LAcon V, the 83rd World Science Fiction Convention, received 2,492 valid ballots (two paper), up from 1,962 at Seattle Worldcon 2025. There were 1,488 nominating ballots received (six paper), up from 1,338 last year.

The procedure for counting nominations remains the E Pluribus Hugo, or EPH, system, instituted in 2017 to help reduce the effect of bloc voting. The rather complicated system gives a single point to each voter’s ballot, dividing that point among the nominees. The points are counted, the two nominees with the fewest points are compared, and (points notwithstanding) the one with the fewest nominations (votes) is dropped. The process repeats until down to six finalists; the last position on the ballot is determined strictly by votes unless there’s a tie. This system complicates discussing how close a runner-up was to making the ballot, as some nominees might have eliminated others earlier on if they’d had just a few more points. We used to try to determine ourselves how far back the closest runner-up to the ballot was, but for the last several years the official nomination statistics have included their own determination of the margin by which the last place on the final ballot was decided, and we’re using those summations.

Once again, it’s time to explain the Australian ballot preference system (also called ranked voting or ‘‘Instant Runoff Voting’’) used for the Hugo Awards. First-place votes (including those for No Award) are counted in column one. If no entry has the majority of the vote then the entry with the fewest votes is dropped (e). The dropped entry’s second-place votes now become first-place votes (column two) and the process is repeated until a nominee has a majority of the votes (usually six drops, with six finalists), deciding first place. Second place is determined by dropping the winner, counting their second-place votes as if they were first, etc. Therefore, the item that originally placed second doesn’t necessarily win second place. Likewise, third place is decided by dropping both first- and second-place winners, promoting the next eligible entry, and counting all over again. The system ensures that the winner is liked by a majority of voters, even though it may not have received a majority of first-place votes.

BEST NOVEL

The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow won easily, starting with the most first-place votes and holding the lead through all six rounds of voting to take first place. The Incandescent by Emily Tesh, which had the most nominations, then took second place in similar fashion. Third place was more of a contest, with The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson leading in the first two rounds, only to see A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett take the lead in the last two rounds. The Raven Scholar then took fourth place in three rounds without challenge. Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor took fifth in a single round, and Shroud followed in sixth. The closest runner-up to the ballot was Katabasis by R.F. Kuang, which needed three more nominations to make the ballot. This was Harrow’s seventh Hugo nomination and second win.

BEST NOVELLA

Amal El-Mohtar’s The River Has Roots came in with the most nominations, the most first-place votes, and led through all six rounds to win. The rest of the places also went without significant challenge, with Annalee Newitz’s Automatic Noodle in second place, Freya Marske’s Cinder House in third, Naomi Novik’s The Summer House in fourth, T. Kingfisher’s What Stalks the Deep in fifth, and Olivia Waite’s Murder by Memory in sixth. The closest runner-up to the ballot was A Mouthful of Dust by Nghi Vo, which needed 11 additional nominations to make the list. This is El-Mohtar’s third Hugo nomination and third win.

BEST NOVELETTE

‘‘Never Eaten Vegetables’’ by H.H. Pak led all the way to take the Hugo in six rounds. Second place saw a bit of a scuffle, with ‘‘Kaiju Agonistes’’ by Scott Lynch leading in the first two rounds, only to have ‘‘When He Calls Your Name’’ by Catherynne M. Valente pick up enough votes to move into the lead when ‘‘The Millay Illusion’’ by Sarah Pinsker dropped, and hold on to take second place in the fifth round. ‘‘Kaiju Agonistes’’ then led all the way in voting for third place. Fourth place saw a tie between ‘‘Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy’’ by Martha Wells (which had the most nominations and led the first round of voting) and ‘‘The Girl My Mother Is Leaving Me For’’ by Cameron Reed, which pulled up to tie in the third round. The Pinsker then ended up in sixth place. John Scalzi’s ‘‘3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years’’ was the closest runner-up, needing one nomination worth more than half a point to make the list. This is Pak’s first Hugo nomination and win.

BEST SHORT STORY

‘‘In My Country’’ by Thomas Ha led the voting all the way, taking the award in six rounds. Second place was more of a contest, with ‘‘Wire Mother’’ by Isabel J. Kim leading the first two rounds of voting, only to have ‘‘10 Visions of the Future; or, Self-Care for the End of Days’’ by Samantha Mills move into the lead in the third and fourth rounds; then the Kim surged ahead in the fifth round to snag second place. ‘‘Missing Helen’’ by Tia Tashiro then led all the way in voting for third; the Mills took fourth without a challenge. ‘‘Six People to Revise You’’ by J.R. Dawson, which had the most nominations, ended up in fifth place, and Effie Seiberg’s ‘‘Laser Eyes Ain’t Everything’’ followed in sixth. ‘‘Barbershops of the Floating City’’ by Angela Liu needed just one more nomination to make the ballot. This is Ha’s second Hugo nomination and his first win.

BEST SERIES

John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War series started with a solid lead in first-place votes and held on to win the award in the sixth round. Seanan McGuire’s October Daye series led the first four rounds of voting for second place, but when Elizabeth Bear’s White Space dropped, enough of its votes went to Katherine Addison’s The Chronicles of Osreth (which had the most nominations) to push it into the lead, taking second place in the fifth round. The October Daye series then waltzed off with third place without a contest, Bear’s White Space took fourth in a bit of a squeaker with Max Gladstone’s The Craft Wars, which then took fifth in one round; Heather Fawcett’s Emily Wilde came in fifth. Two series got enough nominations to make the list, but were declared ineligible: Mary Robinette Kowal’s Lady Astronaut due to having fewer than 240,000 new words since its last appearance on the ballot in 2019, and Nghi Vo’s The Singing Hills Cycle due to having fewer than 240,000 words total. Because of the two dropped series, it’s difficult to determine the closest runner-up; T. Kingfisher’s Sworn Soldier needed two more nominations to make the ballot, but might not have enough words to be eligible; Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Dogs of War needed nine more nominations to make the ballot. This is Scalzi’s 14th Hugo nomination and fourth win (previous wins are for fan writer, related book, and novel).

BEST GRAPHIC STORY

A Wizard of Earthsea: A Graphic Novel, based on Le Guin’s novel and adapted and illustrated by Fred Fordham, led for all six rounds to take the Hugo. Things got a little more interesting in the voting for second place: The Space Cat, written by Nnedi Okorafor and illustrated by Tana Ford, led in the first two rounds, only to see Absolute Wonder Woman Vol. 1: The Last Amazon, written by Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman. pull ahead in the third and fourth round; then The Invisible Parade by Leigh Bardugo & John Picacio dropped, and enough of its next votes went to The Space Cat for it to take second place. The Invisible Parade led the first two rounds of voting for third place, only to have Absolute Wonder Woman Vol. 1: The Last Amazon take the lead and keep it to take third in four rounds. The Invisible Parade, which had the most nominations, then led all the way in the voting for fourth place. The Power Fantasy Vol. 1: The Superpowers took fifth place in one round, and webcomic A Girl and Her Fed written by K.B. Spangler and illustrated by Ale Presser took sixth. The closest runner up is Who Killed Nessie? written by Paul Cornell and illustrated by Rachael Smith, which needed two more nominations to make the ballot. This is Fred Fordham’s first nomination and win, as well as Ursula K. Le Guin’s 27th nomination and ninth win.

BEST RELATED WORK

Ada Palmer’s Inventing the Renaissance led from the first round and held on to win. Second place was mostly a contest between two titles: The Hugo Spreadsheet of Doom, maintained by Renay, which led in the first two rounds, then tied in the third round with Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia Butler by Susana M. Morris, which pulled ahead in the fourth and took second in the fifth round. The Hugo Spreadsheet of Doom (which had the most nominations) took third place without a challenge, and Colourfields: Writing About Writing Science Fiction by Paul Kincaid took fourth. Essay ‘‘The Cuddled Little Vice (Sandman)’’ by Elizabeth Sandifer took fifth in one round, followed by ‘‘Ragnarök vs the Long Night’’ by Ashaya & Aziz in sixth. We Will Rise Again: Speculative Stories About Political Protest, Resistance, and Hope edited by Karen Lord, Annalee Newitz, and Malka Older needed eight more nominations to make the ballot. This was Palmer’s third Hugo nomination and first win.

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION – LONG FORM

Sinners started with the most nominations, the most first-place votes, and went unchallenged through six rounds of voting to take the Hugo. Second place went to Andor (Season 2) without a contest. KPop Demon Hunters trounced the opposition for third place, taking it in just three rounds. Superman led the first two rounds of voting for fourth place, only to lose to Frankenstein in the third and final round. Superman then snagged fifth, and Mickey 17 took sixth. The closest runner up was Pluribus, which needed either one more nomination, or for the series Andor to have been eliminated in favor of the Best Dramatic Presentation – Short Form entries; enough nominations were made for Andor to make the ballot in either category, but more voters nominated the longer form than nominated individual episodes, so the Short Form nominees were eliminated. Under the same rules, Murderbot could have made the ballot here, but was eliminated in favor of the episodes in Short Form.

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION – SHORT FORM

Murderbot: ‘‘All Systems Red’’ won with a dramatic display of dominance, coming in with the most nominations, a big lead in first-place votes, and building that lead to take the prize in only five rounds. Murderbot: ‘‘The Perimeter’’ similarly took second place in just four rounds. Pluribus: ‘‘We Is Us’’ led all the way in the voting for third place; Severance: ‘‘Cold Harbor’’ tooks fourth without challenge. Doctor Who: ‘‘The Story & the Engine’’ only needed one round to take fifth place, followed by The Wheel of Time: ‘‘The Road to the Spear’’ in sixth. A number of items that could have made the ballot were dropped; as mentioned in the previous category, three Andor episodes were dropped here in favor of having the series on the Long Form ballot. Due to the limit on the number of episodes of the same show on the final ballot, Murderbot: ‘‘Free Commerce’’ was dropped at the showrunners’ request. This many changes make it effectively impossible to determine the next runner up, or how far back it was, but Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: ‘‘A Space Adventure Hour’’ was next on the list by number of nominations, at least nine nominations back of the ballot.

BEST GAME OR INTERACTIVE WORK

A clear favorite with voters, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 had the most nominations, a big lead in first-place votes, and held on to win in six rounds. Second place had Blue Prince leading through the first three rounds of voting, but Hades II managed to pick up a 20-vote lead in the fourth round, holding on to take second in the fifth round. Blue Prince then took third place without challenge, Hollow Knight: Silksong similarly took fourth, Dispatch took fifth in one round, leaving Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector in sixth. Split Fiction was the closest runner-up, needing 11 more nominations to make the ballot.

BEST EDITOR – SHORT FORM

Neil Clarke won easily, starting with the most nominations and a solid lead in first-place votes that only grew through six rounds of voting. Sheila Williams took second place with similar ease. Third place ended in a tie; Jennifer Brozek had a slim lead over Michael Damien Thomas in the first two rounds, but Thomas pulled ahead by two points in the third, only to have Brozek pull up to tie in the fourth round. Lee Harris then took fifth place in one round, and Scott H. Andrews ended up sixth. John Joseph Adams needed six more nominations to make the ballot. Clarke now has 18 Hugo nominations and eight wins overall; this is his 14th nomination and fifth win in this category.

BEST EDITOR – LONG FORM

Diana M. Pho started with a slim lead in the first few rounds of voting, but held on and grew that lead to win in six rounds. Lee Harris, who had the most nominations coming in, then took second place without serious challenge. Third place was more of a contest; Carl Engle-Laird led the first two rounds of voting, but then Jaymee Goh pulled ahead in the third round and took third in the fourth round. Engle-Laird then led through three rounds of voting to snag fourth place, Jenni Hill followed in fifth, and Joe Monti in sixth. Lindsey Hall declined nomination in this category; the closest runner-up was Navah Wolfe, three nominations back of the ballot. This was Diana M. Pho’s fifth Hugo nomination and third win.

BEST PROFESSIONAL ARTIST

Another category with a clear winner from the start: John Picacio came in with the most nominations, a big lead in first-place votes, and won without serious challenge in six rounds. Second place saw a scuffle between three contenders: Tran Nguyen led the first four rounds of voting, with Tom Roberts running second for the first two rounds, then Kelly Chong moved up into second place for the third and fourth rounds and then took the lead in the fifth and final round. Tran Nguyen led all the way to take third place in four rounds. Tom Roberts claimed fourth place in a single round, Dave Kellett snagged fifth place in one round, and Lulu Chen followed in sixth place. Maurizio Manzieri needed just one more nomination to make the ballot. Picacio now has four wins out of 19 Hugo nominations (16 in this category). Next year, the name of this category will change to Best Artist in Professional Illustration.

BEST SEMIPROZINE

Uncanny won without a fight, leading through all six rounds of voting. None of the places in this category saw any real contest: Strange Horizons, which had the most nominations, placed second, followed by Escape Pod in third, and Khōréō in fourth. On Spec took fifth place in a single round, leaving The Deadlands to take sixth. Beneath Ceaseless Skies declined nomination. The Sunday Morning Transport was the first runner-up, needing four more nominations to make the ballot. This is the 11th nomination for Uncanny and the ninth win.

BEST FANZINE

The voting started with An Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog having the most nominations and the lead in first-place votes, a lead it kept through four rounds, but when Journey Planet dropped out nerds of a feather flock together picked up enough votes to move into the lead and win in the sixth round. The rest of the places went without challenge: An Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog coasted into second place in the usual five rounds, Ancillary Review of Books took third, Journey Planet fourth, Intergalactic Mixtape took fifth, and Galactic Journey sixth. The closest runner-up was The Rec Center, 11 nominations away from the ballot. This was the eighth nomination and third win for nerds of a feather flock together.

BEST FANCAST

Worldbuilding for Masochists led through the first five rounds of voting, only to have Hugo, Girl! pull off a last minute surge and win in the sixth round with a nine-point lead. Worldbuilding for Masochists had to settle for taking second place without challenge, followed by Eating the Fantastic taking third in similar fashion. Octothorpe, which had the most nominations, came in fourth. The Coode Street Podcast took fifth place in a single round, and A Meal of Thorns ended up in sixth place. The Sword and Laser needed 13 more nominations to make the ballot. This is the fourth nomination and second win for Hugo, Girl!

BEST FAN WRITER

James Davis Nicoll led the first three rounds of voting, only to see Jason Sanford vault into the lead in the fourth round and build that lead to win in the sixth round. Nicoll then led the first four rounds of voting for second place, only to have Roseanna Pendlebury grab the lead in the fifth and final round. Nicoll then took third place without a fight. Örjan Westin followed in fourth place, Alex Brown in fifth, and Jay Brantner (AKA ‘‘Tar Vol’’) in sixth. There was some confusion about Brantner’s name; this was his first time on the ballot and most of his nominations were variations on TarVolon or Tar Vol, only five including any part of ‘‘Jay Brantner’’, who said he preferred to have his real name on the ballot; initially the Hugo Administration team tried to avoid confusion for fans who didn’t know the author’s real name by using ‘‘Jay Brantner (for ‘Tar Vol On’)’’, but on further discussion settled on the version with (AKA ‘‘Tar Vol’’) to make it clear Tar Vol is a pseudonym. The closest runner-up is Cora Buhlert, two nominations away from the ballot. This is Jason Sanford’s seventh Hugo nomination and first win.

BEST FAN ARTIST

Yuumei came in with the most nominations, a big lead in first-place votes, and held the lead to win in just five rounds. Geneva Bowers led all the way in the voting for second place, Sara Felix took third place in the same style, Richard Man then took fourth in only two rounds, España Sheriff grabbed fourth in one round, and Terri Ash followed in sixth. Brad Foster needed two more nominations to make the ballot. This was Yuumei’s first nomination and win.

BEST POEM

‘‘Hex Supply Customer Support Log’’ by Elis Montgomery led all the way through six rounds of voting to win. All of the places in this category went without challenge: ‘‘How to Become a Sea Witch’’ by Theodora Goss took second, ‘‘Care for Lightning’’ by Mari Ness (which had the most nominations) was third, ‘‘The World to Come’’ by Jennifer Hudak was fourth, ‘‘The Mourning Robot’’ by Angela Liu took fifth in a single round, and ‘‘Landing: Seattle’’ followed in sixth. The closest runner-up was ‘‘the jacarandas are unimpressed by your show of force’’ by Gwynne Garfinkle, two nominations away from the ballot. This is Elis Montgomery’s first nomination and win. The Best Poem category was a special Hugo Award for both Seattle Worldcon 2025 and LAcon V; a special amendment to make the category permanent got its first passage in 2025 and was ratified in 2026, becoming effective in 2027; it will need to be re-ratified in 2029.

LODESTAR AWARD FOR BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOK (NOT A HUGO)

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins had the most nominations, started the voting with a solid lead in first-place votes, and held onto the lead for five rounds, only to lose to Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe by C.B. Lee, which had the fewest nominations and was only fourth in first-place votes, but picked up enough votes when other titles dropped, particularly They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran, to pull ahead in the final round. This is one of the interesting effects of the Australian voting system – even big bestsellers with lots of first-place votes can have trouble winning if they don’t have support lower down on the ballot. Sunrise on the Reaping then started in the lead in the voting for second place, but Among Ghosts by Rachel Hartman pulled ahead in the fifth round (again, after the Tran dropped) to take second place. The Collins again led the first three rounds of voting for third place, but it was Tran’s turn to pull ahead in the last round. The Collins then ended up taking fourth place, just two votes ahead of Holy Terrors by Margaret Owen, which then took fifth, leaving Oathbound by Tracy Deonn in sixth. Breath of the Dragon by Shannon Lee & Fonda Lee needed just one more nomination, or 0.18 points, to make the ballot. This was C.B. Lee’s first Lodestar nomination and win.

ASTOUNDING AWARD FOR BEST NEW WRITER (NOT A HUGO)

Antonia Hodgson started out with the most nominations, a big lead in first-place votes, and led throughout the voting to win. H.H. Pak took second place without challenge, Jared Pechaček took third in similar fashion, Sophie Burnham took fourth, Kamilah Cole landed fifth in a single round, and Molly O’Neill followed in fifth. Hodgson and O’Neill were the only two nominees not in their second year of eligibility. Hodgson herself questioned her elegibility in this category, as she has a number of previous novels, but since none of her earlier works had genre elements she was deemed eligible for her first work of SF/F, The Raven Scholar. Two other authors with enough nominations to make the ballot were ruled ineligible due to qualifying publication(s) before 2024: Barbara Truelove and Silvia Park. The closest runner-up was Carolyn Zhao, two nominations away from making the ballot.

–Carolyn F. Cushman

 

Dragon Con was held at multiple hotels and AmericasMart in downtown Atlanta GA from September 3-7, 2026. The Dragon Awards ceremony was held Sunday at 4:00 p.m. (See page 6 for the winners.) A fan-focused event with great attendance, Dragon Con also offered more than 30 event tracks, several of interest to SFF industry professionals. Panels included “Afrofuturism: Building the Future Now” with Afua Richardson, Dedren Snead (m), and Marcus Williams; “Not Quite the End of the World: Cozy Urban Fantasy” with Jarod K. Anderson, Delilah S. Dawson, C.B. Lee, F.T. Lukens, Carol Malcolm (m), and Tao Wong; and much more. Lauded SFF artists such as Tony DiTerlizzi and William Stout were also present, and guests included well-known SFF authors such as Kevin J. Anderson, Matt Din­niman, Sherrilyn Kenyon, K.A. Linde, Timothy Zahn, and more.

A few professional editors and publishers were also in attendance, such as John G. Hartness, Anne Sowards, and Toni Weisskopf. The greatest challenge for industry professionals was finding each other amidst the crowds, but with an Art Show, Masquerade, and a dearth of vendors, exhibits, and workshops, the convention was full of enthusiasm and a sense of community.

–Alice Strangman

Photographers: Paul Peterson and Bill Watters

LAcon V, the 84th World Science Fiction Convention, was held August 27-31, 2026 at the Anaheim Convention Center and Hilton Anaheim & Anaheim Marriott Hotels in Anaheim, California. Guests of honor were novelist Barbara Hambly, cartoonist Colleen Doran, illustrator Tim Kirk, graphic novelist Stan Sakai, screenwriter Ronald D. Moore, fanzine editor Geri Sullivan, and engineer Anita Sengupta; special guests were NASA engineer Tracy Drain and authors Terese Mason Pierre and Tracey Baptiste. Registration reported 4,597 in-person warm bodies from 59 different countries, at least 847 of which were Worldcon first-timers; 8,225 memberships were purchased, 990 of which were virtual. They saw 1,843 memberships sold for WSFS (supporting memberships). Though there were fewer warm bodies than Seattle at 7,177 and Glasgow at 7,300, Anaheim’s total memberships rival last year’s 8,667 in Seattle. In comparison, Glasgow reported over 10,000 total members, and Chengdu 2023 saw a record in-person attendance of 18,895 with over 20,000 total members.

The con hotels were about a five-minute walk from the ACC North where the dealers room and art show were housed, as well as much programming, which ran in the ACC North and the fourth floor of the Hilton. Events used the center arena as well as two ballrooms in the Hilton, all offering enough space that none of the events were ticketed. At night, the Lanai Deck of the Hilton on the fifth floor, which opened up onto the large, well-lit outdoor green, became a central hub for room parties.

This year’s theme was ‘‘Adventure Awaits.’’ Worldcon chair Joyce Lloyd wrote, ‘‘In line with our theme, the directive given to everyone was to provide an adventure around every corner.’’ Exhibits were placed beyond the traditional exhibit area and into the Hilton function space, with photography exhibits, themed backdrops for photo ops, a LEGO play area, and more.

PROGRAMMING

Programming began early on Thursday with several panels, readings, and workshops. The Opening Ceremonies ran that evening with host T. Kingfisher and, after a land acknowledgment and a performance by Toveema, a Tongva song and dance ensemble, saw speeches by Lloyd and the guests of honor and special guests. H. Emiko Ogasawara detailed the Lodestar Trophy design in a recorded video, and Scott Lefton introduced the Hugo Base design in person. Then, the First Fandom Awards were presented by David Ritter. The Big Heart Award went to Ian Stockdale; Hall of Fame to Mike Glyer, Craig Miller, and Bjo Trimble; Hall of Fame, Posthumous to Fredric Brown and Myrtle R. Douglas; and Sam Moskowitz Archive Award to Andrew Porter and David Ritter. Also making an appearance was Fuzzy the Channel Island Fox, LAcon V’s mascot.

Programming was prolific this year, featuring a wide variety of panels, interviews, meetups, workshops, screenings, performances, tours, and much more. There was no pocket program, to the consternation of many. The well-used online program guide (loaded a reported 2.7 million times) featured tags including AI, astronomy and space, contracts, fandom history, gameshow, music, non-Western literature, roleplaying, sustainability, and many genre categories. There were 1,737 scheduled items, with 243 fully virtual, and over 500 recorded for replay to members; participants totaled 1,063, with 168 virtual. There were 356 table talks; 166 readings. For comparison, Seattle reported 1,425 program items and 936 participants; Glasgow reported 789 program items and 976 participants; and Chengdu offered 235 in-person items with a reported 1,200 panelists and guests. Programming worked to platform ‘‘a very strong indigenous languages track with workshops and panels on Navajo, Tongva, and Chumash.’’

Virtual programming was particularly robust. Of the scheduled items, 243 were fully virtual, and over 500 were recorded for replay to members. Included in these numbers was the convention’s joint program stream with the African Science Fiction Society, which hosted ASFS members on several panels and workshops, as well as the Nommo Awards nominees announcement on Thursday morning. Besides the virtual content itself, the convention held a Discord server that accrued approximately 1,600 members, discussing program items at length before and after the items ran.

There was plenty of hands-on content to be found as well. Among the highlights was ‘‘what we believe is the first fully dedicated Makerspace at the convention,’’ according to Lloyd – four rooms were devoted to Makers presentations and demos. There were also gaming spaces throughout the convention, with libraries and equipment courtesy of such organizations as Strategicon and Anime Los Angeles. The Freebies Book Lounge held books, galleys, bookmarks, and more, ‘‘replacing the bookbags given away at some smaller conventions.’’ For those interested in more physical activity, the convention saw the customary morning Stroll with the Stars, tai chi, Muay Thai, dance workshops, full-body improv workshops, and multiple combat sessions presented by the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) Kingdom of Caid. Even before the convention formally started, Anaheim Poet Laureate Camille Hernandez hosted a preconvention poetry event at the city’s public library, and later she moderated a poetry workshop as well.

LAcon V had 78 items listed as ‘‘Kid Friendly.’’ Comparatively, 27 items at Seattle Worldcon were listed as ‘‘Youth’’ and 16 as ‘‘Teen,’’ Glasgow listed 26 as ‘‘Children’s Programme,’’ and Chicon listed 34 tagged with ‘‘children’s program.’’

The Masquerade was Friday night, directed by Richard Man and Karisu Wen. The Award for Best in Show Presentation went to Lance Ikegawa for ‘‘Single Parent’’ and Best in Show Workmanship went to Ed and Jenn for ‘‘Nuada and Nualla from Hellboy 2.’’

DEALERS’ ROOM

Located in the spacious Exhibits Hall, the dealers’ room was a huge hall where dealers were interspersed with exhibits, hangout spaces, signing tables, GOH booths, bid tables, and many empty booths and tables that never filled, wrapped around the art show, which was draped or paneled off from view. The overall effect was that the rather daunting space was sparsely occupied and it never felt the hum of business. There were 120 total dealers offering ‘‘books, jewelry, artwork, collectables, and more.’’ Dealers included Bad Habit Publishing, Tachyon, PM Press, Locus, the Scribe Tribe, and many other indie publishers; Clarkesworld Magazine; Indigenous Tongva people; jewelers, artisans, author tables, and more. Many vendors colonized the empty spaces and we heard from many that the layout was uncomfortably disjointed. Randee Dawn of Armchair News said, ‘‘I sold better here than I’ve ever done before, so I have no complaints about that. But I was all the way in the back of the room, near tables that never were filled up, and it felt a little empty and abandoned,’’ a sentiment others echoed. ‘‘My only real issue was the cold in the room. I brought some nice frocks to wear and had to have a quilted flannel over them! But seriously, it was cold.’’

Patrick Swenson of Fairwood Press said, ‘‘I was very much spoiled by the Seattle Worldcon last year, but this year was not terrible. Considerably less sales, though…. Last year in Seattle the traffic was steady all the time. This year, there were pockets of quiet time, and then some steady times and some rushes. Having the art show in the middle of all the dealers was not the best decision made for the exhibits area. Trying to navigate paying for Wi-Fi (or electricity) and actually getting it was difficult. I never got mine, and I hope to see a refund for what I paid.’’

Shahid Mahmud said, ‘‘We had four tables for Arc Manor/Caezik. We found the room too large and strangely laid out (no segregated sections for dealers and other items like art shows etc., so kind of dispersed all over the place). I think the expansive space with wide empty spaces also made it seem like there was a lot less foot traffic than in Seattle. We had multiple inquiries of people getting frustrated trying to find particular booths since there did not seem to be a comprehensive map and the overall layout made it difficult to locate specific vendors.’’

ART SHOW

The exhibit hall of the ACC North saw the participation of 141 artists, 2,398 pieces on display, and 1,933 prints for sale. This was the first Worldcon to display the work of backdrop/scene painters. Organizers reported sales numbers reaching $140,000 in total buyer payments. There were two internal special displays for Frank Kelly Freas and Vincent Villafranca. Best in Show went to K.L. Wollons for ‘‘Dhiala Waning’’, Best Color 2D went to Barbara Hambly for ‘‘The War Doctor’’, Best Monochrome 2D went to Vincent Di Fate for ‘‘Who Goes There?’’, best 3D went to Vincent Villafranca for ‘‘The Monster Tree’’, Best Fabric Art went to Kestrel Michaud, Best Mixed Media went to Snail Scott for ‘‘Guardian’’, Judges’ Choice went to Daniel Gonzalez for ‘‘Canción Nocterna’’, and the Judges’ Choice for Body of Work went to Brittany Otto. The judges were Elizabeth Klein-Lebbink, Meghan Lancaster, Edie Stern, Joe Siclari, and David Stein.

PARTIES/CON SUITE

The Con Suite was well attended, located at the Hilton in room 5505 from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. every day except Monday and offering snacks and beverages for all attendees. The room parties were ‘‘a hit,’’ per Lloyd. There were parties for the Edmonton and Brisbane Worldcon bids and for the Montréal Worldcon, as well as an Asian Fantasy Book Party, a party run by the cast of the Writing Excuses podcast, parties titled ‘‘90 Years of Cons’’ and ‘‘We Interrupt This Party’’, Brotherhood Without Banners, Space Bar, and more. All room parties set on the Lanai deck opened onto a shared central courtyard. Geri Sullivan’s suite, ‘‘Toad Woods West’’, was a popular destination, not least because she hosted and lent the suite to multiple parties throughout the convention. Other publisher and agent mixers were held off-site and in the hotels, as well as a combined Locus & Saga party in the presidential suite.

CON PUBLICATIONS

The souvenir book was the main guide to the convention, a hefty 160-page full-size perfect bound publication, with a cover boasting Big Foot by GOH Tim Kirk. A letter from the chair Joyce Lloyd was followed by introductions to the guests of honor, special guests, and toastmaster Ursula Vernon; essays on Worldcons past; sections on the awards, including a full list of Hugo finalists and the membership list, and a section about WSFS.

The Fuzzy Pink Papers, the convention newsletter published online and in print at the convention, offered regular status updates, featuring programming updates, useful information, announcements, award results, and more.

HUGO AWARDS

The Hugo Awards Ceremony capped off the night of Sunday, August 30, 2026 at the ACC Arena, running from about 8:00 to 11:00 p.m. The event was livestreamed through the convention member portal as well as on YouTube. There was an autocaptioner, though it tended to lag behind, and multiple interpreters. Organizers estimate the in-person audience at 2,500 viewers, and as of September 9, the YouTube livestream had over 10,000 views. The toastmaster this year was T. Kingfisher, whose cheerful energy, hats, and abundant supply of animal facts kept viewers well entertained for the extended show. Although the ceremony experienced some technical issues, notably a corrupted slide deck, all content was shown. Finalist names were read in a prepared audio recording by Frank Todaro, and musical accompaniment was provided by the South Side Symphony.

After Kingfisher’s lively extended opening, as she stalled for time for the A/V team, Hugo administrator Tammy Coxen shared that the awards received 1,488 nominations and ballots from 2,492 members across all 21 categories. Kingfisher then returned to the stage to lead the In Memoriam for the many contributors to the SF scene who died in the past year, although technical issues delayed the playing of the video until later.

Emily Hockaday presented the Astounding Award for Best New Writer to Antonia Hodgson. Hodgson said, ‘‘My first novel, which was unpublished for good reason, was a Gothic vampire saga. My writing took a detour, but my heart has always remained fantastical. This award really does mean the world to me. No more detours. You’re stuck with me, I’m afraid.’’ She thanked the voters, fellow nominees, Hodderscape, Orbit US, her agent, and everyone at Worldcon.

Tracey Baptiste presented the Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book to C.B. Lee for Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe. Lee, attending Worldcon for the first time, said, ‘‘Thank you all so much! I didn’t write a speech because I didn’t think that a little queer cozy novel could even be nominated.… But a novel that celebrates joy is not little.’’ They thanked their five-year-old child, partners, agent, and ‘‘I don’t know, cheese and frogs and all the wonderful things in the world,’’ and all the nominees.

Terese Mason Pierre presented the award for Best Poem to Elis Montgomery for ‘‘Hex Supply Customer Support Log’’. Montgomery, also a first-time Worldcongoer, thanked Jennifer Hudak, LAcon, the readers and voters, the poets of the Speculative Poetry Initiative, and more, and encouraged everyone to vote to make the category a permanent installment of the Hugos.

Tim Kirk presented the award for Best Fan Artist to Yuumei, who said in a virtual acceptance speech, ‘‘I am so grateful to everyone who has supported my art over the years. Your support allowed me to dream and create to the fullest.’’

Mike Glyer presented the Best Fan Writer Award to Jason Sanford. Chris Barkley accepted and read Sanford’s speech, beginning, ‘‘Oh shit, I guess I should have attended Worldcon.’’ Sanford expressed ‘‘I’m honored that people see my journalism and essays as worthy of standing among the writings of these wonderful people.’’ He thanked his mother, his children, Lucienne Diver, Barkley, his readers, and more. He thanked SF/F as a genre for ‘‘help[ing] me realize there’s nothing wrong with me’’ as a neurodiverse child and said, ‘‘We will always be here, living, seeing, loving, dying. We are as normal as life itself.’’

Tracy Drain presented the Best Fancast Award to Hugo, Girl! Amy Salley, Kevin Anderson, and Lori Anderson accepted, expressing extensive thanks and acknowledging Haley Zapal, who could not attend. Lori addressed ‘‘anyone creating fan work: Thank you for sharing your art with the world. In a society where everything is increasingly profit-driven, making cool stuff just because you love to do it and then giving it away for free is an act of resistance. Keep it up.’’

After the In Memoriam ran successfully, Geri Sullivan presented the award for Best Fanzine to nerds of a feather, flock together. G. Brown, Vance Kotrla and Paul Weimer accepted. Brown said, ‘‘The role of a fanzine like nerds of a feather, flock together, as I see it, is not only to celebrate the art that we all love, but to shine a light on these imagined worlds and how they contribute to our shared understanding of what it means to be human.’’ The cast thanked their team and families.

Neil Clarke presented the Best Semiprozine Award to Uncanny Magazine. Michael Damian Thomas accepted by video and thanked the magazine staff, Worldcon staff, the Space Unicorn Ranger Corps, and his family. Betsy Aoki also accepted in person, saying, ‘‘It’s been a bad year for speculative fiction magazines. We’ve seen too many good journals close. It’s really through the gracious community support that Uncanny Magazine has that we’ve been able to keep going another year and we’re grateful.’’

Colleen Doran presented the Best Professional Artist Award to John Picacio, who thanked Doran, Leigh Bardugo, New Leaf Literary, his editor, creative director, family, and more, and dedicated the award to his recently passed brother-in-law.

The award for Best Editor, Short Form was presented by Anita Sengupta to Neil Clarke, who said, ‘‘Twenty years ago this October, Clarkesworld published its first issue. It’s something I never thought would last that long, and my plus-one this evening thought he was here to help me with the table – and to be fair, I helped him with the table in the Dealers’ Room. But I wanted Sean Wallace here because he’s the person that talked me into taking this job. He’s worked by my side this entire time.… I never thought that I would find a career in this.’’ He also encouraged everyone to support the fundraiser for fellow finalist Sheila Williams and her health care.

The award for Best Editor, Long Form was presented by Patrick Nielsen Hayden to Diana M. Pho. Pho accepted, saying, ‘‘One word echoes in my head, said by so many this evening: despite. We are here, we’re alive, despite everything.… Let us keep our spirits, the spite, the fight, and the adventure, and for those who are against these values of love and acceptance, in the words of a great man, ‘Change your heart or die.’’’ She thanked the Worldcon community, family, friends, colleagues, and many others.

Tanya DePass presented the Best Game or Interactive Work Award to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Lead writer Jennifer Svedberg-Yen accepted, saying, ‘‘It is an honor to be here today to celebrate the artistic minds of folks who have inspired us, delighted us, and made us think and feel, and I hope we never lose sight of what makes us human and what humans can contribute to each other.’’

Ronald D. Moore presented the award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form to Murderbot: ‘‘All Systems Red’’. Chris Weitz accepted with several others of the show staff, including Martha Wells and actor David Daltsmachian, saying, ‘‘It has been the privilege of a lifetime to be able to make this incredibly well-funded fan fiction.’’

David Gerrold presented the award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form to Sinners, although Ryan Coogler was not able to attend and did not share a speech.

Charlie Jane Anders presented the Best Related Work Award to ‘‘Inventing the Renaissance’’ by Ada Palmer. Palmer, unable to attend, accepted by video, though it was not able to be played immediately. She thanked her agent, advisors, fellow scholars, publishing teams, family, blog readers, and more. ‘‘Critics have called the book innovative, but Worldcon is where that innovation comes from, so it means the world to me to see my weird bridge book welcomed here.’’

Stan Sakai presented the award for Best Graphic Story or Comic to A Wizard of Earthsea: A Graphic Novel. Fred Fordham shared a video acceptance speech expressing many thanks.

The award for Best Series was presented by Barbara Hambly to the Old Man’s War series by John Scalzi, who accepted and said, ‘‘I and some other members of the Best Series crew made a pact that whoever won, the rest of us would flip them off. You don’t do that if you don’t love the people that you are in your field with.’’ He thanked editor Patrick Nielsen Hayden and his wife Kristine.

The award for Best Short Story, presented by Larry Niven, went to ‘‘In My Country’’ by Thomas Ha. Ha expressed thanks to the voters, Clarkesworld, finalists, winners, family, and more, and said, ‘‘I know it’s hard to find the motivation, at least it is for me and I know that it is for some others. It is endless and relentless the way the world’s upended every other day, but I hope other writers, especially newer writers who are just starting out… I hope you just keep going and follow the impulse and the compulsion. You can’t let anyone take that away from you.’’

Mary Robinette Kowal presented the award for Best Novelette to ‘‘Never Eaten Vegetables’’ by H.H. Pak, who accepted with surprise. ‘‘In the absence of words, I’m just filled with gratitude,’’ they said, and thanked Clarkesworld, their readers, their teachers and professors, and their mother.

Harry Turtledove presented the award for Best Novella to The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar. She thanked her fellow finalists, voters, Worldcon volunteers, her agent and editorial team, family, and more. ‘‘The process of seeing The River Has Roots published was a process of being constantly humbled by how much extraordinary art and skill went into making it a beautiful object to hold and experience,’’ she said, recognizing Gem Carmella, Jeff Miller, Kathleen Neeley, and Steve Wagner for their work on the art and audiobook. ‘‘Free Palestine, trans rights are inviolable human rights, borders are bullshit, and we are bound together in this world to fight for the liberation of all people.’’

Kingfisher presented the award for Best Novel, in an envelope delivered by R2-D2, to The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow. El-Mohtar read Harrow’s speech. ‘‘This is a moment when both love and stories are being systematically devalued, distorted, suppressed, stolen, banned. I don’t know how we’re going to get through it sometimes. Then I start listing people again, the people who keep fighting and yelling at their senators and giving to bail funds and loving each other and telling stories. I want to thank all of you for loving a love story in times like these. It is by far the luckiest, most unlikely thing in a life of unlikely and lucky things.’’

ACCESSIBILITY ISSUES

After some reports about accessibility concerns at the awards and around the hotel, as well as ableist language used with one of the finalists, LAcon V’s chair issued a statement.

‘‘LAcon V recognizes that there were failures in accessibility and communication surrounding our main stage during the convention. The rear backstage ramp did not meet ADA accessibility requirements, and as a result we failed to provide the level of access that we intended and that our community has every right to expect. While this originated with a third-party vendor issue, responsibility for ensuring an accessible experience remained ours. We also failed to communicate the problem, its impact, and potential solutions effectively to those affected.

We recognize that this created barriers for attendees using mobility devices and caused understandable frustration, disappointment, and exclusion. We are deeply sorry for that harm.’’

For the complete statement, see their website.

WORLDCON 2027 AND BEYOND

The 85th World SF Convention, Montréal Worldcon 2027, will be held at the Palais de Congrès de Montréal in Québec, Canada, September 2-6, 2027, featuring guests of honor Linda D. Addison, Cory Doctorow, Chris Barkley, Jeph Jacques, Yves Meynard, Jo Walton, and more to be announced.

The 86th World SF Convention, Aussiecon 5, is scheduled for July 27-31, 2028 at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre in Brisbane (Meanjin), Australia, featuring guests of honor Claire G. Coleman, David Gaider, Kathleen Jennings, Seanan McGuire, Perry Middlemiss, Jonathan Strahan, and more to be announced.

–Alice Strangman & Liza Groen Trombi

A selection of photos from the convention follows.

Montréal 2027, the 85th World Science Fiction Convention, has added Linda D. Addison and Cory Doctorow as guests of honor. Doctorow will be toastmaster for Montréal 2027.

Addison and Doctorow join previously announced guests of honor Chris Barkley, Jeph Jacques, Yves Meynard, and Jo Walton. Montréal 2027 Worldcon will be held September 2-6, 2027 at the Palais des congrès de Montréal in Québec, Canada. For more information, see the official website.

The post Montréal 2027 Adds Addison and Doctorow as Guests of Honor appeared first on Locus.

The August 30 LAcon V WSFS business meeting voted to censure and place bans of varying lengths on four officials for their “actions related to the 2023 Worldcon”: Dave McCarty, the 2023 Hugo administrator, Yao Chi, a 2023 Hugo co-administrator, Shi Chen, a 2023 Worldcon co-chair, and Ben Yalow, also a 2023 Worldcon co-chair.

According to a recap of the session posted by Business Meeting Chair Jesi Lipp, “future Worldcons are requested to ban Dave McCarty indefinitely from WSFS membership and from joining any future Worldcon, and from volunteering at any future Worldcon in any capacity.”

Yao Chi and Shi Chen are each censured and banned for two years as well as banned “from joining any future Worldcon committees in a leading capacity.”

Yalow is censured and banned for five years as well as banned “from volunteering for any future Worldcon in any capacity.”

For more info on the LAcon V WSFS Meeting, see Lipp’s recap.

The post Four Chengdu Worldcon Officials Banned appeared first on Locus.

LAcon V has announced that Aussiecon 5 and the Brisbane in 2028 bid won the right to host the 2028 Worldcon. The 86th World Science Fiction Convention will be held July 27-31, 2028 at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre in Brisbane, Australia.

Guests of honor announced so far include Claire G. Coleman, David Gaider, Kathleen Jennings, Seanan McGuire, Perry Middlemiss, and Jonathan Strahan.

According to File 770, Brisbane bid received 610 out of 682 votes cast. There was no opposing bid, as the Nuremberg in 2028 group withdrew earlier in the year.

For more, or to purchase you membership before rates rise, see the Worldcon in Brisbane 2028 website.

The post Worldcon 2028 Site Selection: Brisbane appeared first on Locus.

Westercon 80, to be held in 2028 by the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society (LASFS) in conjunction with Loscon 54, will officially be the final Westercon after voters at its 2026 business meeting ratified a motion to repeal its bylaws. Following Loscon 54/Westercon 80, the convention “will be deemed to have ‘returned its charter’ to the owner of the Westercon service mark, LASFS,” which will determine its future going forward.

Westercon’s press release cited a lack of bids to host the convention and the proliferation of localized conventions across western North America that “filled the same role that Westercon once held” as reasons behind its discontinuement. Active since 1948, Westercon will pay homage to its history with its final two events, a planned “retirement tour” spanning from the Bay Area to its birthplace in Los Angeles.

The penultimate Westercon (79) will be held jointly with BayCon 2027 at the Santa Clara Marriott in Santa Clara, California, July 2-5, 2027. For more information, visit Westercon’s website.