NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Science fiction convention

Science fiction conventions are gatherings of the community of fans (called science fiction fandom) of various forms of speculative fiction including science fiction and fantasy. Historically the focus has been on the written form rather than audiovisual media representations, but this has broadened to include all forms of storytelling. People in attendance at a science fiction convention are traditionally known as members of the convention; invited celebrities including authors are commonly known as guests of the convention, though many professionals including authors will simply attend as members. Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Some notable science fiction novels, in alphabetical order by title: Contents: Top - 0â€“9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z - External links 0â€“9 1632 by Eric Flint 1633 by... Note that this partial list contains some authors whose works of fantastic fiction would today be called science fiction, even if they predate, or did not work in that genre. ... Poster for 2001: A Space Odyssey, an archetypal science fiction film Science fiction film is a film genre that uses speculative, science-based depictions of imaginary phenomena such as extra-terrestrial lifeforms, alien worlds, and time travel, often along with technological elements such as futuristic spacecraft, robots, or other technologies. ... Science fiction fandom or SF fandom is the community of people actively interested in science fiction and fantasy literature, and in contact with one another based upon that interest. ... Speculative fiction - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Fantasy is a genre of art that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. ...

Anatomy of a typical science fiction convention

Many conventions have Guest(s) of Honor (GoH). These guests are the headliners of the convention. A convention can have as many Guests of Honor as the convention committee wishes. Often conventions will also honor Fan Guests who are not celebrities but have made a significant contribution to the fan community. Along with the author and perhaps fan Guests of Honor, a convention can have an Artist GoH, Editor GoH, Fan GoH, Filk or Music GoH, a Toastmaster, and Special Guests. Filk is a form of music created from within fandom, and performed generally late at night at science fiction conventions. ...

Getting Started

Although wide variations exist between different conventions, there is a general pattern that most adhere to. Nearly every weekend of the year now has at least one convention somewhere in the United States. Some conventions are held on holiday weekends where four or more days can be devoted to events. Image File history File links Sfcon-registration-ddb. ... Image File history File links Sfcon-registration-ddb. ...

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Program

Panel-led discussions, or Panels, usually fill up the daytime hours of most conventions with typically one-hour discussions of topics related to Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Fandom in general. Some conventions have well-attended, scheduled panels starting as late as midnight. Panel members (even professionals) are not customarily paid for their appearance, although many conventions rebate the membership fees of program participants after the convention. Image File history File linksMetadata Sfcon-ellison-talk-ddb. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Sfcon-ellison-talk-ddb. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Fantasy is a genre of art that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. ... Fandom (from the noun fan and the affix -dom, as in kingdom, dukedom, etc. ...

Some program items are set presentations by experts. Science speakers are among the most popular program items at many conventions. Slides (either photographic or PowerPoint), video clips, sometimes even handouts might be used for such presentations. Image File history File linksMetadata Sfcon-after-panel-ddb. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Sfcon-after-panel-ddb. ...

Readings and "kaffeeklatsches" are program items where a single author either reads from their work or has an informal discussion with their fans.

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Special Events

The first night of the convention "Opening Ceremonies" are often held, where organizers and marquee guests are introduced and speeches might be made. Sometimes, conventions will have a skits, musical performances, video clips, or other samples of the convention as part of the Opening Ceremonies. Image File history File linksMetadata Sfcon-music-session-ddb. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Sfcon-music-session-ddb. ...

A costume contest called a masquerade is often held where persons go on stage and compete for nominal prizes based on their skill in assembling and presenting genre-inspired outfits. This is truly more a "talent show" rather than the "fancy dress ball" that the term suggests (although British fandom sometimes uses the term "fancy dress"). Anime fans might refer to the masquerade as cosplay, but there are notable and subtle distinctions between the terms. A masquerade ball (or masque) is an event which the participants attend in costume, usually including a mask. ... The main cast of the anime Cowboy Bebop (1998) (L to R: Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Ed Tivrusky, Faye Valentine, and Ein the dog) For the oleo-resin, see AnimÃ© (oleo-resin). ... Cosplayers Cosplay ), a contraction (or portmanteau) of the English words costume and play, is a Japanese subculture centered on dressing as characters from manga, anime, tokusatsu, and video games, and, less commonly, Japanese live action television shows, fantasy movies, or Japanese pop music bands. ...

Some conventions feature award ceremonies, in which the best works and most notable individuals are recognized for their contributions to the field. Worldcon has several award ceremonies, most importantly the Hugo Awards, but also the Sidewise Award for Alternate History and other awards. The Hugo Award is given every year for the best science fiction or fantasy stories of the previous year, and for related areas in fandom, art and dramatic presentation. ... The Sidewise Award for Alternate history was established in 1995 to recognize the best alternate history stories and novels of the year. ...

Just as art shows display the visual aspect of science fiction, many conventions include concerts or other music-oriented events as part of the convention. Often these are performances by filkers, though other musicians may also appear at a con. Filk is a musical culture, genre, and community tied to science fiction/fantasy fandom, active since the early 1950s if concentrated primarily since the mid-1970s. ...

A convention may have one or more auctions. The Art Auction is an event where the most popular items from the art show are sold to the most interested buyers at the convention. Many conventions also have auctions for charities, either formal or fannish; the latter would include auctions on behalf of TAFF (TransAtlantic Fan Fund) or DUFF (Down Under Fan Fund). The Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund was created in 1953 for the purpose of providing funds to bring well-known and popular members of science fiction fandom familiar to fans on both sides of the ocean, across the Atlantic. ...

Evening entertainment often includes a combination of official and unofficial events, including concerts, dances, formal invitational dinners, and fandom-themed room parties. Additionally, other convention committees hold room parties in order to promote their own convention and to sell memberships. A bid party is a room party held to influence the choice of the location of a future convention (such as WorldCon) by advertising its advantages.

Some conventions have a Closing Ceremony to formally mark the end of the convention. Depending on the convention, this can be a major gathering of most of the membership, or it may be lightly attended or dispensed with entirely as members are occupied with packing up and checking out of the hotel.

Exhibits and Fixed Functions

A Dealer's or Huckster's Room is available, where merchants sell wares of interest to fans. These include books, action figures, prop replicas and t-shirts. Similarly, there is often an Art Show where genre-inspired art is displayed and usually made available for auction or purchase. Smaller conventions may simply have an informal Dealer's Row, a section of hotel rooms from which dealers sell goods, while larger conventions may have both an official dealer's room and an unofficial dealer's row. An action figure is a posable plastic figurine of an action hero, superhero or a character from a movie or television program. ...

The Art Show is generally an open art exhibition; that is, it is open to all comers and all art submitted is exhibited for sale. This naturally leads to a wide variety of types of artwork, from professional illustrations to outsider art, with many amateur works. The subject matter is tailored to the interests of fandom, i. e. many spaceships, dragons, unicorns, vampires, cat girls etc. Art shows often permit sales by artists, which is a significant source of income for some artists. Art exhibitions are traditionally the space in which art objects (in the most general sense) meet an audience, a temporary presentation of art. ... Adolf WÃ¶lflis Irren-Anstalt Band-Hain, 1910 The term Outsider Art was coined by art critic Roger Cardinal in 1972 as an English synonym for Art Brut (which literally translates as Raw Art or Rough Art), a label created by French artist Jean Dubuffet to describe art created... A spacecraft is a vessel, craft or device designed to operate beyond the surface of the Earth in outer space. ... Chinese dragon, color engraving on wood, Chinese school, 19th Century The dragon is a mythical creature typically depicted as a large and powerful serpent or other reptile with magical or spiritual qualities. ... The unicorn is a mythical beast usually depicted with the body of a horse, but with a single â€“ usually spiral â€“ horn growing out of its forehead (hence its name from Latin unus one and cornus horn). The unicorns blood and horn supposedly have mystical healing properties. ... Vampire fiction covers the spectrum of literary work concerned principally with the subject of vampires. ... Felicia A catgirl is a woman or girl with cat ears, a cat tail, or other feline accoutrements on an otherwise human-shaped body; they are found semi-commonly in anime and manga either as a form of cosplay or actual body parts, as well as in a few video...

Many conventions have video rooms in which genre-related audiovisual presentations take place, typically commercial Hollywood movies, genre television show episodes, and anime. If there are multiple media rooms, each one may have themed content. ... For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as... The main cast of the anime Cowboy Bebop (1998) (L to R: Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Ed Tivrusky, Faye Valentine, and Ein the dog) For the oleo-resin, see AnimÃ© (oleo-resin). ...

Game Rooms are also available at some conventions for attendees to play a variety of genre games, including collectible card games like Magic: The Gathering, role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons, miniatures games like Warhammer 40,000, and board games like Settlers of Catan. Easy, fast-playing card games, e.g. Apples to Apples, are popular as they don't require a large time commitment or deep knowledge of rules, allowing casual gamers to join. Collectible card games (CCGs), also called trading card games (TCGs) or customizable card games (a phrase specific to two Decipher, Inc. ... Magic: The Gathering (colloq. ... This article is about traditional role-playing games. ... The original Dungeons & Dragons set Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as D&D or DnD) is a fantasy role-playing game (RPG) published by Gary Gygax and David Arneson in January 1974. ... Miniatures games are a form of wargame in which a battle is played out using small figures to represent the units involved. ... This article is about the tabletop miniature wargame and the fictional universe in which it is set. ... A board game is a game played with counters or pieces that are placed on, removed from, or moved across a board (a premarked surface, usually specific to that game). ... Settlers of Catan is a multiplayer board game invented by Klaus Teuber, first published in 1995 in Germany by Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co. ...

Con Suite

The Convention Hospitality Suite or Consuite is often provided as a room reserved for light refreshments, a quiet conversation, and a place to briefly rest. The refreshments typically include coffee, tea, juice or soda, and light meals appropriate for the time of day. Depending on local liquor distribution and liability laws, the suite may serve alcohol. At conventions in the United Kingdom, the provision of cask ale is generally considered essential. Dram shop or Dramshop is a legal term in the United States referring to a bar, tavern or the like where alcoholic beverages are sold. ... Cask ale is the term given to unfiltered and unpasteurised beer which is conditioned and served from a cask without additional pressure. ...

Many conventions have dead dog party in the evening of the last day of the convention, after closing ceremonies, usually in the con suite.This is the traditional winding-down party where few of the attendees are likely to have huge amounts of energy. This party is an attempt to ease people back into the real world outside of convention and can be an effective method of warding off the depression, which is often associated with the end of a major event. Analogies can be drawn to the decompression parties following large events such as Burning Man. A Decompression party refers to a period of time spent by deep sea divers either in decompression chambers or at various depths on their way to the surface to gradually adjust to surface pressure in order to avoid the bends. ... Burning Man is an eight-day-long festival organized by Black Rock City, LLC, under the guidance of founder Larry Harvey. ...

Types of conventions

Since the first Philcon in Philadelphia in 1936, local conventions have been organized in many cities around the world, either as one-time or annual events. Some cities have a number of science fiction conventions, as well as a number of special interest conventions for anime, media, or other related groups. Some conventions move from city to city, serving a particular country, region, or special interest across. This is a list of annual science fiction conventions. ... Philcon, also known as the Philadelphia Science Fiction Conference, is an annual science fiction convention, held in or near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, every year starting in 1936 (except during World War II). ...

Regional conventions

Before the age of inexpensive travel, regional conventions arose to attract fans from broad geographical areas. The oldest of these is Westercon, which rotates among regions in the western United States and Canada. Eurocon is held each year somewhere in Europe, often in eastern European countries where fandom is a new phenomenon. DeepSouthCon is held in the Southern United States, with a focus on Southern culture in science fiction. Westercon is a Science Fiction and Fantasy convention founded in September 1948 by Walter J. Doc Dougherty of the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society. ... Eurocon is an annual science fiction convention held in Europe. ... Historic Southern United States. ...

Media conventions

Some conventions are focused on "media", that is, science fiction on film and television. There are general media conventions covering a broad range of science fiction in media, such as Toronto Trek, and then there are conventions focused on a single body of work, such as "Celebration," the official Star Wars convention, "Galaxyfest," the yearly event in Vulcan, Alberta dedicated to Star Trek, and BotCon, the official Transformers convention. Most media conventions are commercial shows run for profit, though some are organized by fan groups similar to general science fiction conventions. Toronto Trek is an annual Science Fiction fantasy convention, held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ... Celebration is an Official Star Wars convention held during banner years of the franchise. ... This article is about the series. ... The town of Vulcan is located midway between the cities of Calgary and Lethbridge, in the southern part of Alberta, Canada. ... The current Star Trek franchise logo Star Trek is an epic American science fiction franchise. ... BotCon, briefly known as The Official Transformers Collectors Convention (or OTFCC) is an annual convention for Transformers fans and collectors. ... A Transformer is a fictional robot that is able to transform, rearranging itself into a common and innocuous form, such as a car, aircraft, or animal. ...

Comic and "Popular Culture" conventions

From comics and media fandom, a category of "popular culture" conventions has emerged, such as Comic-Con International and Dragon*Con in Atlanta. These events have become much larger than traditional SF conventions; nearly a hundred thousand people attend Comic-Con in San Diego each year. This article is about the fan convention. ... Dragon Con (also Dragon*Con) is North Americas largest science fiction convention, held annually in Atlanta, Georgia. ...

Special interest conventions

There are many conventions focused on particular special interests within science fiction. For example, Wiscon is focused on feminist and gender-studies, where the James Tiptree awards are presented. Filking conventions such as Ohio Valley Filk Fest, FilkOntario, and GAFilk gather those interested in science fiction-related music. Costume con gathers people from around the world interested in mainly science fiction costuming. Penguicon combines science fiction with technology, particularly Linux and open source software. WisCon, the Wisconsin Science Fiction Convention, is generally acknowledged as the worlds only feminist-oriented science fiction convention and conference. ... Penguicon is the only convention in the United States that brings together the often-overlapping communities of Science Fiction Fandom and Linux User Groups. ... Linux refers to any Unix-like computer operating system which uses the Linux kernel. ... Open source refers to projects that are open to the public and which draw on other projects that are freely available to the general public. ...

Global award conventions

World Science Fiction Convention

One of the major activities of the members of the Worldcon is nominating and voting for what works and individuals will receive the Hugo awards that year. The awards are presented at the convention. Worldcon, or more formally The World Science Fiction Convention, is the longest running science fiction convention, having been held from 1939 to 1941 and, after the interruption of World War II, every year since 1946. ... The 2005 Hugo Award with base designed by Deb Kosiba. ...

With the success of Worldcon, hundreds of local and regional science fiction conventions have sprung up around the world. At these conventions, fans of science fiction come together with the professional writers, artists, and filmmakers in the genre to discuss its many aspects.

Since most such conventions are entirely volunteer run, a breed of fan known as Smofs has developed its own community and knowledge share to keep convention-running traditions alive. SMOF is a term used within the science fiction fan community. ...

World Fantasy Convention

Fantasy is usually considered alongside science fiction at conventions (the terms were used interchangeably for most of the period from 1926-1966). Conventions that are nominally science fiction conventions such as WorldCon are usually also fantasy conventions in all but name. World Fantasy Convention was begun in 1975, held yearly thereafter. The World Fantasy Convention, however, is less oriented toward the fan community, and is primarily a professional gathering (for writers, editors, publishers, etc.). Many of those who attend "World Fantasy" also attend Worldcon. However, this convention is more focused on authors and publishing, with a much higher proportion of authors in attendance; as such it does not usually include the broad range of events (masquerade, dances, video room, etc.) that one will find at a general-interest convention. The World Fantasy Convention is an annual gathering of professionals, collectors, and others interested in the field of fantasy. ... Fantasy is a genre of art that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. ... Year 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar). ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... Worldcon, or more formally The World Science Fiction Convention, is the longest running science fiction convention, having been held from 1939 to 1941 and, after the interruption of World War II, every year since 1946. ... The World Fantasy Convention is an annual gathering of professionals, collectors, and others interested in the field of fantasy. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Science fiction fandom or SF fandom is the community of people actively interested in science fiction and fantasy literature, and in contact with one another based upon that interest. ...

History

The precise time and place of the first science fiction convention is a matter of some dispute. Sometime in 1936, a group of British fans made plans to have an organized get-together, with a planned program of events, in a public function space, in early 1937. On October 22, 1936, however, a group of six or seven fans from New York City, including David Kyle and Frederik Pohl, travelled by train down to Philadelphia, where they visited for several hours with a similar number of local fans at the house of Milton A. Rothman, declaring the event the first science fiction convention. 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Year 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... October 22 is the 295th day of the year (296th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 70 days remaining. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Nickname: Big Apple, Gotham Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1613 - Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area - City 1,214. ... David Kyle is a New York-based fan since the earliest days of organized science fiction fandom. ... Frederik Pohl (born November 26, 1919) is a noted American science fiction writer and editor, with a career spanning over sixty years. ... Nickname: City of Brotherly Love, Philly, the Quaker City Motto: Philadelphia maneto (Let brotherly love continue) Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Mayor John F. Street (D) Area - City 369. ... Milton A. Rothman (1919, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania â€“ October 6, 2001, Wyncote, Pennsylvania) was an American science fiction writer and fan, as well as a nuclear physicist. ...

On January 3, 1937, the British fans held their long-planned event at the Theosophical Hall in Leeds. Around twenty fans, including Eric Frank Russell and Arthur C. Clarke, were in attendance. To this day, many fan historians — especially those in the United Kingdom — complain that the Philadelphia meeting was a convention in name only; while other fan historians point out that many similar gatherings since then have been called "conventions" without eliciting any disagreement. January 3 is the 3rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Statistics Population: 726,000 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SE297338 Administration Metropolitan borough: City of Leeds Metropolitan county: West Yorkshire Region: Yorkshire and the Humber Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: West Yorkshire Historic county: Yorkshire (West Riding) Services Police force: West Yorkshire Police Fire and... Eric Frank Russell (January 6, 1905 - February 28, 1978) was an English science fiction author, producing some of the best humorous science fiction of his time. ... Sir Arthur Charles Clarke (born December 16, 1917) is a British author and inventor, most famous for his science-fiction novel 2001: A Space Odyssey, and for collaborating with director Stanley Kubrick on the film of the same name. ...

Nevertheless, by 1939, American fans had organized sufficiently to hold, in conjunction with the 1939 World's Fair, the first "World Science Fiction Convention," in New York City. Subsequent conventions were held in Chicago in 1940 and Denver in 1941. Like many cultural events, it was suspended during World War II. Conventions resumed in 1946 with the hosting of the World Science Fiction Convention in Los Angeles, California. The first Worldcon held outside the United States was Torcon I in Toronto; since then, Worldcons have been held in Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, and in 2007, Japan, although the majority of Worldcons are still held each year within the United States. 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Trylon, Perisphere and Helicline photo by Sam Gottscho The 1939 New York Worlds Fair, located on the current site of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park (also the location of the 1964 New York Worlds Fair), was one of the largest worlds fairs of all time. ... Nickname: Big Apple, Gotham Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1613 - Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area - City 1,214. ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area City 606. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Nickname: The Mile-High City Location of Denver in Colorado Coordinates: Country United States State Colorado City-County Denver (coextensive) Founded November 22, 1858 Incorporated November 7, 1861 Mayor John Hickenlooper (D) Area - City 401. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom France Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Charles de Gaulle Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian... Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Nickname: City of Angels Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: State California County Los Angeles County - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Area - City 1290. ...

Pros at Conventions

Conventions provide a forum for fans to see first-hand and meet their favorite authors and artists. They also serve the interests of authors, editors, and other publishing professionals, providing opportunities for networking, promotion, and a convenient location for contract negotiations and other business meetings, not to mention editors and agents taking authors for dinner.

Encyclopedia > Science fiction convention

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