Worldcon 76 is pleased to announce that the nomination period for the 2018 Hugo Awards and the 1943 Retrospective Hugo Awards is beginning!
Members of Worldcon 75 in Helsinki, and members of Worldcon 76 in San Jose and Dublin 2019: An Irish Worldcon who joined before January 1, 2018 will be receiving their credentials for the online ballot over the course of the next several days via email, and Worldcon 76 members receiving paper publications will find paper ballots included with Progress Report 2, currently being printed and mailed.
"The list of eligible nominators has nearly 14,000 names on it, so we have to send the emails in waves to avoid having them flagged as spam," noted Dave McCarty, Hugo Administrator for Worldcon 76. "PINs are being e-mailed out this weekend. We will announce once all PINs have been sent via e-mail and have directions on what you can do if you have not received your PIN."
The nominations period ends at 11:59PM PDT on Friday, March 16 (06:59 Saturday, March 17, 2018 UTC). Online nominations will be closed at that point, and paper nominating ballots must be received by the Hugo Administrator by that time.
The 2018 Hugo Awards will be presented at the 76th World Science Fiction Convention, being held August 16-20, 2018, at McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California. Worldcon 76 has selected Artist Guest of Honor John Picacio to host the 2018 Hugo Awards Ceremony, considered by many attendees the high point of the convention weekend.
Mr. Picacio, a two-time Hugo winner himself, remarks, "It's a huge honor to be the host of one of science fiction and fantasy's biggest nights. This is going to be an historical evening and I can't wait to be there with everyone at Worldcon 76."
Kevin Roche, Worldcon 76 Conference Chair, noted that "I was thrilled when John accepted my invitation to host the ceremony. It was one of the first actions I was privileged to take as Chair, and I expect him to be a brilliant master of ceremonies."
Worldcon 76 is also administering the 1943 Retrospective Hugo Awards, an opportunity for fandom to recognize works published during the wartime hiatus during which no Worldcon was convened. The Retro Hugos will be announced at a red carpet "1943 Worldcon Party" scheduled as part of First Night at Worldcon 76, on Thursday, August 16, 2018.
