30th World Science Fiction Convention
Encyclopedia
The 30th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon
) was L.A.con I, which was held in Anaheim, California
, US
from September 1 to September 4, 1972. The venue for 30th Worldcon was the International Hotel. The organising committee was co-chaired by Charles Crayne and Bruce Pelz
.
The convention had 2,007 members, breaking the previous record of 1,600 set only one year earlier. The record was broken again a year later.
was awarded to Aussiecon I in Melbourne
, Australia
. This was the first time a Worldcon
was awarded to a site outside North America
or Europe
.
s, named after Hugo Gernsback
, are presented every year for the best science fiction
or fantasy
works and achievements of the previous year. Results are based on the ballots submitted by members of the World Science Fiction Society. Other awards are also presented each year at Worldcon.
. The name of his costume was "The Turd". Since some of the peanut butter tended to drip off of him and land on the floor, making the floor sticky for other contestants, a rule was passed that forever after at science fiction convention masquerades, no peanut butter costumes would be allowed. This masquerade rule is universally known among science fiction fans
as the "no peanut butter rule".
The first video game competition at a science fiction convention was held, and a science fiction fan named Kevan Pritchard from Lawndale, California
won the world championship contest in the game Spacewar!.
Worldcon
Worldcon, or more formally The World Science Fiction Convention, is a science fiction convention held each year since 1939 . It is the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society...
) was L.A.con I, which was held in Anaheim, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from September 1 to September 4, 1972. The venue for 30th Worldcon was the International Hotel. The organising committee was co-chaired by Charles Crayne and Bruce Pelz
Bruce Pelz
Bruce Edward Pelz was a US science fiction fan. He was highly active in the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society and a major SMOF, co-chairing the 30th World Science Fiction Convention. He also wrote filksongs and was a master costumer.- Early life :Pelz spent most of his childhood in New York...
.
The convention had 2,007 members, breaking the previous record of 1,600 set only one year earlier. The record was broken again a year later.
Guests of honor
The guests of honor were:- Frederik PohlFrederik PohlFrederik George Pohl, Jr. is an American science fiction writer, editor and fan, with a career spanning over seventy years — from his first published work, "Elegy to a Dead Planet: Luna" , to his most recent novel, All the Lives He Led .He won the National Book Award in 1980 for his novel Jem...
(pro) - Buck Coulson and Juanita CoulsonJuanita CoulsonJuanita Coulson is an American science fiction and fantasy writer, active fan and fanzine editor. She is also widely known in filk music circles since the 1950s for her singing and songwriting; she has been nominated for several Pegasus Awards for her filking...
(fan) - Robert BlochRobert BlochRobert Albert Bloch was a prolific American writer, primarily of crime, horror and science fiction. He is best known as the writer of Psycho, the basis for the film of the same name by Alfred Hitchcock...
(toastmaster)
Worldcon site selection
The 33rd World Science Fiction Convention33rd World Science Fiction Convention
The 33rd World Science Fiction Convention, informally known as Aussiecon, was held in Melbourne, Australia, 14–17 August 1975, at the Southern Cross Hotel. Its guests of honour were Ursula K. Le Guin , Susan Wood , Mike Glicksohn , and Donald Tuck...
was awarded to Aussiecon I in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. This was the first time a Worldcon
Worldcon
Worldcon, or more formally The World Science Fiction Convention, is a science fiction convention held each year since 1939 . It is the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society...
was awarded to a site outside North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
or Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Awards
The Hugo AwardHugo Award
The Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
s, named after Hugo Gernsback
Hugo Gernsback
Hugo Gernsback , born Hugo Gernsbacher, was a Luxembourgian American inventor, writer, editor, and magazine publisher, best remembered for publications that included the first science fiction magazine. His contributions to the genre as publisher were so significant that, along with H. G...
, are presented every year for the best science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
or fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
works and achievements of the previous year. Results are based on the ballots submitted by members of the World Science Fiction Society. Other awards are also presented each year at Worldcon.
Hugo Awards
- Best novel: To Your Scattered Bodies GoTo Your Scattered Bodies GoTo Your Scattered Bodies Go is a science fiction novel and the first book in the Riverworld series of books by Philip José Farmer. It won a Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1972 at the 30th Worldcon...
by Philip José FarmerPhilip José FarmerPhilip José Farmer was an American author, principally known for his award-winning science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories.... - Best novella: "The Queen of Air and Darkness" by Poul AndersonPoul AndersonPoul William Anderson was an American science fiction author who began his career during one of the Golden Ages of the genre and continued to write and remain popular into the 21st century. Anderson also authored several works of fantasy, historical novels, and a prodigious number of short stories...
- Best short story: "Inconstant Moon" by Larry NivenLarry NivenLaurence van Cott Niven / ˈlæri ˈnɪvən/ is an American science fiction author. His best-known work is Ringworld , which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics...
- Best dramatic presentation: A Clockwork OrangeA Clockwork OrangeA Clockwork Orange is a 1962 dystopian novella by Anthony Burgess. The novel contains an experiment in language: the characters often use an argot called "Nadsat", derived from Russian....
- Best professional magazine: Fantasy & Science Fiction
- Best professional artist: Frank Kelly FreasFrank Kelly FreasFrank Kelly Freas , called the "Dean of Science Fiction Artists", was a science fiction and fantasy artist with a career spanning more than 50 years.-Early life, education, and personal life:...
- Best amateur magazine: LocusLocus (magazine)Locus, subtitled "The Magazine Of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Field", is published monthly in Oakland, California. It reports on the science fiction and fantasy publishing field, including comprehensive listings of all new books published in the genre. It is considered the news organ and trade...
(editors: Charles and Dena Brown) - Best fan writer: Harry Warner, Jr.Harry Warner, Jr.Harry Warner, Jr. was an American journalist. He spent 40 years working for the Hagerstown, Maryland, Herald-Mail....
- Best fan artist: Tim KirkTim KirkTim Kirk is an American fan artist. He has been a senior designer at Tokyo DisneySea. Previously, he was an Imagineer for Walt Disney, and an illustrator for Hallmark Cards. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts with an emphasis in Commercial Art, and his Master’s degree in Illustration from...
Other awards
- Special Award: Harlan EllisonHarlan EllisonHarlan Jay Ellison is an American writer. His principal genre is speculative fiction.His published works include over 1,700 short stories, novellas, screenplays, teleplays, essays, a wide range of criticism covering literature, film, television, and print media...
for excellence in anthologizing - Special Award: Club du Livre d'Anticipation (FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) for excellence in book production - Special Award: Nueva Dimension (SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
) for excellence in magazine production
Notable events
At the L.A. Con I masquerade, one of the contestants, a moderately stout individual of medium height, came on stage totally in the nude with his body completely covered with crunchy peanut butterPeanut butter
Peanut butter is a food paste made primarily from ground dry roasted peanuts, popular in North America, Netherlands, United Kingdom, and parts of Asia, particularly the Philippines and Indonesia. It is mainly used as a sandwich spread, sometimes in combination as in the peanut butter and jelly...
. The name of his costume was "The Turd". Since some of the peanut butter tended to drip off of him and land on the floor, making the floor sticky for other contestants, a rule was passed that forever after at science fiction convention masquerades, no peanut butter costumes would be allowed. This masquerade rule is universally known among science fiction fans
Science fiction fandom
Science fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community or "fandom" of people actively interested in science fiction and fantasy and in contact with one another based upon that interest...
as the "no peanut butter rule".
The first video game competition at a science fiction convention was held, and a science fiction fan named Kevan Pritchard from Lawndale, California
Lawndale, California
Lawndale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 32,769 at the 2010 census, up from 31,711 according to the 2000 census...
won the world championship contest in the game Spacewar!.
See also
- WorldconWorldconWorldcon, or more formally The World Science Fiction Convention, is a science fiction convention held each year since 1939 . It is the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society...