Glasgow 2024 has announced the outcome of “consultative online vote” it conducted that allowed the convention’s WSFS Members to offer a yes/no opinion on an amendment to the WSFS Constitution which received first passage at the Chengdu Worldcon Business Meeting. The proposal would create two new Hugo Award categories, the Best Independent Short Film Award and the Best Independent Feature Film Award. This change is up for official ratification at the Glasgow 2024 Business Meeting.
The “consultative vote” is not provided for in the Constitution, is not binding, and has no effect other than that the information will be known to those at the Business Meeting who will actually be voting whether to ratify the rules change.
RESULT OF THE VOTE. The consultative vote was open for fifteen days ending August 5, enabling all WSFS members to express their view on this proposal:
For the Consultative Vote by WSFS Members of Glasgow 2024: A Worldcon For Our Futures on the Proposal to add two additional Hugo Award categories for film: Best Independent Film, Short and Feature Length*
YES: 533 (42.3%)
NO: 727 (57.7%)
Total Ballots Cast: 1,260
(*) The full text of the proposal is available in the Agenda, item E.7, which can be accessed on the Business Meeting page
[Based on Worldcon social media.]
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As I’ve written previously, there is really no need for these additional Hugo Awards. The administration alone would be a nightmare.
Hopefully the Business Meeting follows the majority opinion here.
I’m really surprised it’s that close
I agree we don’t need these two additional Hugos, and it would just add more work, for both administrators and voters.
For me, the biggest problem isn’t the number of categories. It’s the vagueness of the term “independent”. (Or, if you prefer, the vagueness of the term “major” in the text of the proposals.) The whole thing looks like a can of worms to me!
If we’re going to add a new Dramatic Presentation category, then why not a Fan category to mirror our other fan categories?
And if we’re going to start adding “Independent” categories, why not start with “Independent Novel”? The Hugos are best known as literary awards, despite a small handful of non-literary categories.
Basically, these proposals are a no from me on so many levels!
These weren’t written to work well with the other categories or even each other since there is a time gap between them. They really needed more work before being up for ratification. I was also thinking a fan film category could be more doable. But might run into other issues.
This proposal was probably more to do with trying to get the Hugos and Worldcons to up their cinematic game from nominating primarily Hollywood giant studio SF releases.
That the film programme at Worldcon has been in steady decline the past decade or so is lamentable. It would be an opportunity to showcase recent art-house SF that few normally get to see. (A con com just needs someone monitoring what film fests show – trailers usually available on YouTube or IMDB.)
Australia 2010 was the last Worldcon with a brilliant film programme (actually three parallel streams).
Glasgow 2024 has the dubious honour of being the first British Worldcon with no film screening in its programme.