The 36th World Science Fiction Convention (

Worldcon Worldcon, officially the World Science Fiction Convention, the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS), is a science fiction convention. It has been held each year since 1939 (except for the years 1942 to 1945, during Wor ...

), also known as IguanaCon II, was held on 30 August–4 September 1978 at the

Hyatt Regency Phoenix The Hyatt Regency Phoenix is a Convention (meeting), convention hotel in Downtown Phoenix, Downtown Phoenix, Arizona, United States. It is 317 feet (97 m) tall and has 24 floors. It was completed in 1976. The top floor has a revolving restau ...

, Adams House,

Phoenix Convention Center The Phoenix Convention Center is an events venue in downtown Phoenix, Arizona located along East Monroe, East Washington, East Jefferson, North Second, North Third, and North Fifth Streets. The center opened in 1972, and has since hosted national ...

, and

Phoenix Symphony Hall Symphony Hall is a multi-purpose performing arts venue, located at 75 North 2nd Street between North 3rd Street and East Washington Street in Downtown Phoenix, downtown Phoenix, Arizona. Part of Phoenix Civic Plaza, the hall is bounded to the no ...

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

, United States. Despite the name, this was the first "IguanaCon". The original committee chairman was Greg Brown, who served for the first eighteen months of the convention committee's existence; he was replaced for the final six months prior to the convention and during the convention itself by Tim Kyger. Gary Farber was the '' de facto'' vice-chairman as well as director of operations during the convention.

Participants

Attendance was approximately 4,700.

Guests of Honor

Harlan Ellison Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave science fiction, New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. His published wo ...

(pro) * Bill Bowers (fan) * F. M. Busby (toastmaster)

Josef Nesvadba Josef Nesvadba (19 June 1926 – 26 April 2005) was a Czech writer, best known in the English-speaking world for his science fiction short stories, many of which have appeared in English translation. Biography Josef Nesvadba was born in Prague, ...

had been announced as the

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an guest of honor, but he could not get travel papers and so did not attend.

Awards

1978 Hugo Awards

* Best Novel: '' Gateway'' by

Frederik Pohl Frederik George Pohl Jr. (; November 26, 1919 – September 2, 2013) was an American list of science fiction authors, science-fiction writer, editor, and science fiction fandom, fan, with a career spanning nearly 75 years—from his first ...

* Best Novella: "

Stardance ''Stardance'' is a science fiction novel by Spider Robinson and Jeanne Robinson, published by Dial Press in 1979 as part of its Quantum science fiction line. The novel's opening segment originally appeared in '' Analog'' in 1977 as the novella ...

" by

Spider Spiders (order (biology), order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight limbs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude spider silk, silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and ran ...

and

Jeanne Robinson Jeanne M. Rubbicco Robinson (March 30, 1948 – May 30, 2010) was an American-born Canadian choreographer who co-wrote three science fiction novels, ''The Stardance Saga'', with her husband Spider Robinson. ''Stardance'' won the Hugo Award and N ...

* Best Novelette: "

Eyes of Amber "Eyes of Amber" is a science fiction short story by American writer Joan D. Vinge. It was first published as the cover story for the June 1977 issue of ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact''. Synopsis When bandit queen T'uupieh — a native of Titan ...

" by Joan D. Vinge * Best Short Story: "

Jeffty Is Five "Jeffty Is Five" is a fantasy short story by American author Harlan Ellison. It was first published in ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' in 1977, then was included in DAW's '' The 1978 Annual World's Best SF'' in 1978 and Ellison's s ...

" by

* Best Dramatic Presentation: ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...

'' * Best Professional Editor: George H. Scithers * Best Professional Artist:

Rick Sternbach Richard Michael Sternbach (born July 6, 1951) is an illustrator who is best known for his space illustrations and his work on the ''Star Trek'' television series. Early years Born July 6, 1951, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in 1969 Sternbach enr ...

* Best Amateur Magazine: '' Locus'', edited by

Charles N. Brown Charles Nikki Brown (June 24, 1937 – July 12, 2009) was an American publishing editor, the co-founder and editor of '' Locus'', the long-running news and reviews magazine covering the genres of science fiction and fantasy literature. Brown was ...

and Dena Brown * Best Fan Writer:

Richard E. Geis Richard E. Geis (July 19, 1927 – February 4, 2013) was an American science fiction fan and writer, and erotica writer, from Portland, Oregon, who won the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer in 1971, 1975, 1976, 1977 (tied with Susan Wood), 1978, ...

* Best Fan Artist:

Phil Foglio Philip Peter Foglio (born May 1, 1956) is an American cartoonist and comic book artist known for his humorous science fiction and fantasy art. Early life and career Foglio was born on May 1, 1956, in Mount Vernon, New York, and moved with his fa ...

Other awards

Gandalf Award The Gandalf Awards, honoring achievement in fantasy literature, were conferred by the World Science Fiction Society annually from 1974 to 1981. They were named after Gandalf the wizard, from the Middle-earth stories by J. R. R. Tolkien. The award w ...

s ** Gandalf Grand Master Award:

Poul Anderson Poul William Anderson ( ; November 25, 1926 – July 31, 2001) was an American fantasy and science fiction author who was active from the 1940s until his death in 2001. Anderson also wrote historical novels. He won the Hugo Award seven times an ...

** Gandalf Award for Book-Length Fantasy: ''

The Silmarillion ''The Silmarillion'' () is a book consisting of a collection of myths and stories in varying styles by the English writer J. R. R. Tolkien. It was edited, partly written, and published posthumously by his son Christopher in 1977, assisted by G ...

'' by

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlinson ...

(edited by

Christopher Tolkien Christopher John Reuel Tolkien (21 November 1924 – 16 January 2020) was an English and naturalised French academic editor and writer. The son of the author and academic J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher edited 24 volumes based on his father's P ...

) *

John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer The ''Astounding'' Award for Best New Writer (formerly the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer) is given annually to the best new writer whose first professional work of science fiction or fantasy was published within the two previous ...

Orson Scott Card Orson Scott Card (born August 24, 1951) is an American writer known best for his science fiction works. , he is the only person to have won a Hugo Award for Best Novel, Hugo Award and a Nebula Award for Best Novel, Nebula Award in List of joint ...

References

External links

NESFA.org: The Long List

{{DEFAULTSORT:World Science Fiction Convention 036 1978 conferences 1978 in Arizona 1978 in the United States Science fiction conventions in the United States Worldcon