MidAmeriCon II, the 2016 Worldcon, is now accepting online Hugo nomination ballots. Also at the link are downloadable Hugo and Retro Hugo ballot forms which can be printed and used for mail-in voting.
The deadline to submit nominations is March 31.
Eligible to cast nominating ballots are those who are members of MidAmeriCon II or Worldcon 75 (Helsinki, 2017) by January 31, and those who were members of Sasquan (Spokane, 2015).
You will need your membership number and a Hugo PIN number to nominate online. According to the committee, Hugo PINs are being emailed between January 27–February 5 to MAC II members who elected to receive electronic publications, and members of the other eligible Worldcons. They recommend that if you have not received your Hugo PIN by February 5, email a request to [email protected].
MAC II members who are receiving paper publications will find their PIN on the envelope in which Progress Report 2 was mailed. The MAC II has a lookup tool for its own members (only).
PRESS RELEASE #1 – MIDAMERICON II ANNOUNCES HUGO NOMINATION PERIOD OPEN
MidAmeriCon II, the 74th World Science Fiction Convention
Kansas City, MO
August 17-21, 2016
[email protected]
http://www.midamericon2.org/press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Kansas City, Missouri, USA – MidAmeriCon II, the 74th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), is delighted to announce that the 2016 Hugo Award and 1941 Retro Hugo Award nomination period is now open.
Nomination ballots will be accepted from January 28, 2016, to Thursday, March 31, 2016, 11:59 PM PDT for the prestigious Hugo Awards and the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. Members of MidAmeriCon II and Worldcon 75 (the 2017 Worldcon) who joined by January 31, 2016, and all members of Sasquan, the 2015 Worldcon, are invited to submit nominating ballots.
The Hugo Awards are the premier award in the science fiction genre, honoring science fiction literature and media as well as the genre’s fans. The Awards were first presented at the 1953 World Science Fiction Convention in Philadelphia (Philcon II), and they have continued to honor science fiction and fantasy notables for more than 60 years.
More information about the Hugo Awards, including details about how to submit a nominating ballot, is available from http://midamericon2.org/the-hugo-awards/hugo-nominations/. Nominations may be submitted by postal mail or online.
For additional information, contact us at [email protected].
ENDS
MidAmeriCon II is the 2016 World Science Fiction Convention (“Worldcon”). The first Worldcon occurred in New York City in 1939 and Worldcons have been held annually since then except for 1942-45 when there was no event due to World War II. MidAmeriCon II?s Guests of Honor are Tamora Pierce, Kinuko Y. Craft, Patrick and Teresa Nielsen Hayden, Michael Swanwick with Toastmaster Pat Cadigan.
For more details about the convention or to purchase memberships, visit www.midamericon2.org. Send press questions, or requests to be removed from the MidAmericon II press release mailing list, to [email protected]. Send general queries to [email protected]. “World Science Fiction Society,” “WSFS,” “World Science Fiction Convention,” “Worldcon,” “NASFiC,” “Hugo Award,” and the distinctive design of the Hugo Award Rocket are service marks of the World Science Fiction Society, an unincorporated literary society.
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whee! Sh*t just got real!
All right.
:Impatiently checks email:
“The deadline to submit nominations is March 13.”
You mean March 31.
Thanks Brian.
Love that “Nominate what you like…” poster included in the picture.
A note that if you received a paper copy of the last MAC2 progress report in the mail, your Hugo PIN was printed on the envelope. At least, mine was.
Now if I can just remember where I put it….
[insert obligatory puppy reference]
If only there was some convenient list of works I could slavishly refer to…
@Bridges
You’d have trouble finding it – the recommendations lists have numbers that in some categories are a busy single day of people discussing what they’ve read here, and in other categories are quite anemic.
Wondering when SP4 will issue their slate (or RP2 will). I get the distinct feeling the pups are waiting on Beale either way.
@TheYoungPretender
Isn’t he waiting on SP4? I thought his strategy was to copy what they did. If he goes first and they don’t match, then his impact is diluted.
I’ll be glad when nominations are over with. Although then I suppose I’ll have to decide whether or not I want to vote again.
I haven’t enjoyed trying to get a nominations list together for myself, at all. It feels like a chore, even though they’re all books I would have read anyway. I *hate* anything that makes reading feel like a chore.
Kate Paulk has an article at MCG on Best Dramatic Presentation saying early March for the longlist thing. I think that makes sense in terms of the SP4 post she has been making.
Last year the RP slate wasn’t posted until the deadline for buying a membership to participate in Nominations had passed. I don’t know if that will still be a factor this year since that bit of surprise is lost.
Let silly season begin!
That MidAmericon II page provides a link where you can supposedly look up your membership number (also linked from the top bar menu as “Members List”).
Except that it’s a site search box, and it doesn’t bring up members and member numbers from the membership list when you type in a last name and hit “enter”.
ETA: Clearly someone else has raised this point to them, as this page now says:
We apologize for the delay in adding a searchable by name list, it will [sic] coming soon!
Current Members (as of Dec, 2015)
JJ: But there is onsite a PDF list of members — does it have the numbers as well?
Let it be known that if BARSK doesn’t get nominated I will punch a fish.
A big one.
Mike Glyer: But there is onsite a PDF list of members — does it have the numbers as well?
Yes, see my ETA above.
Except, of course, that will not help the people who requested that their name not be published in the Members List.
I still have too many things to read. *considers no longer interneting and actually reading things instead*
Yay, nominations are . . . open for people who have their PIN already. (twiddles thumbs) Don’t mind me, I’ll just sit hear in the dark.
@Petréa Mitchell: Ditto, plus the part about how it’s okay to leave blanks. Actually their whole 4 common questions & answers on the lower right side of the page is great. 🙂
@Kyra: Down with chores! You read so much, it seems like you should not try to read for the Hugos – it sounds like it just comes naturally?! Anyway, I’m sorry any of it feels like a chore, but I hope (if you’re a member or plan to join anyway) you do vote. Er, you know, if you feel like it. (looks around, whistling, not wanting to add pressure to the chore feeling) (smacks self upside head)
@k8: That’s crazy talk! Or, you know, the wisest thing I’ve read today.
@Kendall – Well, it isn’t exactly happening. I also spend way too much time listening to the Hamilton cast recording. When I figure out a way to both sing/rap along while reading, I finally might catch up on some of my to-read list.
I’m hoping they do like last year and include member number & pin in the email as the PDF list only includes people who have voting rights from what I could see. I’m relieved to see my registration as associate took. I’m curious as to how many PIN numbers I’ll get as last year they never got my name right “guest of Larry Lennhoff”. I’m not sure for Helsinki if I (or was it hubby who did supporting stuff?) used Tasha Turner (pen name), Tasha Lennhoff (secular name), or Tasha Turner Lennhoff (mish mash to help people who know me as one or the other). It’s confusing having multiple names and people knowing you under each one. I have legal documents confirming I’m who I say I am for all but Tasha Turner Lennhoff.
Kendall —
I admit my feelings on the subject are a little weird — the only aspect of it that involves me making an effort is “make sure to somewhat prioritize reading all the 2015 books I’ve got lying around anyway before the end of March”. But apparently even that is enough to make me resentful. I’ve never been able to join a book club because I can’t stand being told what to read. :/
I will make nominations, though.
I’m definitely going to need to rethink my approach for next year as well.
This will be my first time nominating, and I’ve been sampling and keeping my eyes open all over. But… my natural reading pattern isn’t seeking out freshly-published material. For all my reading this year, most of my favorite finds of the year were standout stories in F&SF, which I’ve been a loyal subscriber and devoted fan to for years.
(Those, and The Just City…
…which I heard of via print ad in F&SF.)
Recommendation lists for 2015 have proved somewhat iffy for me – though I’ll probably home in on some new favorites from those now that we’re in the home stretch. There’s great stuff there, but also just a bunch I really really don’t, and somehow reading a recommendation I don’t like makes it a much more frustrating experience than just reading a story I’m not fond of. (I may be judgy when it comes to my fiction :P)
It might be that just reading my favorite magazine or two and choosing the best of those will work better for me than trying to hunt things down based on recommendation. That’s certainly an effective way of nominating (for those of us with a favorite magazine which actually produces Hugo-worthy material in our oh-so-humble opinion), even if that doesn’t fill out our ballots.
In any case, it’s been fun, and it’s been a learning experience. Here’s to a happy awards season…
@Standback
We had particularly hoped that fans with stacks of unread magazines could make good use of the RSR Rankings to find things to read. The idea was that most people don’t want to read a review until after they’ve read the story, but a short “blurb” giving a general idea of what sort of story it is would be helpful. Also, it’s nice to know which critics recommended a story, even if you’re not ready to read what they had to say yet.
That was the theory, anyway. Does that not work for you?
Is there a, uh, long list of long lists somewhere? I’m asking for a friend.
@Bloodstone75: There’s the Other Recs tab of Renay’s Spreadsheet.
In the past I’ve been terrible about seeking out new things, but since I took over selecting materials in speculative fiction for the adult collection at our library, I have to read reviews about many of the new shiny books, anyway, and I’m more likely to read them right away since I see them as soon as they come in. I’ve missed reading some older things, though, and I’ve felt like I’ve been in a reading race since it’s not the only area I read for pleasure and/or work.
Remember, your ballot is just as valid if you only have one thing on it. One novel you loved, or a movie you thought was awesome.
Since the online ballots can be edited right up to the deadline (not that I’ve ever redone mine in the last half hour, no siree bob!), go ahead and put something down as soon as you get your PIN, and then add to it as you read/watch other stuff.
I think I’m pretty set on my ballot (except I still have 8 contenders for Short Story). But I’ve got to get cracking on Retro-Hugo b/c there are a bunch of old stories I want to read or reread.
I want to reiterate my deep abiding love for “Cat Pictures, Please”. (short story)
Reddit’s r/PrintSF just opened a Hugo Nominations megathread, where people are encouraged to post recommendations for nominations.
@Kyra: Word. I was a bad friend ‘cuz I couldn’t prioritize reading a friend’s unpublished novel. (My friend was gracious.) So, yeah, I’m not good at Things I Feel Like I Should Do. ;-(
I’m sorta accidentally mixing it up right now, and happily so. I recently listened to the stories from the Queers Destroy SF issue that were podcast, which was Hugo reading, I suppose. I may nominate a story or two from here. I was taking a break from re-reading novels via audio (99% of my audiobooks). But now I’m listening to “The Long List Anthology” – not current Hugo reading.
ETA: I’m really enjoying the anthology!
BTW I don’t read enough short fiction these days. For folks who do . . . is it normal for stories to just, well, stop? Maybe it was like that eons ago when I read Asimov’s and F&SF and anthologies, but I don’t remember it like that. Sometimes it works, but I feel like I’ve run into several doing this, and sometimes it’s unsatisfying. I’m starting to feel like this is just A Thing Short Story Writers Do (Which I Don’t Always Like). True/false? Just a run of bad luck, or perhaps short fiction’s just not much my thing, if a lot of it’s like this? Or maybe just listening to stories while driving, the ending takes me off guard and it’s not as sudden as I think. /incoherent-ramble
BTW #2 I’m shaking my fist at the Puppies. I would’ve liked to vote for some of the “Long List” stories I’m listening to! Le sigh.
@Kendall,
I think we’ve always had short stories that just, stop. But it seems to me that they are more common than they used to be. But then I also think that there is more variety in short stories than there used to be, so it might be a thing where particular editors have no problem with this type of story?
BTW#2: Yeah, it’s why I backed the kickstarter. There were several stories in that anthology (in the longlists) that I nominated which would have made the final ballot. Backing the kickstarter was my contribution to making lemonade.
@Bloodstone75,
Abigail Nussbaum has collected links to a few lists.
@Greg: Looking back, RSR has actually been really good for me! I have several items on my ballot which I reached through RSR, which is more than I can say for any other resource 🙂
It definitely doesn’t have the rec-list problem I mentioned above. I’d love to manage to lean on it more in 2016, and I’ll see if the pre-Hugo roundup helps me right now 🙂
All in all I was floored by what you’ve done with RSR, and I’ll be nominating it for Best Fanzine (this post here was by me).
@Standback
Great! (And thanks for the kind words!) A lot of recommendation lists seem to have been designed without any real thought as to how a person would actually use them. Eric and I have tried hard to design RSR with the same sort of usability criteria we’d have applied when we were working. That doesn’t mean we got it right, though, so it’s always great to hear that it helped someone.
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@Tasha Turner, yes, the member number and PIN are in the email you’ll be sent. (My PIN was twelve characters long!)