Hello Worldcon Fan!
There is a lot of news to cover in this edition, so let’s get started!
Seattle Worldcon 2025 Announces the Best Poem Special Hugo Award!
Get ready to mark your nominating lists with your favorite speculative, science fiction, and fantasy poems from 2024. The Seattle Worldcon team will award a special Hugo Award for best poem in 2025 to honor the rich, vibrant poetry culture of Seattle. From having one of the only poetry-only bookstores to having its own Civic Poet, the Seattle poetry scene teems with activity.
For this special Hugo Award, nominate your favorite poem within the speculative, science fiction, and fantasy genres, published in 2024, that is at least three lines.
We look forward to seeing what poems resonate with the WSFS membership.
Look for more poetry-related announcements to come. And don’t hesitate to send us your ideas at Panel Suggestions.
Congratulations to the 2024 Hugo Award Winners
Best Novel
Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh (Tordotcom, Orbit UK)
Best Novella
Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher (Tor, Titan UK)
Best Novelette
“The Year Without Sunshine” by Naomi Kritzer (Uncanny Magazine, November-December 2023)
Best Short Story
“Better Living Through Algorithms” by Naomi Kritzer (Clarkesworld May 2023)
Best Series
Imperial Radch by Ann Leckie (Orbit US, Orbit UK)
Best Graphic Story or Comic
Saga, Vol. 11 written by Brian K. Vaughan, art by Fiona Staples (Image Comics)
Best Related Work
A City on Mars by Kelly Weinersmith and Zach Weinersmith (Penguin Press; Particular Books)
Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, screenplay by John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein and Michael Gilio, directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (Paramount Pictures)
Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form
The Last of Us: “Long, Long Time”, written by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, directed by Peter Hoar (Naughty Dog / Sony Pictures)
Best Game or Interactive Work
Baldur’s Gate 3, produced by Larian Studios
Best Editor Short Form
Neil Clarke
Best Editor Long Form
Ruoxi Chen
Best Professional Artist
Rovina Cai
Best Semiprozine
Strange Horizons, by the Strange Horizons Editorial Collective
Best Fanzine
Nerds of a Feather, Flock Together, editors Roseanna Pendlebury, Arturo Serrano, Paul Weimer; senior editors Joe Sherry, Adri Joy, G. Brown, Vance Kotrla.
Best Fancast
Octothorpe, by John Coxon, Alison Scott, and Liz Batty
Best Fan Writer
Paul Weimer
Best Fan Artist
Laya Rose
Lodestar Award for Best YA Book
To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose (Del Rey)
Astounding Award for Best New Writer (sponsored by Dell Magazines)
Xiran Jay Zhao (eligibility extended at request of Dell Magazines)
Announcing the Community Fund for Seattle Worldcon 2025!
We are also happy to announce that we have been generously seeded with $30,000 from DisCon III to start a Community Fund for Seattle 2025. Our fund will have four focus areas: Pacific Northwest community members attending for the first time, LGBTQIA+ community members, BIPOC/AANHPI community members, and Global South community members. Applications for funds will open shortly and will be found on our website. We are also still gratefully accepting donations to increase our capacity, which can be made through our registration portal.
Come work with us!
Volunteer positions are currently available and many more will be opening up as the convention approaches. Let us know you are interested by filling out the volunteer form early! You can find it here on the website, and keep an eye on this page as more roles become available.
Seattle’s program will feature a lot of hands-on and interactive content. Want to be a panelist? Here’s the form: Panelists and Presenters. Have panel suggestions? Tell us: Panel Suggestions.
Creative people, it’s time to get started!
Seattle Worldcon 2025 is built from a community of readers, makers, and creators of all types. As such, we’ll have a great deal of hands-on programming and events – ways for you to participate, if you wish. Here are three opportunities to join in if you are interested in making things:
Group Costume Project: Want to be part of a group costume, but don’t have the connections to other costumers to make it happen? We’ve got you covered! We’ll announce a theme for the group costume after Worldcon in Glasgow. Just bring your own costume on the theme to Seattle, and be part of our group costume meetup. We’ll get a great group photo, and you’ll have a chance to connect with other costumers. Have a great idea for the theme? We want to know! Send suggestions to groupcostume@seattlein2025.org. The theme should be broad enough for lots of interpretations, but specific enough to spark people’s creativity and create a fairly cohesive group. It should also be accessible to costumers of all skill levels. Let us know what you think!
Single Pattern Contest: Keep checking for the announcement of the Single Pattern Contest – we’ll choose a commercially available sewing pattern. You will make something cool using that pattern – let your creativity run wild! A team of judges will evaluate the entries. Winners will be announced publicly, and prizes will be given.
Props Contest: Show us your best atomic age, retro-futuristic prop! Whether it’s a ray gun, communicator, or other prop, we want to see what you can come up with to build yesterday’s future. A team of judges will evaluate the entries, and we’ll showcase them to the membership. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Thanks Glasgow!
The Glasgow Worldcon, Glasgow 2024: A Worldcon for Our Futures was stellar. We made new friends, stocked up on inspiration, and brought on a ton of new volunteers. We can’t wait to replay some of the panels and events we missed while having conversations and hosting parties. Thanks for the hospitality and another great Scottish Worldcon.