61st World Science Fiction Convention
Encyclopedia
Torcon 3 was the 61st World Science Fiction Convention
, held in Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
on August 28-September 1, 2003. The convention was held in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre
, as well as the Fairmont Royal York
and Crowne Plaza (now the InterContinental Toronto Centre) hotels. Torcon 3 was also the site of the 2003 Canvention
.
Note: This was the first time that the 'Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form' and 'Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form' awards were presented as separate categories.
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...
, held in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on August 28-September 1, 2003. The convention was held in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre
Metro Toronto Convention Centre
Metro Toronto Convention Centre , located in Downtown Toronto, Ontario at 255 Front Street West, has of space. The convention centre was completed in October 1984 and is home to the 1330-seat John Bassett Theatre...
, as well as the Fairmont Royal York
Fairmont Royal York
The Fairmont Royal York Hotel, formerly the Royal York Hotel and still often so called, is a large and historic hotel in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, at 100 Front Street West. Opened on June 11, 1929, the Royal York was designed by Ross and Macdonald and built by the Canadian Pacific Railway...
and Crowne Plaza (now the InterContinental Toronto Centre) hotels. Torcon 3 was also the site of the 2003 Canvention
Canvention
Canvention is the Canadian national science fiction convention, where the Prix Aurora Awards are presented. Normally it is held as part of an existing convention.-Conventions:...
.
Guests
- George R. R. MartinGeorge R. R. MartinGeorge Raymond Richard Martin , sometimes referred to as GRRM, is an American author and screenwriter of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. He is best known for A Song of Ice and Fire, his bestselling series of epic fantasy novels that HBO adapted for their dramatic pay-cable series Game of...
(pro) - 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:...
(artist), unable to attend due to illness - Mike GlyerMike GlyerMike Glyer is both the editor and publisher of the long-running science fiction fan newszine File 770. He holds the record for being nominated the most times for the Hugo Award; he has won 9 times in two categories: File 770 won the Best Fanzine Hugo in 1984, 1985, 1989, 2000, 2001 and 2008, and...
(fan) - Spider RobinsonSpider RobinsonSpider Robinson is an American-born Canadian Hugo and Nebula award winning science fiction author.- Biography :Born in the Bronx, New York City, Robinson attended Catholic high school, spending his junior year in a seminary, followed by two years in a Catholic college, and five years at the State...
(toastmaster) - 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...
(GoHst of honor)
Hugo Awards
- Best Novel: Hominids by Robert J. SawyerRobert J. SawyerRobert James Sawyer is a Canadian science fiction writer. He has had 20 novels published, and his short fiction has appeared in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, Amazing Stories, On Spec, Nature, and many anthologies. Sawyer has won over forty awards for his fiction, including the Nebula Award ,...
- Best Novella: CoralineCoralineCoraline is a horror/fantasy novella by British author Neil Gaiman, published in 2002 by Bloomsbury and Harper Collins. It was awarded the 2003 Hugo Award for Best Novella, the 2003 Nebula Award for Best Novella, and the 2002 Bram Stoker Award for Best Work for Young Readers...
by Neil GaimanNeil GaimanNeil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book... - Best Novelette: "Slow Life" by Michael SwanwickMichael SwanwickMichael Swanwick is an American science fiction author. Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he began publishing in the early 1980s.-Biography:...
- Best Short Story: "Falling Onto Mars" by Geoffrey A. LandisGeoffrey A. LandisGeoffrey A. Landis is an American scientist, working for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on planetary exploration, interstellar propulsion, solar power and photovoltaics...
- Best Related Book: Better to Have Loved: The Life of Judith Merril by Judith MerrilJudith MerrilJudith Josephine Grossman , who took the pen-name Judith Merril about 1945, was an American and then Canadian science fiction writer, editor and political activist....
and Emily Pohl-Weary - Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
- Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: "Conversations with Dead People", Buffy the Vampire Slayer
- Best Professional Editor: Gardner DozoisGardner DozoisGardner Raymond Dozois is an American science fiction author and editor. He was editor of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine from 1984 to 2004...
- Best Professional Artist: Bob EggletonBob EggletonBob Eggleton is a science fiction, fantasy, and horror artist. Eggleton has been honored with the Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist eight times, first winning in 1994. He also won the Hugo Award for Best Related Book in 2001 for his art book "Greetings From Earth"...
- Best Semiprozine: 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...
- Best Fanzine: MimosaMimosa (magazine)Mimosa was a science fiction fanzine edited by Richard Lynch and Nicki Lynch. It won six Hugo Awards for Best Fanzine and was nominated a total of 14 times ....
- Best Fan Writer: David LangfordDavid LangfordDavid Rowland Langford is a British author, editor and critic, largely active within the science fiction field. He publishes the science fiction fanzine and newsletter Ansible.-Personal background:...
- Best Fan Artist: Sue Mason
Note: This was the first time that the 'Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form' and 'Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form' awards were presented as separate categories.
Aurora Awards
- Best Long-Form Work in English: Permanence by Karl SchroederKarl SchroederKarl Schroeder is an award-winning Canadian science fiction author. His novels present far-future speculations on topics such as nanotechnology, terraforming, augmented reality and interstellar travel, and have a deeply philosophical streak...
- Best Long-Form Work in French: Le Revenant de Fomalhaut by Jean-Louis Trudel
- Best Short-Form Work in English: "Ineluctable" by Robert J. SawyerRobert J. SawyerRobert James Sawyer is a Canadian science fiction writer. He has had 20 novels published, and his short fiction has appeared in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, Amazing Stories, On Spec, Nature, and many anthologies. Sawyer has won over forty awards for his fiction, including the Nebula Award ,...
- Best Short-Form Work in French: "La Guerre sans temps", Sylvie Bérard
- Best Work in English (Other): Be VERY Afraid! by Edo van BelkomEdo van BelkomEdo van Belkom is a Canadian author of horror fiction.Born in Toronto, Ontario, he is the author of the novels Wyrm Wolf, Teeth, Martyrs, Scream Queen, Army of the Dead, and Wolf Pack, and the Dragonlance setting novel Lord Soth , amongst others...
- Artistic Achievement: Mel Vavaroutsos
- Fan Achievement (Publication): Made in Canada Newsletter, Don Bassie, ed. [webzine]
- Fan Achievement (Organizational): Georgina Miles (Toronto Trek 16)
- Fan Achievement (Other): Jason TaniguchiJason TaniguchiJason Taniguchi is a writer and actor from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His poems and short fiction appear in the collection Jason Taniguchi's Very Sensible Stories and Poems for Grown-ups from Kelp Queen Press. He has also both written for and appeared in the History Television series History Bites...
, one-man SF parody shows
Site selection
Two site selection votes were held at Torcon 3.- Los Angeles won the vote for the 64th World Science Fiction Convention64th World Science Fiction ConventionThe 64th World Science Fiction Convention , styled L.A.con IV, was held in Anaheim, California, United States, from 23 to 27 August 2006. The Venue for the 64th Worldcon was the Anaheim Convention Center and the nearby Hilton and Marriott hotels. The organizing committee was chaired by Christian B...
in 2006. - Seattle won the vote for the 8th North American Science Fiction Convention8th North American Science Fiction ConventionCascadia Con was the 8th North American Science Fiction Convention, held in SeaTac, Washington, on September 1-5, 2005, at the Seattle Airport Hilton and Conference Center...
in 2005.
Notable program participants
(in addition to guests of honor listed above)Stephanie Bedwell-Grime Stephanie Bedwell-Grime Stephanie Bedwell-Grime is an author of fantasy, horror, science fiction, and romance. She has written more than a dozen novels and many pieces of short fiction... Russell Blackford Russell Blackford Russell Blackford is an Australian writer, philosopher, and critic, based for many years in Melbourne, Victoria. He was born in Sydney, and grew up in Lake Macquarie district, near Newcastle, NSW. He moved to Melbourne in 1979, but returned to Newcastle to live and work in 2009.-Writing career:As a... David Brin David Brin Glen David Brin, Ph.D. is an American scientist and award-winning author of science fiction. He has received the Hugo, Locus, Campbell and Nebula Awards.-Biography:... Jack L. Chalker Jack L. Chalker Jack Laurence Chalker was an American science fiction author. Chalker was also a Baltimore City Schools history teacher in Maryland for 12 years, retiring in 1978 to write full-time... Hal Clement Hal Clement Harry Clement Stubbs better known by the pen name Hal Clement, was an American science fiction writer and a leader of the hard science fiction subgenre.-Biography:... John Clute John Clute John Frederick Clute is a Canadian born author and critic who has lived in Britain since 1969. He has been described as "an integral part of science fiction's history."... Julie Czerneda Ellen Datlow Ellen Datlow Ellen Datlow is an American science fiction, fantasy, and horror editor and anthologist.-Biography:Datlow was the fiction editor of Omni magazine and Omni Online from 1981 through 1998, and edited the ten associated Omni anthologies... Cory Doctorow Cory Doctorow Cory Efram Doctorow is a Canadian-British blogger, journalist, and science fiction author who serves as co-editor of the blog Boing Boing. He is an activist in favour of liberalising copyright laws and a proponent of the Creative Commons organization, using some of their licences for his books... Candas Jane Dorsey Candas Jane Dorsey Candas Jane Dorsey is a Canadian poet and science fiction novelist.Born and still living in Edmonton, Alberta, Dorsey became a writer from an early age, and a freelance writer since 1980. She writes across genre boundaries, writing poetry, fiction, mainstream and speculative, short and long form,... Sheila Finch Sheila Finch Sheila Finch is a science fiction author. She has won the Nebula Award for her 1998 novella “Reading the Bones,” which was later expanded into a novel... |
Esther Friesner Esther Friesner Esther Mona Friesner-Stutzman, née Friesner is an American science fiction and fantasy author best known for her humorous pieces.- Life :... Neil Gaiman Neil Gaiman Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book... James Alan Gardner James Alan Gardner James Alan Gardner is a Canadian science fiction author.Raised in Simcoe and Bradford, Ontario, he earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Applied Mathematics from the University of Waterloo.... Elizabeth Hand Harry Harrison Harry Harrison Harry Harrison is an American science fiction author best known for his character the Stainless Steel Rat and the novel Make Room! Make Room! , the basis for the film Soylent Green... Nalo Hopkinson Nalo Hopkinson Nalo Hopkinson is a Jamaican science fiction and fantasy writer and editor who lives in Canada. Her novels and short stories such as those in her collection Skin Folk often draw on Caribbean history and language, and its traditions of oral and written storytelling.Hopkinson has... Tanya Huff Tanya Huff Tanya Sue Huff is a Canadian fantasy author. Her stories have been published since the late 1980s, including five fantasy series and one science-fiction series. One of these, her Blood Books series, featuring detective Vicki Nelson, was adapted for television under the title Blood... James Patrick Kelly James Patrick Kelly James Patrick Kelly is an American science fiction author who began publishing in the 1970s and remains to this day an important figure in the science fiction field.... Ellen Klages Ellen Klages Ellen Klages is a science fiction writer who lives in San Francisco. Her novelette "Basement Magic" won the 2005 Nebula Award for Best Novelette. She had previously been nominated for Hugo, Nebula, and Campbell awards. Her first novel, The Green Glass Sea, was published by Viking Children's Books... Nancy Kress Nancy Kress Nancy Kress is an American science fiction writer. She began writing in 1976 but has achieved her greatest notice since the publication of her Hugo and Nebula-winning 1991 novella "Beggars in Spain" which was later expanded into a novel with the same title... Geoffrey A. Landis Geoffrey A. Landis Geoffrey A. Landis is an American scientist, working for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on planetary exploration, interstellar propulsion, solar power and photovoltaics... |
Paul Levinson Paul Levinson Paul Levinson is an American author and professor of communications and media studies at Fordham University in New York City. Levinson's novels, short fiction, and non-fiction works have been translated into twelve languages.... Jacqueline Lichtenberg Jacqueline Lichtenberg Jacqueline Lichtenberg is an American science fiction author.Many of her early novels are set in the Sime - Gen Universe, which she first described in a short story in 1969. Her other writings have dealt with fantasy and occult subjects, including articles on Buffy the Vampire Slayer... China Miéville China Miéville China Tom Miéville is an award-winning English fantasy fiction writer. He is fond of describing his work as "weird fiction" , and belongs to a loose group of writers sometimes called New Weird. He is also active in left-wing politics as a member of the Socialist Workers Party... Steve Miller Steve Miller (writer) Steve Miller is the grandson of poet and WBAL radio personality Dorothea Neale. He graduated from Reisterstown, Maryland's Franklin Senior High School in 1968 after learning how to make chapbooks as editor of the school’s literary magazine, Junto.- Biography :Steve attended University of Maryland,... Elizabeth Moon Elizabeth Moon Elizabeth Moon is an American science fiction and fantasy author. Her novel The Speed of Dark won the 2003 Nebula Award.-Biography:... Larry Niven Larry Niven Laurence 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... Fiona Patton Fiona Patton Fiona Patton is a Canadian fantasy author.Born in Calgary, Alberta, Patton moved to the United States in 1966. In 1975, she returned to Canada with her family, settling in Toronto. In 1992, she moved with wife Tanya Huff to rural Ontario... Frederik Pohl Frederik Pohl Frederik 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... Terry Pratchett Terry Pratchett Sir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels... Eric Raymond Mike Resnick Mike Resnick Michael Diamond Resnick , better known by his published name Mike Resnick, is an American science fiction author. He was executive editor of Jim Baen's Universe.-Biography:... |
Robert J. Sawyer Robert J. Sawyer Robert James Sawyer is a Canadian science fiction writer. He has had 20 novels published, and his short fiction has appeared in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, Amazing Stories, On Spec, Nature, and many anthologies. Sawyer has won over forty awards for his fiction, including the Nebula Award ,... Stanley Schmidt Stanley Schmidt Stanley Albert Schmidt is an American science fiction author. Since 1978 he has been the editor of the SF magazine Analog Science Fiction and Fact.-Biography:... Mark Shainblum Mark Shainblum Mark Shainblum is a Canadian writer who lives in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Though he has worked as a journalist and editor, Shainblum is best known as a science fiction and comic book writer.... Charles Stross Charles Stross Charles David George "Charlie" Stross is a British writer of science fiction, Lovecraftian horror and fantasy. He was born in Leeds.Stross specialises in hard science fiction and space opera... Cecilia Tan Cecilia Tan Cecilia Tan is a writer, editor, sexuality activist, and founder of Circlet Press, the first press devoted primarily to erotic science fiction and fantasy. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She is the director of media relations for the New England Leather Alliance... Michelle Sagara West Michelle Sagara West Michelle Michiko Sagara is a Japanese-Canadian author of fantasy literature, active since the early 1990s. She has published as Michelle Sagara, as Michelle West and as Michelle Sagara West.... Liz Williams Liz Williams Dr Liz Williams is a British science fiction writer. The Ghost Sister, her first novel, was published in 2001. Both this novel and her next, Empire of Bones were nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award. She is also the author of the Inspector Chen series.Williams is the daughter of a stage... Walter Jon Williams Walter Jon Williams Walter Jon Williams is an American writer, primarily of science fiction.Several of Williams' novels have a distinct cyberpunk feel to them, notably Hardwired , Voice of the Whirlwind and Angel Stationn... Connie Willis Connie Willis Constance Elaine Trimmer Willis is an American science fiction writer. She has won eleven Hugo Awards and seven Nebula Awards. Willis most recently won a Hugo Award for Blackout/All Clear... Robert Charles Wilson Robert Charles Wilson Robert Charles Wilson is an American-Canadian science fiction author.Wilson was born in the United States in California, but grew up near Toronto, Ontario. Apart from another short period in the early 1970s spent in Whittier, California, he has lived most of his life in Canada, and in 2007 he... Sarah Zettel Sarah Zettel Sarah A. Zettel is an American science fiction and fantasy author.She was born in Sacramento, California. Her mother, Gail Beavers, is a retired teacher and social worker; her father, Leonard Francis Zettel, Jr., is a retired engineer and programmer. She obtained a B.A. in Communications from... |
Division heads
- Programming: Terry Fong
- Finance/Legal: Larry Hancock, Ken Smookler
- Facilities: Murray Moore
- Operations: Robbie Bourget
- Events: Kathryn Grimbly-Bethke
- Exhibits: Elaine Brennan
- Communications: Michelle Boyce
- Administration: Kent Bloom
- Member Services: Lance Sibley
Board of directors
- President: Ken Smookler
- Directors: Peter Jarvis, Larry Hancock, Murray Moore, Jody Dix, Linda Ross-Mansfield, Hope Leibowitz