51st World Science Fiction Convention

ConFrancisco, the 51st World Science Fiction Convention
ConFrancisco, the 51st World Science Fiction Convention
Genre	Science fiction
Dates	2–6 September 1993
Venue	Moscone Convention Center
Location(s)	San Francisco, California
Country	United States
Attendance	6,602
Organized by	San Francisco Science Fiction Conventions, Inc.
Filing status	Non-profit

The 51st World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as ConFrancisco, was held on 2–6 September 1993 at the ANA Hotel, Parc Fifty Five, and Nikko Hotels and the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, California, United States.

The supporting organization was San Francisco Science Fiction Conventions, Inc. The chairman was David W. Clark.

Participants

Attendance was 6,602, out of 7,725 paid memberships.

Guests of Honor

The Guests of Honor were called "Honored Guests".

Larry Niven
Alicia Austin
Tom Digby
Jan Howard Finder
Mark Twain (Dead GoH; "channeled" by Jon DeCles)
Guy Gavriel Kay (toastmaster)

At this convention, as one of the "Honored Guests", Larry Niven was carried around the convention in a sedan chair by his fans while wearing a crown.

Awards

The World Science Fiction Society administers and presents the Hugo Awards,^[1] 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.^[1]^[2]

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,^[3] 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.^[3]^[4]

1993 Hugo Awards

Best Novel:
- A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge
- and Doomsday Book by Connie Willis (tie)
Best Novella: "Barnacle Bill the Spacer" by Lucius Shepard
Best Novelette: "The Nutcracker Coup" by Janet Kagan
Best Short Story: "Even the Queen" by Connie Willis
Best Non-Fiction Book: A Wealth of Fable: An Informal History of Science Fiction in the 1950s by Harry Warner, Jr.
Best Dramatic Presentation: "The Inner Light" (Star Trek: The Next Generation episode)
Best Professional Editor: Gardner Dozois
Best Professional Artist: Don Maitz
Best Original Artwork: Dinotopia by James Gurney
Best Semiprozine: Science Fiction Chronicle, edited by Andrew I. Porter
Best Fanzine: Mimosa, edited by Dick Lynch & Nicki Lynch
Best Fan Writer: Dave Langford
Best Fan Artist: Peggy Ranson

Other awards

Special Award: Takumi Shibano
John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer: Laura Resnick

Notes

ConFrancisco was the last Worldcon not to have its own official website.^[5]

The original plan of San Francisco Science Fiction Conventions, Inc. was to hold the convention at the futuristic San Francisco Marriott Marquis, designed by the noted architect Anthony J. Lumsden, which is topped with a jukebox shaped glass tower that makes it look like a skyscraper from a Flash Gordon comic strip by Alex Raymond. This building is a notable example of futurist architecture. However, the hotel backed out of the contract when a more lucrative larger convention wanted to schedule there on the same weekend.

References

^ ^a ^b "Article 3: Hugo Awards". WSFS Constitution. World Science Fiction Society. 2008. Archived from the original on May 20, 2011. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
^ Franklin, Jon (October 30, 1977). "Star roars: this year's champs in science fiction". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, MD. p. D5. Archived from the original on March 8, 2013. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
^ ^a ^b "Awards". Nippon2007: 65th World Science Fiction Convention. Archived from the original on August 2, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
^ "1993 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. World Science Fiction Society. Archived from the original on 2011-05-07. Retrieved 2011-03-04.
^ "ConFrancisco (Worldcon 1993)". San Francisco Science Fiction Conventions, Inc. 2008-05-23. Retrieved 2011-03-05.

External links

NESFA.org: The Long List
NESFA.org: 1993 convention notes Archived 2007-02-09 at the Wayback Machine
Hugo.org: 1993 Hugo Awards

Preceded by 50th World Science Fiction Convention MagiCon in Orlando, Florida, United States (1992)	List of Worldcons 51st World Science Fiction Convention ConFrancisco in San Francisco, California, United States (1993)	Succeeded by 52nd World Science Fiction Convention ConAdian in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (1994)