I have to say, attending World Con this year was a lot of fun. One of the things I really appreciated from this convention was how much access you get with some of the most talented science fiction and fantasy authors and artists from around the world. I mean, if you enjoy contemporary science fiction and fantasy, chances are your favorite author/illustrator was at World Con this year.
And one of, if not the, biggest event at World Con is the Hugo Awards. What’s the Hugo Awards? The Hugo awards are awards given to recognize excellence in the field of science fiction and fantasy.
Here are some of the Planet Skkaw’s highlights from the Hugo Award ceremony itself:
First off John Picacio, artist and 2018 Hugo Award master of ceremonies shown above, did an excellent job hosting the ceremony. He certainly kept the show running, he didn’t lose a beat. He definitely made sure the show pace was fast and remained on time!
Another fun part of the 2018 Hugo Awarding ceremony were the presenters themselves. Below you can see creator of Game of Thrones himself, George R. R. Martin giving out the Best Professional Artist award. Turns out George started as a young artist, winning an art award in Kindergarten. George said from then on he’d been lead astray 😉 but to the benefit of all of us 😀 The the Best Professional Artist award was won by Sana Takeda.
Another surprise guest was Youtube Star and Hollywood actress Felicia Day. She came on stage to present The Hugo Award for Young Adult (YA) Fiction. Felicia had a lot to say about YA and she certainly kept the audience laughing throughout. The Hugo Award for Young Adult (YA) Fiction was won by Nnedi Okorafor (Viking) for Akata Warrior.
Another fun moment was when Martha Wells won Best Novella for All Systems Red. It was especially fun for me because I had just met Martha the day before at her book reading with Brandon Sanderson and Marie Brennan. It’s not everyday you get to meet a Hugo award winning author, more so before they’ve won! Referring to the photo below, left photos of Martha Wells accepting her Hugo award and giving out her acceptance speech. Photo on the right of, from left, Martha Wells, myself and Marie Brennan.
Of all the awards that night the most coveted and most prestigious was Best Novel. This year it was won (again) by N.K. Jemisin for The Stone Sky of the Broken Earth Trilogy. Below are some excerpts from her awarding speech:
- N.K. Jamison said she wrote The Broken Earth trilogy to speak to the struggle of a world that is constantly trying to break you.
- She continues that life in a hard world is never just about the struggle. Life (is about) those allies who prove themselves worthy by actions and not just talk. Life means celebrating every victory no matter how small.
- She also said that this is a year where records have been set, where the most privileged of us have been forced to acknowledge the world is broken, and that is a good thing, because acknowledging the problem is the first step towards fixing it.
Congratulations N.K Jemisin along with all the other 2018 Hugo Award winners, well deserved indeed!
For a full list of winners you check the list here. Also, cover photo of this article shows the 2018 Hugo awardees, and the various award acceptors and award presenters posing for photographs.
And that’s it for the Planet Skkaw’s coverage of World Con 76. For more on Geek Culture and Technology keep following here!
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