Instant Analysis of the 2015 Hugo Nominees

New Voting Record: Sasquan received 2122 valid nominations (2119 online and 3 paper ballots), making this the seventh year in a row a new record has been set.

Loncon 3 received 1,923 ballots last year. Prior to that LoneStarCon 3 received 1,343 in 2013, Chicon 7 received 1,101 in 2012, Renovation received 1,006 in 2011, Aussiecon 4 received 864 in 2010 and Anticipation received 799 in 2009, each a record-setting figure at the time.

Puppies Lock Up The Ballot: A total of 61 final ballot nominees appeared on Brad Torgersen’s Sad Puppies 3 list or Vox Day’s Rabid Puppies list. Only 24 nominees did not come from either list.

Six Hugo categories are completely filled with nominees from the two slates. The only category totally without puppies is Best Fanartist — doubtless because neither Sad Puppies nor Rabid Puppies recommended any fanartists.

Another New Record: John C. Wright received six nominations, breaking the old record of 5 on the same ballot held by Seanan McGuire.

Missing in Action: Surprisingly, Larry Correia’s Monster Hunter Nemesis and Brad Torgersen’s The Chaplain’s War are not on the final ballot. Each was backed by one or both slates and one would think the novels from the slates that did make it would have had less support than these two books. The authors certainly had no problem getting their works on the final ballot in 2014. Did they lack enough votes in 2015, or did they decline their nominations?

Update: Larry Correia confirmed in a post on his blog that he did decline his nomination.

The Hugo administrator tells me he will not report on withdrawals or his eligibility determinations until after the Hugo ceremony at Sasquan.

However, I think a few of the eligibility rulings can be anticipated. The following items were on one or both lists but didn’t make the final ballot.

  • Best Short Story: “Tuesdays With Molakesh the Destroyer” – Megan Grey – publication date 2015, is eligible in 2016, not this year.
  • Best Dramatic Presentation (Long Form): Coherence – IMDB shows this as a 2013 release.
  • Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form): Supernatural: “Dog Dean Afternoon” – IMDB shows this as a 2013 release.
  • Best Semiprozine: Orson Scott Card’s InterGalactic Medicine Show — It’s listed by Semiprozine.org as a professional publication, so may be ineligible.

5 thoughts on “Instant Analysis of the 2015 Hugo Nominees

  1. ‘Coherence’ premiered in 2013 but had its US release in 2014. I’m not sure how that would play in terms of eligibility (I seem to recall it’s been a grey area in the past).

    The same is true of the best sf film of last year – the sadly un-nominated ‘Under the Skin’. After appearing at festivals in 2013 it wasn’t released until 2014, and so was eligible for, e.g. this year’s Oscars and BAFTAs.

  2. Dear Mr Glyer, I saw the comment you left over at Larry Correia’s site.http://monsterhunternation.com/2015/04/04/sad-puppies-update-the-nominees-announced-and-why-i-refused-my-nomination/#comment-57264

    You and I have differed in the past, and for my contumely toward you, I apologize. You have a courtesy and common honesty which is to be admired wherever found.

    Thank you. Being treated as an human being rather than a demon by one with whom one has deep disagreements is so rare these days, that it is worthy of a salute.

  3. I just found out this morning that I was listed on the Rabid Puppies slate. For the record, I was never asked, and never consented, to have my name connected with it, and indeed consider Vox Day one step, either direction, from certifiable.

  4. There is a chance one of John C. Wright’s nominations may be taken away from him. I understand the Hugo admins are investigating one of them having been originally published in 2013.

Comments are closed.