMOFcon bid led by Ron Oakes 
  • A 2027 European SMOFcon bid, site tbc, (likely in a ‘warmer country’), presented by Tammy Coxen on behalf of various interested groups

GLASGOW 2024 PASS-ALONG FUNDS REPORT. The Q&A then heard a brief message from Glasgow 2024, confirming that Pass-along-funds of £20,000 each has been given to the 2025 and 2026 Worldcons and similar will be given to the selected 2027 Worldcon. 

SEATED WORLDCONS. The seated 2025 and 2026 Worldcons then gave presentations.

Kathy Bond, chair of Seattle Worldcon 2025, gave updates on membership, hotel bookings, volunteers recruitment and on latest plans, including pre-con online WSFS Business Meeting sessions.

Joyce Lloyd, chair of the recently selected 2026 Worldcon LAcon V, spoke about how the convention is progressing, and introduced the convention mascot ‘Fuzzy’, in honor of the late Marilyn “Fuzzy Pink” Niven.

FUTURE WORLDCON BIDS. The Q&A then focused on bids and expressions of intent for Worldcons in later years, covering 2027-2032.

2027. The two bids for the 2027 Worldcon provided important updates.

The chair of the Montréal in 2027 bid, Terry Fong, and other committee members, responded to a number of questions from Q&A attendees, and announced that they have filed officially with the site selection administrator of Seattle 2025, which will host the 2027 vote. 

The Tel Aviv 2027 Worldcon bid sent a message to the Q&A. Bid chair Guy Kovel wrote: “Regrettably, due to the situation in Israel, we would have to push our bid to a later year, we have not yet made an announcement as we are still in internal discussions as to what year we would be able to bid for.”

As a result, Montreal in 2027 is the only currently active bid for the 2027 Worldcon.

2028. The two bids for the 2028 Worldcon, were unable to attend in person, and sent messages and materials for the Q&A session.

Brisbane, Australia in 2028, bid chair Random Jones, sent a message which was read out by the Q&A hosts, including that the date of the proposed convention has been changed to be closer to the solar eclipse of 22nd July 2028 which will be visible from Sydney. The bid provided materials to be shared: ”the shiny brochure that the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre put together with us for Worldcon Glasgow. It’s too big to include in the mailing list, so it can be found here. It’s slightly out of date, so here are the updated answers to the questionnaire.”

Michael Kabunga, chair of the Kigali, Rwanda in 2028 bid, sent a communication, presentation and questionnaire. These were more fully reported on File770 earlier. ConKigali is the updated name of the bid. Micheal highlighted their ambition to host the first Worldcon in Africa, and the accessibility and status of human rights in Rwanda. 

The Q&A then heard from later bids and expressions of interest.

2029. Dublin in 2029 bid co-chair Brian Nisbet, provided greetings from co-chair Marguerite Smith and the latest news from the bid, including their intent to use the Convention Centre, Dublin (CCD), used by the 2019 Dublin Worldcon, along with the nearby National College of Ireland (NCI) facility. Further details in their completed questionnaire. 

2030. Olav Rokne, representing the Edmonton in 2030 bid, presented initial details of their recently announced bid, supported by a questionnaire.

2031. A representative of the Texas in 2031 bid reiterated their intent, and that work is ongoing to build the team and to select a suitable city and venue.

2032. Q&A host Vincent Docherty announced information about an emerging group of fans and conrunners in the Netherlands, who are investigating the possibility of a Dutch worldcon in 2032. They are looking at the MECC facility in Maastricht as a potential venue. The bid team indicated that if it goes on, they will announce the bid probably in Seattle.

BEYOND. The host then reminded the audience that with bids now extending to 2032, it is germane to consider the upcoming centenary/centennial in 2039 of the very first Worldcon, in 1939, (Wikipedia link), which was held in New York. 

In 2025 there will be further opportunities for the bids to provide updates at various conventions, in particular at Seattle 2025 and SMOFcon 42.

Tel Aviv Worldcon Bid Will Shift from 2027 to Later Year

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The committee to hold the Worldcon in Tel Aviv, Israel has announced they are no longer bidding for 2027 but will aim for a later year.

Kevin Standlee shared the message from Tel Aviv in 2027 bid chair Guy Kovel in a post on Worldcon.org:

Regrettably, due to the situation in Israel, we would have to push our bid to a later year, we have not yet made an announcement as we are still in internal discussions as to what year we would be able to bid for.

That leaves Montréal in 2027 the only announced bid for the year. Standlee adds that Montréal officially filed with the administering convention (Seattle 2025) today.