75th World Science Fiction Convention

Guests of Honour John-Henri Holmberg, Johanna Sinisalo, Walter Jon Williams, Nalo Hopkinson and science guest Ian Stewart.

The Guests of Honour for Worldcon 75 were Swedish author and translator John-Henri Holmberg, Jamaican author Nalo Hopkinson, Finnish author Johanna Sinisalo, French artist and illustrator Claire Wendling (absent due to illness), and American author Walter Jon Williams.[2]

The following committees announced bids to host the 75th World Science Fiction Convention and filed all of the required paperwork before the February 2015 filing deadline:[3][4]

• DC-17, to be held at the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, D.C., on 16–20 August 2017. The bid co-chairs were Michael Nelson and Warren Buff.
• Helsinki in 2017, to be held at the Helsinki Exhibition and Convention Centre in Helsinki, Finland, on 9–13 August 2017. The bid chair was Eemeli Aro.[5]
• Montreal in 2017, to be held at the Palais des congrès de Montréal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on 31 August–4 September 2017. The bid chair was Jannie Shea.[6]
• Nippon in 2017, to be held at the Shizuoka Convention & Arts Center in Shizuoka, Japan, on 23–27 August 2017. The bid chair was Hideaki Kawai.

A bid for New York City in 2017 was floated for several years but dropped before reaching the commitment stage.[7] The Montreal bid was originally announced for 2019 but shifted to the earlier date in 2013.[6]

The 2017 site selected by the voters was announced during Sasquan's third World Science Fiction Society business meeting, on Saturday, August 22, 2015. With 1363 votes out of 2625 valid ballots, Helsinki won on the first ballot and will operate as "Worldcon 75". DC17 ran second with 878 votes. Montreal third with 228, and Nippon fourth with 120. Sites receiving write-in votes included Night Vale, Minneapolis in '73. Gallifrey, and All of the Above.[8]

At the end of the convention, organizers announced a total attendance of 7,119, out of a total of 10,616 memberships and day passes sold, making Worldcon 75 the second-largest Worldcon to date and the largest ever held outside North America. However, the final official figure, including day members across all days, was 7,949 members in attendance at some point during the convention.[9]

Audience at the awards ceremony.

Winners, presenters and other participants in the awards ceremony.

The World Science Fiction Society administers and presents the Hugo Awards,[10] the oldest and most noteworthy award for science fiction. Selection of the recipients is by vote of the Worldcon members. Categories include novels and short fiction, artwork, dramatic presentations, and various professional and fandom activities.[10][11]

Other awards may be presented at Worldcon at the discretion of the individual convention committee. This has often included the national SF awards of the host country, such as the Japanese Seiun Awards as part of Nippon 2007,[12] and the Prix Aurora Awards as part of Anticipation in 2009. The Astounding Award for Best New Writer and the Sidewise Award, though not sponsored by the Worldcon, are usually presented, as well as the Chesley Awards, the Prometheus Award, and others.[12]

• Worldcon 75 official website
• Worldcon official website