70th World Science Fiction Convention

The 70th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as Chicon 7, was held in Chicago, Illinois, August 30-September 3, 2012, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. The convention committee was chaired by Dave McCarty and organized under the auspices of the Chicago Worldcon Bid corporation.

Chicon 7, the 70th World Science Fiction Convention
Chicon 7 logo
GenreScience fiction
Dates30 August–3 September 2012
VenueHyatt Regency Chicago
Location(s)Chicago, Illinois
CountryUnited States
Attendance4,628+
Organized byChicago Worldcon Bid
Filing status501(c)(3) non-profit
Websitechicon.org

Programming

The Guests of Honor were author Mike Resnick,[1] artist Rowena Morrill, astronaut Story Musgrave, fan Peggy Rae Sapienza, and agent guest Jane Frank. Sy Liebergot was a Special Guest.[2] The toastmaster was John Scalzi. Morrill was not in attendance at the convention due to health issues.[3][4]

The bid

The "Chicago in 2012" bid committee issued a series of ten short magazines, called bidzines, each featuring a story by a different Chicago-related author, such as Frederik Pohl, Jody Lynn Nye, Phyllis Eisenstein, and Mike Resnick. Each story was approximately 2,000 words and additional stories by other Chicago authors, including Richard Garfinkle and Lois Tilton, were published on the bid's website. "Cover" art was provided by noted artists such as Kaja Foglio and Frank Wu.[5]

The bid also did not sell supporting memberships as most Worldcon bids do, instead asking supporters to simply make a donation to help the bid. Supporters who donated at least $100 and voted in site selection automatically had their support converted to an attending membership.[6]

Site selection

Chicago's bid to host the Worldcon was formally unopposed and won in balloting among the members of the 68th World Science Fiction Convention held in Melbourne, Australia, in 2010. With only 526 ballots cast, this election had the lowest turnout since voting records began to be kept in 1974. The voting breakdown was 447 votes for Chicago, 20 ballots expressed no preference, and there were 59 write-in votes for various sites.[7][8]

Chicon 7 members overwhelmingly selected the formally unopposed "London in 2014" bid to host the 72nd World Science Fiction Convention in August 2014.[9]

Awards

The Hugo Awards, named after Hugo Gernsback, are presented every year for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The results are based on the ballots submitted by members of the World Science Fiction Society. Other awards, including the Astounding Award for Best New Writer (since 1973; named "John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer" until 2019), are also presented at each year's Worldcon.[10]

Hugo Awards

The results were based on the 1,922 ballots submitted by members of the World Science Fiction Society.[11][12][13] This was the second-highest total number of ballots ever cast for the Hugo.[14] The unique base design for this year's Hugo Award trophies was designed by Deb Kosiba, designer of the trophy bases for both the 2005 and 2006 Hugo Awards.[15] This was the first year for the new Best Fancast category, separating podcasts from more traditional fanzines.[12]

The Hugo Awards ceremony was intended to be webcast live via Ustream, but automatic routines on the site mistook brief film clips from the dramatic presentation categories as copyright infringement, even though they had been provided by NBC and the BBC. The stream was terminated in the middle of Neil Gaiman's acceptance speech and Worldcon temporarily banned as a user on the site.[14][16][17]

Other awards

Special awards presentations at Chicon 7 included the Chesley Awards for artistic excellence.[18]

References
  1. Wilson, James J.J. (August 31, 2012). "Sci-fi group honors Highland Park High alum". Highland Park News. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
  2. "Chicon 7 Announces NASA's Sy Liebergot as Special Guest" (Press release). Chicon 7. February 13, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  3. "Rowena Morrill Unable to Attend Worldcon". Locus. August 24, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
  4. "Artist Guest of Honor Rowena Morrill Unable to Attend Chicon 7" (Press release). Chicon 7. August 23, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  5. "The Pulps". Chicago in 2012 Worldcon Bid. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  6. "Donate Worldcon Bid". Chicago in 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  7. Glyer, Mike (September 5, 2010). "Chicago in 2012 Confirmed in Early Returns". File 770. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
  8. Glyer, Mike (September 5, 2010). "It's Chicon 7". File 770. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
  9. Glyer, Mike (September 3, 2012). "2014 Worldcon: Loncon 3". File 770. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
  10. "Hugo Award FAQ". The Hugo Awards. World Science Fiction Society. Retrieved 2018-11-11.
  11. Keane, Erin (August 31, 2012). "Don't sleep on the Hugo Awards". Salon. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
  12. "2012 Hugo Awards Final Ballot Results & Nominating Statistics" (PDF) (Press release). 70th World Science Fiction Convention. September 2, 2012. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
  13. Davis, Lauren (September 2, 2012). "Congrats to the winners of the 2012 Hugo Awards!". io9. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
  14. "2012 Hugo Awards to be Streamed". The Hugo Awards. World Science Fiction Society. August 23, 2012.
  15. "Chicon 7 Confirms High Turnout for Hugo Awards Ballot, Announces More Ceremony Details" (Press release). Chicon 7. August 23, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  16. Gross, Doug (September 4, 2012). "Ustream apologizes for killing Hugo Awards webcast". CNN. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  17. Newitz, Annalee (September 3, 2012). "How copyright enforcement robots killed the Hugo Awards". io9. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
  18. Glyer, Mike (August 10, 2012). "Chicon 7 Art Focus". File 770. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
Preceded by
69th World Science Fiction Convention
Renovation in Reno, United States (2011)		 List of Worldcons
70th World Science Fiction Convention
Chicon 7 in Chicago, United States (2012)		 Succeeded by
71st World Science Fiction Convention
LoneStarCon 3 in San Antonio, United States (2013)
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