Worldcon

Seattle Worldcon’s Chair Clarifies Use of ChatGPT and Offers Another Apology

The Hugo Awards themselves did not factor into the 2025 convention's use of AI to help create its programs.

Hugo Administrators Resign in Wake of ChatGPT Controversy

The upcoming Seattle edition of the World Science Fiction Convention, or Worldcon, used AI to help vet program participants.

Glasgow Worldcon Apologizes for ‘Damage’ Caused by 2023 Hugo Awards Controversy

The statement from the sci-fi and fantasy awards came after a lengthy investigation into the exclusion of R.F. Kuang's Babel and others at Chengdu Worldcon.

The Hugo Awards Are Facing Yet Another Controversy

Fans of R.F. Kuang's highly acclaimed Babel are wondering why the Nebula-winning and best-selling novel was excluded from Hugo eligibility.

Hugo Awards Host DisCon III Apologizes for Taking Money From Defense Company

DisCon III, which hosted this year's Hugo Awards, has issued a statement about its controversial Raytheon sponsorship.

Wizard World Just Sold Its Conventions to Fan Expo

Fan Expo is now the largest fan convention company in the world with new Wizard World addition.

He Knew

On May 21, 2019, this sly son of a bitch gazed into our bleak future, and now he reaps the bitter fruit of the trap he set. I refer, of course, to George R.R. Martin, author of the wildly successful A Song of Ice and Fire high-fantasy series, the final installments of which—The Winds of…

N.K Jemisin Makes Hugo Awards History With Latest Best Novel Win

The winners of the 2018 Hugo Awards are here. It might have been the first year for Worldcon’s new rules, designed to curb voting slates that haunted previous years, but it didn’t change the actual results. That’s because, for the third year in a row, women dominated the awards—including another Best Novel win for N.K.…

Worldcon Is Redoing Its Entire Program After Widespread Backlash [Updated]

The World Science Fiction Convention, otherwise known as Worldcon, is starting over from scratch with its 2018 programming. Chair Kevin Roche has announced the convention is redoing its entire panel lineup after facing backlash over misgendering a Hugo Award finalist as well as reportedly rejecting panels from diverse creators, and denying panel spots for newer…

The 2017 Hugo Award Winners Are Here

The most prestigious awards in science fiction had their 2017 ceremony today, at WorldCon 75 in Helsinki, Finland—and just like last year, female creatives have swept some of the biggest awards of the event. This year’s slate of nominees, unlike the drama surrounding the 2016 and 2015 Hugos, was less impacted by the ballot-stuffing tactics…

Here Are the Finalists for the 2016 John W. Campbell Memorial Award

Each year, the Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction awards one worthy science fiction novel the John W. Campbell Memorial Award, one of the genre’s major awards for novels. The finalist list this year is particularly strong, with some truly excellent novels represented: The Water Knife, Paolo Bacigalupi (Orbit/Knopf) Europe at Midnight, Dave…

Reminder: Hugo Award Nominations Close March 31st

If you bought a supporting membership to last year’s Worldcon in Spokane, have a membership for this year’s convention, MidAmeriCon II, or if you are a member of 2017’s Worldcon, you can nominate your favorite works for this year’s Hugo Awards. https://gizmodo.com/this-is-what-the-2015-hugo-ballot-should-have-been-1725967147 Members can nominate their favorite works from 2015 in the following categories: Best…

Disabled Fans and Creators Are Kept Out of Too Many Conventions. Now They’re Not Alone.

Science fiction and fantasy conventions exist in the venn diagram between professional networking events, marketing expos and fan celebrations. Between all three of those things, they do a lot to shape fandom and the stories we love. And for years now, conventions have been failing disabled fans and professionals. So now, at last, some professionals…

The Thermians Are at Worldcon Looking For Their Next Space Hero. Is It You?

We’ve seen some pretty great costumes thus far at Worldcon 2015—but our favorite thing thus far was this group of Thermians from the movie Galaxy Quest. They were doing the voices and the mannerisms and everything. But what if they’re real and that movie is a documentary? What then? Contact the author at [email protected] and…

Tim Powers’ The Anubis Gates Is Becoming A Stage Play!

And here’s the first glimpse of the stage version of Powers’ award-winning time-travel fantasy novel. Current Theatrics will premiere their stage play at the 2014 WorldCon in London.

Want to follow the Hugo Awards? You can watch them live via UStream (unless it gets taken down again), or read the official liveblog. Plus @WWEnd and @LightspeedMag will Livetweet. Plus check back here for the complete list of winners later this evening!

Congrats to the winners of the 2012 Hugo Awards!

Tonight, the World Science Fiction Society gave out this year’s Hugo Awards and the John W. Campbell Award as part of this weekend’s Worldcon festivities. Congrats to all of this year’s winners, including io9’s own Charlie Jane Anders, who took home a silver rocket for her novelette, “Six Months, Three Days.” Here is the full…

Great SF authors share their biggest writing setbacks — and how they triumphed

Any time you read a terrific science fiction or fantasy novel, you’re witnessing a great victory. Every writer faces armies of doubts and difficulties. We’re at WorldCon, where many of science fiction’s greatest authors gather to share ideas and war stories. So we asked some of our favorite writers what their biggest writing setback or…

How technology has transformed short science fiction and fantasy

Technology is changing how you read and write everything — but short fiction is at the center of the technological vortex of change. At Worldcon, we attended a panel about the future of short fiction, and learned just how the world of short stories is changing. Top image: Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine cover art by…

Doctor Demento pays tribute to Frank Zappa, his musical inspiration

It’s the sort of pairing that makes no sense, until you think about it: Novelty-record god Doctor Demento and avant-rock pioneer Frank Zappa. Doctor Demento was a guest at the World Science Fiction Covention this past weekend, and he paid tribute to one of his great inspirations. You might think Doctor Demento would have been…