The Hugo Awards and WSFS
Like all Worldcons, DisCon III is governed by the rules of the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS). WSFS is a society whose membership in any given year is the membership of that year’s Worldcon. So, for 2021, the WSFS membership is made up of the membership of DisCon III.
In addition to its programming, Exhibits Halls, and other events, each Worldcon has important duties set out in the WSFS constitution. The most prestigious is the administration of that year’s Hugo Awards. In addition, each year’s Worldcon also administers the Site Selection for the Worldcon to be held two years later. Finally, each Worldcon hosts the WSFS Business Meeting – a meeting that makes decisions about the running of WSFS, the Hugo Awards and Worldcons.
DisCon III’s WSFS responsibilities are managed by the convention’s WSFS Division.
The Hugo Awards
The Hugos are leading awards for excellence in the field of science fiction and fantasy, and are awarded each year by the World Science Fiction Society at that year’s Worldcon. The Hugo Awards ceremony is always a highlight of a Worldcon, and 2021 will be no exception. Learn more about the Hugo Awards at DisCon III on our Hugo Awards page, and there are more details about the history of the Awards on the Hugo Awards web site.
Site Selection for the 2023 Worldcon
The vote to decide on the location for a Worldcon is organized by the Worldcon held two years previously. DisCon III is therefore administering the Site Selection for Worldcon in 2023. Sites hoping to host Worldcon in 2023 will submit the required materials (as outlined in Section 4.6 of the WSFS Constitution) to DisCon III by 11:59 p.m. EST on February 26, 2021 via email to siteselection@discon3.org . DisCon III members will be able to vote for their preferred site, with the result being announced at DisCon III.
The WSFS Business Meeting
As members of WSFS, all attending members of a Worldcon can take part in that year’s WSFS Business Meeting, where they can debate and vote on changes to the WSFS rules. DisCon III aims to make the Business Meeting as welcoming as possible, and information about our plans will be published closer to the time of the convention.
To learn more about the WSFS Business Meeting at DisCon III, see our WSFS Business Meeting page.
Future Worldcons Q&A
Although it is not a requirement of the WSFS constitution, the Q&A is a traditional part of Worldcons. The Q&A is an opportunity for future Worldcons, future bids, and potential future bids, to present themselves and to answer questions from the audience.