George R.R. Martin has revived the Alfie Awards, which he gave at a private banquet in Glasgow on August 10. See Locus Online coverage with photos here: “2024 Alfie Awards”.
Xiran Jay Zhao (left off the 2023 Astounding Award ballot), and R.F. Kuang (whose Babel was disqualified in 2023) received theirs in person. Two more Alfies were announced for others disqualified in 2023, fan writer Paul Weimer, and BDP candidate Sandman (discreetly omitting Neil Gaiman’s name)
Martin held the original Alfies ceremony in 2015, the first year the Sad and Rabid Puppies monopolized the Hugo ballot. “This year all of us were losers,” Martin said, explaining that the Alfies, each made from a streamlined 1950s hood ornament, were his attempt to take a little of the sting off.
He named “The Alfies” in honor of Alfred Bester, whose book The Demolished Man won Best Novel at the first-ever Hugos in 1953. He explained on his blog that year:
It was for those ‘invisible losers’ that I decided to create the Alfies. If one accepts that the Hugo has value, these writers had suffered real harm thanks to the slates. There was no way I could hope to redress that… but I could make a gesture. In the door of my room in KC in 1976, Alfie Bester told us that winners can become losers. If so, losers can become winners too. I would give my own awards… and of course I’d name them after Alfie. So that’s how the Alfies came about.
As it turned out, Martin gave more Alfies in 2016. He didn’t give Alfies in 2017. And after that the purpose of them changed to just being nice tokens for people he thought should be honored. One Alfie was given in 2018 to John Picacio for the Mexicanx Initiative. At Dublin 2019 he presented Jane Johnson and Malcolm Edwards with Alfie Awards for Editing. But in 2024 they have resumed their original purpose of calling attention to people unjustly denied their place on the Hugo Ballot.
[Thanks to Meredith for the story.]
Discover more from File 770
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Good to see the 2024 Alfies being given
George RR Martin is a fan, and he loves this community. His creation of the Alfies were, and continue to be, a lovely way to acknowledge people who deserve to be seen. Thank you GRRM for doing this.
This is a lovely thing to do.
He is such a great real fan!
Why were people unjustly denied?
JC: You can read George R.R. Martin’s explanation here: “Losers and Winners”.