The 72nd 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 Loncon 3, was held on 14–18 August 2014 at the ExCeL London in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, United Kingdom. The convention committee was co-chaired by Alice Lawson and Steve Cooper and organized as London 2014 Limited.

Participants

Attendance was 7,951, out of 10,833 paid memberships.

Guests of Honour

* Iain M. Banks: a writer who received both popular and critical acclaim for his science fiction novels published over 25 years, including the

Culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

series, and for 15 other books published under the name Iain Banks. Banks died in June 2013, having announced just two months earlier that he had inoperable cancer. *

John Clute John Frederick Clute (born 12 September 1940) is a Canadian-born author and critic specializing in science fiction and fantasy literature who has lived in both England and the United States since 1969. He has been described as "an integral part ...

: a critic and writer of international renown, whose extensive work in the genre includes co-editing ''

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (''SFE'') is an English language reference work on science fiction, first published in 1979. It has won the Hugo Award, Hugo, Locus Award, Locus and BSFA Award, British SF Awards. Two print editions appea ...

'' and ''

The Encyclopedia of Fantasy ''The Encyclopedia of Fantasy'' is a 1997 reference work covering fantasy fiction, edited by John Clute and John Grant (author), John Grant. As of November 2012, the full text of ''The Encyclopedia of Fantasy'' is available online, as a compani ...

''. * Malcolm Edwards: currently Deputy CEO and publisher at the

Orion Publishing Group Orion Publishing Group Ltd. is a UK-based book publisher. It was founded in 1991 and acquired Weidenfeld & Nicolson the following year. The group has published numerous bestselling books by notable authors including Ian Rankin, Michael Connell ...

, and who has also been a science fiction editor, critic, and writer, as well as a fan for over 40 years. *

Chris Foss Christopher Frank Foss (born 1946) is a British artist and science fiction illustrator. He is best known for his science fiction book covers and the black and white illustrations for the original editions of '' The Joy of Sex''. Career Earl ...

: an artist whose ground-breaking images revolutionised SF paperback covers from the early 1970s and shaped the way a generation visualised science fiction. *

Jeanne Gomoll Jeanne Gomoll is an American artist, writer, editor, and science fiction fandom, science fiction fan, who was recognized as one of the Science fiction convention#Guests of Honor, guests of honor at the 72nd World Science Fiction Convention (Loncon 3 ...

: recognised as one of the prime movers in science fiction feminism in the 1970s, and who has been influential in SF fandom as an artist, editor, writer, and organiser ever since. * Robin Hobb: the author of five successful series of fantasy novels, in addition to earlier works written as Megan Lindholm and a collection published under both names. *

Bryan Talbot Bryan Talbot (born 24 February 1952) is a British comics artist and writer, best known as the creator of '' The Adventures of Luther Arkwright'' and its sequels '' Heart of Empire'' and '' The Legend of Luther Arkwright'', as well as the ''Gra ...

: a comics writer and artist whose career of over 30 years in the field includes the creation of the first British graphic novel, '' The Adventures of Luther Arkwright''.

Programming and events

Masquerade

The Loncon 3 masquerade was held on 16 August. The winners, across four experience-based categories, were:

Young Fan division

* Best Time Traveler: "Alberta Gear" by Tali Semo * Most Beautiful and Coolest: " Elsa" by Nicole Keller * Most Original and Creative: "Lost and Found" by Olivia and Eleah Flockhart * Special Judge's Award: "Elsa" by Nicole Keller

Novice division

* Most Creepy: " The Slender Man" by Andrew Wishart * Best Recreation: "70's

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

Monsters" by Christine Halse and Joseph Halse * Honourable Mention for Fabric Manipulation: "Fish Pond" by Emma Roberts * Best Workmanship: "Puff & Perry on the Other Side of Boring" by Petra Kufner and Antje Brand * Best Presentation: "Tribal" by Rebecca Lale * Best in Class (Group): "Puff & Perry on the Other Side of Boring" by Petra Kufner and Antje Brand * Best in Class (Solo): "Tribal" by Rebecca Lale

Journeyman division

* Judge's Favourite: "Life is a Dream" by Loretta and Tim Morgan * Best Workmanship: "A Glamorous Evening of Galactic Domination" (

Dalek The Daleks ( ) are a fictional extraterrestrial race of extremely xenophobic mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. They were conceived by writer Terry Nation and first appeared in th ...

ball gown costume) by Jennifer Skwarski * Best Presentation: "A Message from the Ministry of Magic" by Sabine Furlong * Best in Class: "Coliseum" by Peter Westhead

Master division

* Most Beautiful: "The Odyssey Dress" by Miki Dennis * Workmanship and Attention to Detail: "We Dance" by Laura Hunt * Best Workmanship: "Aratalindalë" (

Vala Vala or VALA may refer to: Religion and mythology * Vala (Vedic), a demon or a stone cavern in the Hindu scriptures * Völva, also spelled Vala, a priestess in Norse mythology and Norse paganism Fiction * Vala (Middle-earth), an angelic being in ...

from ''

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 Ian Spittlehouse, Maggie Percival, Mike Percival, Marcus Streets, Liz Caldwell, Alex Davidson, Lawrence Percival and Helen Armstrong * Best Presentation: "Aratalindalë" (Vala from ''The Silmarillion'') by Ian Spittlehouse, Maggie Percival, Mike Percival, Marcus Streets, Liz Caldwell, Alex Davidson, Lawrence Percival and Helen Armstrong

Overall

* Best in Show: "Aratalindalë" by Ian Spittlehouse et al.

Awards

The 1939 Retro Hugos were presented in 2014 to honor the 75th anniversary of the

1st World Science Fiction Convention The 1st World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) was held on 2–4 July 1939 in the Caravan Hall in New York City, New York, in conjunction with the New York World's Fair, which was themed as "The World of Tomorrow". It was later retroactive ...

. The convention received 3,587 valid ballots for the 2014 Hugo Awards and 1,307 for the 1939 Retro Hugo Awards. Both figures are record participation by members in these awards. More than 99% of the ballots were cast online with just 16 by postal mail for the 2014 awards and 12 for the 1939 awards. Authors

Mary Robinette Kowal Mary Robinette Kowal (; born February 8, 1969) is an American author, translator, art director, and puppeteer. She has worked on puppetry for shows including The Jim Henson Company, Jim Henson Productions and the children's show ''LazyTown''. As a ...

and

Rob Shearman Robert Charles Shearman, sometimes credited as Rob Shearman, is an English television, radio, stage play and short story writer. He is known for his World Fantasy Award-winning short stories, as well as his work for ''Doctor Who'', and his as ...

hosted the Retro Hugo Award ceremony. On 1 March 2014, the convention committee announced that comedian

Jonathan Ross Jonathan Stephen Ross (born 17 November 1960) is an English broadcaster, film critic, comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He presented the BBC One chat show '' Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' during the 2000s and early 2010s, hosted his ow ...

would be the host of the Hugo Award Ceremony; this choice was met with some controversy, and directly led to Farah Mendlesohn's decision to resign from the committee. Ross subsequently tweeted that he was withdrawing from hosting the ceremonies. Authors

Geoff Ryman Geoffrey Charles Ryman (born 1951) is a Canadian writer of science fiction, fantasy, slipstream and historical fiction. Ryman has written and published seven novels, including an early example of a hypertext novel, '' 253''. He has won multiple ...

and Justina Robson were later named as hosts for the ceremony.

2014 Hugo Awards

Mary_Robinette_Kowal_at_2008_Nebula_Awards

* Best Novel: '' Ancillary Justice'' by

Ann Leckie Ann Leckie (born March 2, 1966) is an American author of science fiction and fantasy. Her 2013 debut novel ''Ancillary Justice'', which features artificial consciousness and gender-blindness, won the 2014 Hugo Award for "Best Novel", as well as ...

* Best Novella: " Equoid" by

Charles Stross Charles David George "Charlie" Stross (born 18 October 1964) is a British writer of science fiction and fantasy. Stross specialises in hard science fiction and space opera. Between 1994 and 2004, he was also an active writer for the magazine ' ...

* Best Novelette: " The Lady Astronaut of Mars" by

* Best Short Story: " The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere" by John Chu * Best Related Work: '' We Have Always Fought: Challenging the Women, Cattle and Slaves Narrative'' by Kameron Hurley (A Dribble of Ink) * Best Graphic Story: ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'', written by

Randall Munroe Randall Patrick Munroe (born October 17, 1984) is an American cartoonist, author, and engineer best known as the creator of the webcomic ''xkcd''. Munroe has worked full-time on the comic since late 2006. In addition to publishing a book of the ...

, art by

* Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: ''

Gravity In physics, gravity (), also known as gravitation or a gravitational interaction, is a fundamental interaction, a mutual attraction between all massive particles. On Earth, gravity takes a slightly different meaning: the observed force b ...

'', screenplay by

Alfonso Cuarón Alfonso Cuarón Orozco ( ; ; born 28 November 1961) is a Mexican filmmaker. List of awards and nominations received by Alfonso Cuarón, His accolades include four Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and seven BAFTA Awards. Cuarón made h ...

and

Jonás Cuarón Jonás Cuarón Elizondo (born 1981) is a Mexican film director, screenwriter, Film producer, producer, Film editor, editor and cinematographer. He is the son of the Academy Award-winner Alfonso Cuarón and his first wife, Mariana Elizondo. Cua ...

; directed by

(

Esperanto Filmoj Esperanto Filmoj is a Mexican-American film and television production company based in Sherman Oaks, California. It is owned by film director Alfonso Cuarón. The name was coined by Guillermo del Toro, who calls cinematography "the new Esperant ...

Heyday Films Heyday Films Limited is a British film and television production company founded in 1997 by producer David Heyman. The company made its feature film debut with '' Ravenous'' (1999), and is most successful for producing the ''Harry Potter'' f ...

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

) *

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form The Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation is given each year for theatrical films, television episodes, or other dramatized works related to science fiction or fantasy released in the previous calendar year. Originally the award covered both ...

: ''

Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American Fantasy television, fantasy Drama (film and television), drama television series created by David Benioff and for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of high fantasy novels by ...

'', " The Rains of Castamere", screenplay by

David Benioff David Friedman (; born September 25, 1970), known professionally as David Benioff (), is an American novelist, screenwriter, and producer. Along with his collaborator D. B. Weiss, he is best known for co-creating ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–201 ...

and D. B. Weiss, original novel by

George R. R. Martin George Raymond Richard Martin (born George Raymond Martin; September 20, 1948) also known by the initials G.R.R.M. is an American author, television writer, and television producer. He is best known as the author of the unfinished series of Hi ...

, directed by

David Nutter David Nutter (born 1960) is an American television and film director and television producer. He is best known for directing pilot episodes for television. In 2015, he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Seri ...

(

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

) * Best Professional Editor, Long Form:

Ginjer Buchanan Ginjer Buchanan (born in Pittsburgh, December 12, 1944) was Editor-in-Chief at Ace Books and Roc Books, the two science fiction and fantasy imprints of Penguin Group (USA). Overview Buchanan worked at Ace since 1984, was nominated for both t ...

* Best Professional Editor, Short Form: Ellen Datlow * Best Professional Artist: Julie Dillon * Best Semiprozine: '' Lightspeed Magazine'', edited by

John Joseph Adams John Joseph Adams (born July 31, 1976) is an American science fiction and fantasy editor, critic, and publisher. Career Editor Adams worked as Assistant Editor at ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' from May 2001 to December 2009. In ...

, Rich Horton, and Stefan Rudnicki * Best Fanzine: ''A Dribble of Ink'', edited by Aidan Moher * Best Fancast: '' SF Signal Podcast'' by Patrick Hester * Best Fan Writer: Kameron Hurley * Best Fan Artist: Sarah Webb

1939 Retro Hugo Awards

* Best Novel: '' The Sword in the Stone'' by T. H. White * Best Novella: "

Who Goes There? ''Who Goes There?'' is a 1938 science fiction horror novella by American author John W. Campbell, written under the pen name Don A. Stuart. Campbell renewed the copyright in 1965. Its story follows a group of people trapped in a scientific out ...

" by

John W. Campbell John Wood Campbell Jr. (June 8, 1910 – July 11, 1971) was an American science fiction writer and editor. He was editor of ''Astounding Science Fiction'' (later called ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'') from late 1937 until his death and wa ...

(as "Don A. Stuart") * Best Novelette: " Rule 18" by Clifford D. Simak * Best Short Story: "

How We Went to Mars "How We Went to Mars" is a humorous short story by British writer Arthur C. Clarke. It was first published in March 1938, in the third and final issue of '' Amateur Science Stories'' maganize. It follows a group of British rocket scientists ...

" by Arthur C. Clarke * Best Dramatic Presentation: ''

The War of the Worlds ''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells. It was written between 1895 and 1897, and serialised in '' Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and ''Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US in 1897. The full novel was ...

'' by

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer, prolific in many genres. He wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. His non-fiction output included works of social commentary, politics, hist ...

, written for radio by Howard E. Koch and Anne Froelick, directed by

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...

(

The Mercury Theatre on the Air ''The Mercury Theatre on the Air'' is a radio series of live radio dramas created and hosted by Orson Welles. The weekly hour-long show presented classic literary works performed by Welles's celebrated Mercury Theatre repertory company, with mus ...

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

) * Best Professional Editor:

* Best Professional Artist: Virgil Finlay * Best Fanzine: '' Imagination!'', edited by

Forrest J Ackerman Forrest James Ackerman (November 24, 1916 – December 4, 2008) was an American magazine editor; science fiction writer, and literary agent; a founder of science fiction fandom; a leading expert on science fiction, horror, and fantasy films; a ...

, Myrtle Rebecca "Morojo" Douglas, and T. Bruce Yerke * Best Fan Writer:

Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury ( ; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of genres, including fantasy, science fiction, Horror fiction, horr ...

* Special Committee Award:

Jerry Siegel Jerome "Jerry" Siegel ( ; October 17, 1914 – January 28, 1996) Roger Stern. ''Superman: Sunday Classics: 1939–1943'' DC Comics/ Kitchen Sink Press, Inc./ Sterling Publishing; 2006 was an American comic book writer. He was the co-creator of ...

and

Joe Shuster Joseph Shuster ( ; July 10, 1914 – July 30, 1992) was a Canadian-American comic book artist best known for co-creating the DC Comics character Superman, with Jerry Siegel, in ''Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938). Shuster was involv ...

, creators of

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

Other awards

* Big Heart Award: Vincent Docherty * First Fandom Hall of Fame Award:

* First Fandom Posthumous Hall of Fame Award: Ted Carnell and Walter Gillings * Sam Moskowitz Award for Excellence in Collecting: Mike Ashley *

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 ...

: Sofia Samatar

Staff

Loncon 3 was co-chaired by Alice Lawson and Steve Cooper. Division heads included Helen Montgomery for Events, Farah Mendlesohn for Exhibits, Mike Scott for Facilities, Eemeli Aro for Hospitality, Nigel Furlong for Logistics, James Bacon for Programme, Nicholas Whyte for Promotions, Kees Van Toorn for Publications, and Carolina Gómez Lagerlöf for Services.

Site selection

At the March 2012 filing deadline, only one committee who had announced a bid to hold the 72nd World Science Fiction Convention had filed the required paperwork to be on the site selection ballot. That bid, "

in 2014", was chaired by Steve Cooper and Mike Scott. London's bid to host the Worldcon was formally unopposed and won in balloting among the members of the 70th World Science Fiction Convention held in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, in 2012. With 932 ballots cast, the voting breakdown was 864 votes for London, 29 ballots expressed no preference, and there were 39 write-in votes for various sites, including "Peggy Rae's House", Phoenix,

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, and

Tonopah, Nevada Tonopah ( , Shoshoni language: Tonampaa) is an Unincorporated towns in Nevada, unincorporated town in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Nye County, Nevada, Nye County. Nicknamed the Queen of the Silver Camps for its mining-rich hi ...

. As a result of London's win, a vote for the 11th

North American Science Fiction Convention NASFiC, an abbreviation for North American Science Fiction Convention, is a science fiction convention scheduled in North America during years when a Worldcon is being held outside North America; NASFiCs are held only during such years. Bids for ...

to be held in 2014 took place at the

71st World Science Fiction Convention The 71st World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as LoneStarCon 3, was held on 29 August–2 September 2013 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center and Marriott Rivercenter in San Antonio, Texas, United States. The convention ...

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

, in 2013. Of the two announced bids, Detroit's bid was certified as the winner with 231 votes over a Phoenix bid that garnered 210 votes. The Detroit convention was named Detcon1.

Future site selection

Two committees announced bids and qualified to be on the site selection ballot for the

74th World Science Fiction Convention The 74th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as MidAmeriCon II, was held on 17–21 August 2016 at the Bartle Hall Convention Center in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. The convention's name, by established Worldcon tradi ...

: "KC in 2016" for 17–21 August 2016, in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

, and "Beijing in 2016" for 14–19 August 2016, at the National Convention Center in

Beijing, China Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

. The 2016 site selected by the voters, Kansas City, was announced during the convention's final World Science Fiction Society business meeting on Sunday, 17 August 2014.

References

External links

* *
London in 2014 bid site

Worldcon official website

List of current Worldcon bids
{{DEFAULTSORT:World Science Fiction Convention 072 2014 conferences 2014 in London August 2014 in the United Kingdom English science fiction Science fiction conventions in the United Kingdom Worldcon