Schedule

This panel will discuss the Nommo Award and other awards and contests that create visibility for speculative fiction writers on the African continent.

This public reception provides a chance for members to meet the Hugo Award finalists and honor the winners from ConZealand.

The Nommo Award, presented by The African Speculative Fiction Society, recognizes works of speculative fiction by Africans, defined as “sf, fantasy, stories of magic and traditional belief, alternative histories, horror and strange stuff that might not fit in anywhere else.” Awards are given in categories for novel, novella, short story, and graphic novel. Four winners will discuss their work and read excerpts in prerecorded presentations. The master of ceremonies is Sheree Renée Thomas.

For the first time in its history, the Hugo Awards will honor a video game, using DisCon III’s discretionary Hugo Award. A trial best interactive video game Hugo Award was attempted in 2006, but was dropped due to lack of nominations. Since then, science fiction and fantasy video games have continued to evolve and generate intense interest from both reviewers and the wider fan community. This panel will discuss what we can learn from this year’s nominations for best video game.

This panel of experts will discuss the history of the Seiun Award, the Japanese speculative fiction award for the best science fiction works and achievements of the preceding year, and the state of Japanese speculative fiction today.

This panel will discuss the range of awards and other markers of achievement on the Continent, and how they raise the profile of African authors.