Hope for a brighter future permeates the 2024 Hugo Awards at Glasgow Worldcon

As a dedicated sci-fi enthusiast who’s been following the Hugo Awards for years now, I must say that this year’s ceremony truly lived up to its slogan “A Worldcon for our Futures.” The diversity and quality of the winners were nothing short of remarkable, reflecting the vibrant and inclusive nature of our community.

Just last week, I attended the Hugo Awards at the 82nd Worldcon in Glasgow, Scotland. These awards are a big deal in the realm of genre fiction, recognizing exceptional talent in fantasy and science fiction. If you’re like me, a fan of speculative tales, it’s no secret that we eagerly await the nominated works, authors, and artists each year who receive these prestigious Hugos.

Over the recent years, the Hugos have faced numerous controversies, including the premature censorship of various nominees during the ceremony held in Chengdu, China last year, leading to the expulsion and resignation of several key members of the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS). This year, there was an attempt to manipulate the voting process, which was quickly identified by the Glasgow team, resulting in the removal of 377 fraudulent votes.

“[L]ike any prominent award, there have been controversies literally from the beginning, when Forest J. Ackerman refused the very first Hugo Award ever presented and left it on the stage,” author John Scalzi explained during an introductory speech which ran through the history of the awards in under five minutes. Scalzi spoke about the controversies — they are too ingrained a part of the awards’ history not to — but he also touched on why the Hugos have endured as the most renowned award in the sci-fi and fantasy field in spite of them.

We celebrate the Hugos and those who win and are finalists for them but even more, when there are stumbles and controversies, we work to correct them. The Hugos are pre-eminent not because everybody says they are, but because as a community we care about them, and care that they truly represent us.

The Hugo Awards are entirely community-based, determined by individuals who back and participate in Worldcon events. This community aspect distinguishes it from numerous other comparable awards. Yet, this communal selection process has occasionally sparked debates or controversies, as the award may be more susceptible to manipulation than an award solely judged by a jury. On the flip side, it fosters greater transparency. When functioning optimally, the Hugo Awards system performs exceptionally well.

As a lifelong fan of science fiction and fantasy, I was thrilled to attend this year’s Hugo Awards and witness the sense of optimism that filled the room. It felt like the awards were reborn, with speeches focusing not just on the future of the craft but also on creating a brighter world for all.

Hugo Award-winners call for aid to embattled communities

Last year, Xiran Jay Zhao, author of “Iron Widow,” was one of the writers excluded from receiving the Hugo Awards in Chengdu, where she was nominated for the Astounding Award for Best New Writer. This award, as its name implies, is presented to a writer whose debut work demonstrated exceptional potential. It’s one of two awards given annually at Worldcon that, though not official Hugos, carry roughly the same significance.

Normally, authors can only be nominated for the Astounding Award in two years: the year their first work is published and the following year. However, due to last year’s censorship controversy, Zhao’s eligibility was extended. And at the Glasgow event, Zhao won the Astounding Award.

“I appreciate you all, I understand it might be my underdog status that swayed your votes,” Zhao humorously admitted as she stepped onto the stage. “People say the Hugo Awards has endured numerous trials, and I guess I’m another one of those. Indeed, I was among those who were unfairly disqualified last year, but I’d like to express my gratitude to Dell Magazines for reconsidering my eligibility because this was my final chance to be nominated for this award. Frankly, I hadn’t anticipated this moment, and the recent lack of encouragement has left me feeling rather hopeless. But the support from the community during these challenging times has been incredibly heartwarming.”

During the remainder of her stage time, Zhao chose to shed light on the persistent humanitarian predicament unfolding in Gaza. She expressed, “Given this opportunity, I wish to draw your attention towards the current state of affairs in the Gaza Strip. At present, I have been conversing with approximately eight families residing there. As we speak, their circumstances are grim; the temperature hovers around 34 degrees [93.2 degrees Fahrenheit], and they are dwelling in tents. Furthermore, many of their children are developing hives due to the lack of air conditioning, clean water, and it’s simply heart-wrenching.”

As a gamer speaking directly to you all, I’m guiding you towards my social media platforms. There, you’ll find a link tree that connects to resources for families in Gaza, as well as refugees who’ve already fled across the border into Egypt. These individuals are still in need of our support and aid. Let’s make a difference together!

Strange Horizons, a well-established science fiction, fantasy, and poetry publication, finally claimed the coveted Best Semiprozine award after multiple nominations in previous years. They also highlighted their peers and comrades residing in Palestine.

Strange Horizons supports the Palestinian peoples’ right to justice, freedom, equality, and self-determination. At this time, we’d advocate reading and centering the Palestinian people, their writing and reporting, and what they are asking of us as a global community.

Before I dive back into my gaming world, let me share some thoughts from a recent event. Adri Joy, a fellow gamer and blogger at Nerds of a Feather, Flock Together, took the stage and used the moment to shine a light on pressing real-world issues. With their second Hugo win this year for Best Fanzine under their belt, they didn’t miss an opportunity to address the recent race riots that swept across the UK. They spoke directly and with conviction about these troubling events.

Joy expressed her sentiments by stating, “During our time together, I feel it’s important to acknowledge that the UK is currently experiencing a period of national disgrace. For far too long, this nation has been tainted with xenophobic, racist, and anti-Muslim discourse. Regrettably, these sentiments have recently escalated into violent attacks against refugees and migrants, particularly in England and Northern Ireland. This escalation has been exacerbated by misinformation and hate speech from the country’s political leaders. As artists and enthusiasts of Science Fiction & Fantasy, our work is inherently political, regardless of where we reside on the globe. I am honored to be part of a SFF community that actively opposes such hatred and advocates for diversity, striving to correct historical imbalances in our field, albeit imperfectly. I view this award as a call to action, encouraging me to redouble my efforts against racism, xenophobia, transphobia, and all forms of marginalization, and I encourage each one of you to do the same.”

At the conclusion of her speech, Joy highlighted the sexual misconduct allegations against Neil Gaiman, a name you may recognize. In recent times, at least five women have bravely shared disturbing accounts of their encounters with this renowned fantasy writer. If you’re unaware of these allegations, you can delve deeper into the initial reports here and here, where Maureen Ryan, an experienced entertainment journalist, provides insightful analysis. Her upcoming book, “Burn It Down: Power, Complicity, and a Call for Change in Hollywood,” offers one of the most comprehensive studies on the destructive power dynamics prevalent in many entertainment industries today.

All these instances share a common thread: they draw attention to real-world problems, urging the science fiction and fantasy community to give equal importance to these issues as they do to the captivating stories they adore. At its finest, speculative fiction reflects our own world, and the significant number of award recipients this year who chose to use their speech time to highlight pressing real-world concerns instead of themselves, is noteworthy. These appeals expressed a desire for improvement in the present, hinting at the hope for a brighter future.

In no acceptance speech may the sentiment have been more evident than in Emily Tesh’s, who was awarded the Hugo Award for Best Novel for her science fiction work titled “Some Desperate Glory“. As the night drew to a close, Tesh took center stage, starting with some light-hearted banter about mimicking Bilbo Baggins’ birthday speech from “The Fellowship of the Rings ” and disappearing. However, she soon switched gears, focusing on tugging at everyone’s heartstrings. Hereunder, I have rephrased a significant portion of Tesh’s thoughts about “Some Desperate Glory“, hoping that her words might touch you as deeply as they did me:

My aspiration for this book… I yearn for it to become obscure. I wish it to be elevated, truly elevated, among the esteemed, highly esteemed past Hugo winners, which resonated with a specific group at a given moment rather than throughout history. And I harbor this desire for its obscurity because no author embarks on writing a science fiction dystopia with the intention of being vindicated. “Some Desperate Glory” is a work born from some of the most distressing aspects of our current world events.

It is comforting, especially if you are a bookish sort of person, which I think many of us are, to believe that books can change the world. I have to say that with the possible exception of Karl Marx, I think very few writers of books can really claim to have shaped history. What a book can sometimes do is change the heart, sometimes as a comfort and sometimes as a spur. And comforts and spurs alike move people, and what actually changes the world is people. And I can imagine few places, few communities, more full of vision and energy and hope for the world than this community here in Glasgow tonight.

In writing “Some Desperate Glory,” I envisioned a tragic ending as an option, if you prefer. It’s wonderful that video games have established themselves as a permanent category. I find both video games and their ‘bad ends’ captivating. In this story, I explored the darkest potential future of humanity: brutality, prejudice, hostility towards outsiders, and an insatiable thirst for power. Tonight, let us collectively envision the opposite – something that science fiction excels at and has consistently done. Through our shared imagination, I implore you to take action in whatever way feels right for you, to support the victims of violence and conflict worldwide, in places like Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, and many others. Let’s also extend our support to those affected by discrimination and bigotry closer to home, including here on these islands, where such solidarity is particularly crucial at this moment, especially for the victims of recent racially motivated riots, and for those facing transphobia in certain parts of the UK media.

As a seer who has witnessed the darkest corners of humanity’s future, I pen our grim demise with a heavy heart. But I extend an invitation to each and every one of you, with unwavering faith in your resilience, to challenge my prophecy and change our destiny. Thank you for taking up this noble quest.

It was a great year for film and video games at the Hugo Awards

2024 marked a significant year for both Worldcon and the Hugo Awards in the realm of films and video games, with groundbreaking achievements to show for it. The emotional and action-packed episode “Long, Long Time” from “The Last of Us,” featuring the poignant story of gay post-apocalyptic partners Bill and Frank, was awarded Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form. In contrast, the long-form category saw “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” emerge victorious against heavyweights such as “Barbie” and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.” Despite a tepid box office performance, the movie garnered favorable reviews from both critics and audiences. With rumors of a potential sequel circulating in late 2023, star Chris Pine expressed optimism to Games Radar+, feeling confident that a follow-up might indeed be in the works. Winning a Hugo Award can only bolster these hopes.

As a gamer, I’m thrilled to share that this year, the Hugo Awards have officially made the “Best Video Game or Interactive Work” category permanent! Last year, at the Worldcon in Washington D.C., we had a temporary award for the best game, but now it’s here to stay. You see, each Worldcon has one optional category they can introduce, and ours was the first to include video games. Now, this new category will celebrate not just video games, but also tabletop RPGs and other forms of interactive storytelling, which is fantastic news for us gamers!

In 2021, Baldur’s Gate 3 by Larian Studios was awarded Best Video Game or Interactive Work. Although other worthy contenders were in the category, it felt fitting that Baldur’s Gate won due to its emphasis on storytelling. The game made a significant impact at the event, extending beyond the Hugos themselves. Actress Samantha Béart, who voices Karlach in the game, participated in multiple panels and even hosted a performance by the Irish Video Game Orchestra. Larian Studios’ head Swen Vincke and many of the game’s writers were also present. It seemed that Baldur’s Gate 3 was just as much a part of the convention as any traditional literary programming, suggesting that the event is expanding to be more welcoming to video game writers, which I believe is a positive sign for the future inclusivity of the convention.

At the ceremony, Vincke and his fellow writers stepped onto the stage as Baldur’s Gate 3 clinched its inaugural Hugo Award for Best Video Game or Interactive Work. Their joy was evident. “Ever since the Hugo nominees and awards have guided my reading choices, it’s a tremendous privilege to be here,” Vincke expressed. “We all aspired to be in this position, but we never dared to hope.”

I’m very grateful that you created this award and this category. Video game writing is often underestimated. It is very, very, very hard work. For Baldur’s Gate 3, we had to create over 174 hours of cinematics just to be able to respect the choices of the players and to make sure that each and every single one of them would have an emotional story that was reflecting their choices and their agency. And so it takes a very long time. It takes a very large team…it’s incredible and it takes a lot of perseverance and a lot of talent. So I’m very happy for all [of our writers] and all of the team back home that we can get this, and very grateful to the fandom and to Worldcon.

The anal teeth of the Sea Cucumber

As a lifelong fan of science fiction and fantasy, I must say that this year’s Hugo Awards ceremony was an intriguing mix of the sublime and the frustrating. While it showcased many powerful, meaningful, and notable works in our genre, there were also moments that brought a touch of levity to the proceedings – some of which came from rather unanticipated sources.

The situation was embarrassing, yet it produced some amusing incidents, such as when the artist Chris Baker (alias Fangorn) got stuck on stage. When he first appeared, he quipped, “I’m not a public speaker; I just stay at home and draw.” Later, a technical glitch left him stranded at the podium as the next presenter’s pre-recorded video failed to play. Confused, Fangorn remarked, “I have no idea what’s going on. I knew this would happen,” eliciting laughter from the audience. This mishap led to a unique instance where the audience and event staff briefly interacted, as Glasgow Worldcon staff member Meghan Lancaster sprinted onto the stage and heroically attempted to continue the presentation, with the crowd cheering her on.

Surprising highlights were found in the most unusual spots. T. Kingfisher, also known as Ursula Vernon, bagged the Hugo Award for Best Novella with her book “Thornhedge.” This isn’t a first for Kingfisher; she has previously won five Hugos and been nominated three other times. She is well-known for her amusing speeches at the Hugos, which frequently delve into bizarre and charming facts about obscure creatures in nature.

As a marine biologist, I have always found the ocean and its inhabitants fascinating, and this year’s conference was no exception. Kingfisher’s talk about the sea cucumber was certainly an eye-opener for me, having worked with these creatures for many years. The fact that they have developed anal teeth to defend themselves from parasitic fish is a testament to their resilience and adaptability in the face of adversity. It was both amusing and educational to learn about this unusual defense mechanism.

Reflecting on the experience, attending the Hugo Awards in Glasgow felt like a refreshing renaissance after some challenging years in the realm of fantasy and science fiction. The event showcased a commendable emphasis on amplifying worthy voices within these genres while respecting our rich heritage, all while casting a hopeful gaze towards the future. However, what truly set this year’s awards apart was not just their words, but their actions aligning with these sentiments. Indeed, Glasgow Worldcon embodied its slogan, “A Worldcon for Our Futures,” as it authentically reflected those ideals this year.

Full list of award winners at the 2024 Hugo Awards

Remarkable Recognition for Outstanding Debut Author: Xiran Jay Zhao (Eligibility extended upon request from Dell Magazines)

Lodestar Award for Best YA Book
To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose (Del Rey)

Best Fan Artist
Laya Rose

Best Fan Writer
Paul Weimer

Best Fancast
Octothorpe, by John Coxon, Alison Scott, and Liz Batty

United We Game: The Ultimate Gaming Magazine

Best Semiprozine
Strange Horizons, by the Strange Horizons Editorial Collective

Best Professional Artist
Rovina Cai

Best Editor Long Form
Ruoxi Chen

Best Editor Short Form
Neil Clarke

Best Game or Interactive Work
Baldur’s Gate 3, produced by Larian Studios

Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation in Short Form: “The Last of Us: ‘A Long Time Ago'” – Written by Craig Mazin & Neil Druckmann, Directed by Peter Hoar (Production Company: Naughty Dog / Sony Pictures)

Award Category: Exceptional Dramatic Production in a Full-Length Format

Outstanding Connected Research: “City on Mars” by Kelly Weinersmith and Zach Weinersmith (Published by Penguin Press under the Imprint of Particular Books)

Outstanding Graphic Novel or Comic
Saga, Volume Eleven, penned by Brian K. Vaughan, illustrated by Fiona Staples (Image Comics)

Best Series
Imperial Radch by Ann Leckie (Orbit US, Orbit UK)

Best Short Story
“Better Living Through Algorithms” by Naomi Kritzer (Clarkesworld, May 2023)

“The Sunless Year”

Best Novella
Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher (Tor, Titan UK)

Best Novel
Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh (Tordotcom, Orbit UK)

Here you will discover the comprehensive, detailed list of this year’s Hugo Awards, featuring all voting information and nominees, right over here.

Read More

• TOMI PREDICTION. TOMI cryptocurrency
• MDT PREDICTION. MDT cryptocurrency
• CANTO PREDICTION. CANTO cryptocurrency
• SHI PREDICTION. SHI cryptocurrency
• APE PREDICTION. APE cryptocurrency
• ENS PREDICTION. ENS cryptocurrency
• REQ PREDICTION. REQ cryptocurrency
• TRU PREDICTION. TRU cryptocurrency
• VLX PREDICTION. VLX cryptocurrency
• TOKE PREDICTION. TOKE cryptocurrency

2024-08-19 19:42