The final nomination list for the Sir Julius Vogel Awards for 2013 is now available.

Nominations for the Sir Julius Vogel Awards 2013 are now closed. A final nomination list will be published shortly.

SFFANZ is now accepting nominations for the Sir Julius Vogel Awards for 2013. The nomination period will close at 8.00pm on March 31st 2013.

An explanation of the procedures involved in processing nominations and administering the awards can be found here.

A detailed nomination FAQ can be found here.

The award rules and criteria can be found here.

Please send your nominations by email to sjv_awards@sffanz.org.nz or by post to:
    SJV Awards
    P.O. Box 13-574,
    Johnsonville,
    Wellington

Voting for the awards will take place at the 2013 National SF Convention Au Contraire

The results of the Sir Julius Vogel Awards for 2012 are now available.

The final nomination list for the Sir Julius Vogel Awards for 2012 is now available

Nominations for the Sir Julius Vogel Awards 2012 are now closed. A final nomination list will be published shortly.

SFFANZ is now accepting nominations for the Sir Julius Vogel Awards for 2012. The nomination period will close at 8.00pm on March 31st 2012.

An explanation of the procedures involved in processing nominations and administering the awards can be found here.

A detailed nomination FAQ can be found here.

The award rules and criteria can be found here.

Please send your nominations by email to sjv_awards@sffanz.org.nz or by post to:
    SJV Awards
    P.O. Box 13-574,
    Johnsonville,
    Wellington

Voting for the awards will take place at the 2012 National SF Convention unCONventional

The list of winners of the Sir Julius Vogel Awards for 2011 is now available here.

The final list of nominees for the Sir Julius Vogel Awards 2011 is now available here.

Nominations for the Sir Julius Vogel Awards for 2011 are now closed. A list of nominees will be published shortly.

The Sir Julius Vogel sub-committee of SFFANZ is accepting nominations for science fiction and fantasy works first published or released in the 2010 calendar year. Details of the Sir Julius Vogel Awards can be viewed by clicking on this link.

Nominations open on January 1st 2011 and close on 31st March 2011 at 8.00pm.
Please email your nominations to sjv_awards@sffanz.org.nz

Please send one nomination per email and include as many contact details as possible for the nominee as well as yourself.

A detailed nomination FAQ can be found here

Rules and Criteria for the Sir Julius Vogel Awards
Rules and Criteria for the Sir Julius Vogel Awards (PDF)

Voting for the awards will take place at the 2011 National Science Fiction convention, Context.

Please support the works that you like by nominating them, even if you think (or know) that they have already been nominated - additional nominations still matter. The number of nominations a work receives may have a direct bearing on whether it makes it to the final ballot.

The Sir Julius Vogel awards will be open in January. The award is for any science fiction, fantasy or horror works created by a New Zealander and first published or released in the 2010 calendar year.

Anyone can make a nomination and it is free! See the website for the categories open and get busy reading NZ authors and watching NZ movies.

Past winners include Russell Kirkpatrick, Nalini Singh, Helen Lowe, Brian Falkner and Under The Mountain.

Nominations open on 1 January 2011 and close on 31 March 2011 at 8pm.

For more information about the SJV Awards, please go to the awards page.

You can find full details about the nomination procedures and rules, including eligibility criteria here.

The minutes of the SFFANZ AGM held at Au Contraire on August 29th 2010 are now available on the SFFANZ web site.

Captain's Log is the newsletter of the publisher HarperCollins (New Zealand). Click on the link to visit the HarperCollins Voyager web site. There is a link from there to read the newsletter, to see further information about HarperCollins and to join the list to receive the Captain's Log.

The Concatenation seasonal SF news page has just been posted and is rather large (as it summarises the lead SF news from many countries). However the entries of New Zealand interest are:

http://www.concatenation.org/news/news9~10.html#au_contraire

Also of passing interest are:

http://www.concatenation.org/news/news9~10.html#specficnz

http://www.concatenation.org/news/news9~10.html#foreign

http://www.concatenation.org/news/news9~10.html#vogel

The Sir Julius Vogel Awards for 2010 have been announced. The results are available here.

There were two nominations:

The first received was for Stephen Litten/Jan Butterworth. (nominated by Cassie Pearce, seconded by Kevin McLean). The second was for Jenny Hammond (nominated by June Young, seconded by Simon Litten)

Brief bios of nominees are shown below

Votes cost $5.00 each.
Voting closes 20th August 2010.

NB:- The vote money is part of the fund raising and is passed on to the successful delegate.

Voting option #1 (preferred)

Direct bank deposit:

BNZ - acc # 02-0232-0065292-66
MUST INCLUDE as references
Delegates name (first reference) AND your name  (second reference)

Voting option #2

Ring or email us with your vote and credit card details and we'll process it via Barbara's Books mail order facility.
reading@barbarasbooks.co.nz          Phone - (09) 263-5002

Voting Option #3

NZ Post. Don't forget to give us your name, and the name of the nominee you are voting for.
Note: with this option votes must be posted in time to make our PO. Box by the morning of 20th August 2010.
Postal address is:
    FFANZ Vote
    C/- Barbara's Books
    PO Box 276204
    Manukau City
    Manukau 2241

Bios - as supplied by the nominees

Jenny Hammond
I’ve been into science fiction, and crazy about books, as long as I can remember.  I discovered that there was such a thing as fandom and science fiction conventions, after attending Conspiracy in 1997, when it all fell into place and I found a happy home in fandom.  I have attended every Wellington con, several Auckland cons, and the 1999 Aussiecon since 1997, and been a member of Phoenix Science Fiction Society since 1998.  I’m a librarian and dabble in writing, and plan to stay involved in fandom as long as it will have me.

Joint nominees

Jan Butterworth
Jan is Secretary of SFFANZ, Auckland administrator for SFFANZ book reviews, on the Sir Julius Vogel awards committee and is a current member of Stella Nova.  She was Secretary for Conscription in 2009 and is the publicist for Context in 2011. Jan would enjoy working to promote FFANZ.

Stephen Litten
Stephen worships at the shrine of SF/Fantasy. He is a founder member of Phoenix, is president of Stella Nova and been on the ConCom of a couple of Natcons. Stephen's outside interests include social drinking (founder member Beer Ingestion Group) and proving he's a clever dick. Currently he can be found in Auckland, provided he's not hiding.

The Realm is an official Science Fiction and Fantasy Facebook fan page set up by Hachette New Zealand to talk about all their great authors. It's just getting started, but in the coming weeks and months they'll have lots of things to post including promotions, freebies, reviews, publishing and event announcements, and sneak peeks to up-coming books with chapter samplers online!

Imagine worlds where strange creatures roam the hills of Miramar, desperate survivors cling to the remains of a submerged country, and the residents of Gisborne reluctantly serve alien masters.

Those are just some of the visions painted in a new volume of speculative fiction by kiwi writers to be launched later this month. Published by Wellington-based small press Random Static, A Foreign Country: New Zealand Speculative Fiction features work by best-selling author Juliet Marillier; poet, musician, and writer Bill Direen; and several Sir Julius Vogel Award winners, prominent writers, and talented newcomers.

Popular and award-winning Australian author Sean Williams, who will be in Wellington at the time of the launch, was impressed by his sneak preview, describing the anthology as "richly populated with the frightening and the fabulous, the thrilling and the thoughtful, the inspiring and the inspired."

Co-editor Anna Caro hopes the works in the collection will both provide points of familiarity to readers, and take their imagination to new places. "Many of the stories are set in New Zealand, present or future, and portray worlds which are both instantly recognisable and nothing like the country we currently live in. This anthology showcases some of the remarkable range of New Zealand's world-class speculative fiction writers."

A Foreign Country will be launched at 6pm on Friday 27 August at Au Contraire, the 31st National Science Fiction Convention (Quality Hotel, Cuba St, Wellington).

A Foreign Country can be ordered online from Random Static. The cover art can be seen here.

A Foreign Country ISBN: 978-0-473-16916-9

UPDATE - The SFFANZ AGM will be held at 11.00am on Sunday 29th August 2010 at Au Contraire. Note the new start time.

Please click here to download a pdf file (236K) containing the formal notice of the AGM and the agenda.

At the request of the Au Contraire committee, the bids and voting for the 2011 and 2012 National Conventions will be held at the closing ceremony of the convention.

We encourage people who are intending to bid for the 2012 convention to publicise their bid during Au Contraire. It is possible that some people may not be able to attend the closing ceremony. These people can leave proxy votes with any SFFANZ committee member.

Ever feel like you are writing from a deserted island? Come and meet other writers who write what you write, live where you live, and are determined to put New Zealand on the world's speculative fiction map. Join us for the official launch of New Zealand's new SF/F/H writer's association at Au Contraire in Wellington on Saturday, August 28th 2010 from 6pm-7pm. Among other things, we will be revealing our new website and membership benefits.

Attendance or Membership at the Con is not required to attend this event. However, we would appreciate your RSVP via the Facebook Event Page so that we can have some idea of numbers. And don't be shy in showing up even if you forget to RSVP. We'd love to see you there.

Super Awesome Mega Battle Tank is a science fiction comedy film series in 13 episodes. It has been written and directed by Bill O'Byrne and concerns the adventures of an inept three-man team from the Kiwi Space Patrol on a mission to recover a stolen New Zealand battle tank. You can read more about it at this site.

SpecFicNZ is happy to officially announce the winner of our recent logo contest, Glynis Jolly of Crossville, Tennessee, USA. The simple, marbled sphere with SpecFicNZacross it wowed us with its simplicity and versatility. Seen above on a backdrop of night sky it looks fabulous as our newsletter header, and we are already experimenting with it in a variety of colors and on other backgrounds. SpecFicNZwould like to formally thank all those who entered our contest. The competition was stiff, but the logo Glynis designed had the appearanceof a new looming planet, which is just what we hope New Zealand speculative fiction will be - a new, imminent world dominating the radar of both Kiwi and international publishers. You may be wondering just who Glynis is, and what motivated her to enter a logo contest for a New Zealand writers association? Ripley Pattoninterviewed her to find out just that, and you can read more on her website.

To celebrate Phoenix's 21st birthday we are hosting a mini-con on Saturday July 3rd at Turnbull House, Bowen St (opposite the Beehive). We are planning the mini-con as an introduction-to-convention affair with a relaxed approach to session schedules. We'll have small fun activities running in half hour gaps between hour-long discussion panels and a gaming stream. Starting at 10am, we'll be running through to 5pm.

The cost is $5 for members and $10 for non-members.

We're also planning to go out for dinner at a local restaurant at the end of the mini-con - all welcome (dinner at diner's own cost).

Events include a quiz, how well do series' end, underrated and overrated authors, films and series, a talk on science enhancements - a follow-up to "dude, where's my flying car" - and a chat about the history of Phoenix.

We'll also have a great afternoon tea of birthday cake for our flaming chicken.

All past, present and future members welcome to attend.

Storylines Trust and HarperCollins Publishers New Zealand are proud to announce an exciting new annual award on the children's literary scene - the Storylines Tessa Duder Award for unpublished writers of fiction for young adults, named in honour of one of New Zealand's best writers for young adults.

Unpublished writers looking for an opportunity to emulate the outstanding writing careers of Kiwi authors such as William Taylor, Kate De Goldi, Bernard Beckett or Tessa Duder herself will be excited by this new initiative.

The award has been set up in recognition of Tessa's outstanding contribution to children's literature, both in terms of publishing output and her tireless work in the area of children's literacy, particularly as one of the founding members of the Storylines Children's Literature Charitable Trust.

Full details and criteria for entry will be listed on the Storylines Tessa Duder Award page.

The Library and Information Association Of New Zealand Aotearoa (LIANZA) has announced the finalists for the Prestigious Children's Book Awards for 2010.

Some of the finalistsare also Sir Julius Vogel Award finalists. See this link for more information.

Many congratulations to the finalists from SFFANZ.

The winners of the New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards have been announced. See this link for details.

Some of the award winners are also Sir Julius Vogel Award finalists. See this link for more information.

Many congratulations to the Children's Book Award winners from SFFANZ.

Here are two links to an interview with Nalini Singh on Women on Air, Plains 96.9 FM.

The first takes you to the website and gives you the option to listen online or download the file in MP3 format. (Press the "play" button to start listening).

The second should take you directly to the the mp3 version, which will then commence playing.

Australian science fiction and fantasy author Jennifer Fallon is now resident in Canterbury, New Zealand.

Below are links to a 10 minute interview which covers why she moved to New Zealand, her plans for an international Writers Retreat in Canterbury and details of her new urban fantasy novel coming out in 2011.

The first link will take you to the website and give you the option to listen online or download the file in MP3 format. The second should take you directly to the the mp3 version, which will then commence playing.

Link to the website

Direct link to the mp3 file

Jennifer Fallon's official website is here.

One of the world's best-loved authors receives an Auckland premiere when Phoenix Theatre presents Terry Pratchett's Maskerade at the Rose Centre, Belmont, from 7-15 May. This brilliant spoof of Phantom of the Opera features wit and witches, murder and mayhem, cats and catastrophes... and just wait until the fat lady sings! A comedy with one foot in the gutter and the other in the gods, it's a feast for Pratchett fans and an entree for the uninitiated.

The action takes place beneath the giant chandelier of the Opera House in Ankh-Morpork - 'There's an accident waiting to happen,' as one of the cast remarks. An innocent young soprano is drawn to her destiny by a strangely-familiar evil mastermind, a renowned tenor has a guilty secret and the witches' idea of 'boil and bubble' produces an outrageous banquet scene. But then, this is the world of opera where nothing is quite what it seems.

'We had huge interest from the moment we announced we were doing this show,' says director Sally Knight. 'Most of the cast are devoted Pratchett fans and are loving the chance to bring some of his most picturesque characters to life. And if you know your musicals, you may even spot Jonathan Gilbert channelling Michael Crawford (Andrew Lloyd Webber's original Phantom) in his role as Walter Plinge.'

But there's also a sadness behind the mask. Sir Terry Pratchett was recently diagnosed with Alzheimers and the Phoenix Theatre production will be raising money for Alzheimers Auckland throughout the season. 'As a community theatre we felt this was an appropriate way to share our enjoyment of Terry's work - and that of the audience - with others,' says Sally. Whether you're a Terry Pratchett fan or just love a good laugh, don't miss Maskerade.

Performances:

8pm performances:
Friday 7 May
Saturday 8 May
Tuesday 11 May
Wednesday 12 May
Friday 14 May
Saturday 15 May

2pm performance:
Sunday 9 May

Street address:
The Rose Centre,
School Rd,
Belmont,
North Shore
Auckland

Cost: $20 ($15 concessions)

Contact:
Phone number and/or booking info: 445 9900
www.rosecentre.co.nz

Aussiecon 4 has released an electronic 2010 Hugo Voter Packet containing full-length works and samples from 2010 Hugo Award and John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer nominees. The packet is available for download by Aussiecon 4 members to help inform them about the works under consideration before voting.

The works in the Hugo Voter Packet are made available to voters through the efforts of the nominees and their publishers. Aussiecon 4 is grateful for their participation and willingness to share with its members. Remember to vote, and please support these creators! Their work is available in bookstores and online.

The Hugo voting process for works published or otherwise released in 2009 is open to supporting and attending members of Aussiecon 4, the 2010 World Science Fiction Convention. In order to participate you must purchase a supporting or attending Aussiecon 4 membership by 31 July 2010 23:59 PDT.

Click here for details

The nominations for the Sir Julius Vogel Awards for 2010 are available here.

SpecFicNZ, the new writers association, will finally launch in 2010 and we need an original, eye-catching logo to plaster on our website, print on our promotional material, and tattoo on the foreheads of all the Core members.

If you are an artist, a wanna-be-artist, or simply a rad doodler, we would love to see your most creative logo ideas. If you aren't artistically inclined, you probably know someone who is. Please feel free to pass this information on to them.

Entries are free, easy, and you can make up to five of them. And the prize for the winner is pretty decent -- $140 NZ, a free 6-issue subscription to Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, and a copy of the book Newton's Sleep from Random Static Publishing (and of course, the fame -- never forget the fame).

The Contest opens for entries March 15th, 2010, and closes April 30th, 2010.

You can find more information and complete contest rules here.

FFANZ, the Fan Fund of Australia and New Zealand, was established in 1982 to encourage closer ties between fans in Australia and New Zealand.

Peter & Barbara Clendon, the former FFANZ delegates from New Zealand, have announced that the FFANZ race for a NZ delegate to go to Aussiecon 4 is now open.

More details and a nomination form can be found on the FFANZ web site.

Following a poll of SFFANZ/Conscription members, it has been decided that New Zealand's 32nd National Science Fiction Convention will be ConText to be held in Auckland over Queen's Birthday weekend 2011. Catherine Asaro has been asked to be the guest of honour and Lynelle Howell has been asked to be the fan guest of honour.

38% of those polled responded, and every single response was in favour of the convention. The decision will be ratified at the next SFFANZ AGM.

ConText is being organised by Alan Parker.

Contact Details:

Web Site:
   http://context.sf.org.nz/

Email:
   enquiries@context.sf.org.nz

Postal Address:
  PO Box 74-013
  Market Rd
  Auckland 1543
  New Zealand

Phone:
   +64-9-9629806

The Hugo award nominees for 2010 are available here.

Nominations for the Sir Julius Vogel Awards for 2010 are now closed. Good luck to all the nominees!

SpecFicNZ, the new writers association, will finally launch in 2010 and we need an original, eye-catching logo to plaster on our website, print on our promotional material, and tattoo on the foreheads of all the Core members.

If you are an artist, a wanna-be-artist, or simply a rad doodler, we would love to see your most creative logo ideas. If you aren't artistically inclined, you probably know someone who is. Please feel free to pass this information on to them.

Entries are free, easy, and you can make up to five of them. And the prize for the winner is pretty decent -- $140 NZ, a free 6-issue subscription to Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, and a copy of the book Newton's Sleep from Random Static Publishing (and of course, the fame -- never forget the fame).

The Contest opens for entries March 15th, 2010, and closes April 15, 2010.

You can find more information and complete contest rules here.

Local artist Emma Weakley is about to have her first book published and she still a teenager.

Wellington publisher Random Static will be releasing Jack and the Beanstalk, a quirky take on the classic fairytale. "Emma's illustrations are delightful", said Random Static editor Kelly Buchanan.

"The story is simple enough for young children, but the sense of humour and the little details in the artwork make it entertaining for adults who haven't completely lost touch with their inner child, too. It a bit outside our usual remit, but we enjoyed it too much to pass up."

"I didn't expect anything to come of this little project, so it is very exciting to have it published", said Emma. Ms Weakley is a budding illustrator who lives on the Kapiti Coast and turned 19 last November. She likes drawing monsters, listening to irritating music, and quiet days investigating dead things on the beach. Last year, she won the Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Professional Art, for her cover illustration for Newtons Sleep.

The official launch for Jack and the Beanstalk is taking place at 2pm on Saturday the 20th of February, at Crossways, 6 Roxburgh St, Mt Victoria. Emma will be performing a reading and signing copies of the book, and the original art, concept sketches, and paintings will be on display. Light refreshments will be provided.

Jack and the Beanstalk will be available via the RandomStatic web site and all good bookstores. The cover image is can be seen here.

GUFF was created in 1979. Known as the Get Up-and-over Fan Fund or the Going Under Fan Fund, depending on which direction it's running, GUFF exists to provide funds to enable well-known fans from Australasia and Europe to visit each other's national (or other) conventions and to get to know each other's fandoms better. GUFF, like other fan funds, exists solely through the support of fandom. The candidates for each trip are voted on by interested fans, and each vote is accompanied by a monetary donation. These votes, and the continuing generosity of fandom through auctions and other donations, are what make GUFF possible.

The voting form for this year's GUFF can be found here. Information about the candidates can be found here.

Since 1972 DUFF, the Down Under Fan Fund, a fan-supported fellowship, has encouraged closer ties between Australasian and North American Science Fiction fans through the alternating exchange of representatives. DUFF delegates will time their travels to allow them to attend the World Science Fiction Convention or the national convention in the destination country and visit fans they would not have a chance to meet otherwise. The newly elected delegate will be responsible for raising funds, establishing a bank account, keeping a record of the funds accumulated and administering DUFF until a new delegate is elected from their continent. The new delegate is also expected to publish a trip report, copies of which can be sold to add to the fund.

Voting for the 2010 DUFF fellowship is now open. Click here to download a voting form. Full details of DUFF candidates and instructions on how to vote are included with the voting form.

There is an excellent article about the Sir Julius Vogel awards at The World SF News Blog. It discusses the history of the award and has some speculations about its future. The article was written by Ripley Patton.

Paul Haines has had significant success in 2009.

His novella Wives (X6, coeur de lion, 2009) has just tied to win the 2009 Aurealis Award for Best Horror Short Story. It has also made the Locus 2009 Recommended Reading List. It made the honours list for the 2009 James Tiptree Jr. award and has been shortlisted for the 2009 Austalian Shadows Award for Best Long Fiction

For anyone considering Hugo or SJV nominations, a free download of Wives is available here.

His short story Slice of Life - A Spot of Liver (Slice of Life, The Mayne Press, 2009) also tied to win the 2009 Aurealis Award Best Horror Short Story. This is the first time in the award's history that an author has tied with themselves for a win.

His collection Slice of Life (The Mayne Press, 2009) was shortlisted for the 2009 Aurealis Award Best Collection, and has won the 2009 Chronos Award Best Collection.

Meliors Simms' poem Two Kinds of Time, first published in the acclaimed anthology Voyagers: Science Fiction Poetry from New Zealand (Interactive Press, 2009), has been nominated for a Rhysling Award for the best science fiction, fantasy or horror poem published in 2009.

The Rhysling Awards, administered by the Science Fiction Poetry Association, were inaugurated in 1978. Among previous winners are such well-known writers as Margaret Atwood, Ursula K. Le Guin, Jane Yolen and Joe Haldeman.

"I'm honoured to have my poem nominated for an international poetry award with such an illustrious history," said Meliors Simms from her home in Hamilton. "I had never heard of the genre of science fiction poetry until I was invited to submit to the Voyagers anthology a few years ago. Two Kinds of Time was my first effort and marked a shift in my writing style from introspective to more ideas-based poetry."

Tim Jones, who co-edited Voyagers with Mark Pirie, said "We are delighted for Meliors, and very pleased for this further recognition for New Zealand science fiction poetry and for Voyagers. The anthology has been very well-received in New Zealand, and it has already appeared on the NZ Listener and New Zealand Herald best books lists for 2009. The international interest in the anthology, and in Meliors' poem in particular, is just as exciting."

Voyagers: Science Fiction Poetry from New Zealand is available from leading New Zealand independent bookstores. It is also available online from Interactive Press, from Fishpond (NZ) and from Amazon.com.

Meliors Simms has made a short video called "Non Linear Time", which features one section of her nominated poem "Two Kinds of Time". It can be viewed on YouTube.

Meliors' web site is here.

For more information about the Rhyslings, please visit here.

The Voyagers website is here.

Voyagers received a very positive review in Star*Line, the journal of the Science Fiction Poetry Association. That review is available here.

The Sir Julius Vogel sub-committee of SFFANZ is accepting nominations for science fiction and fantasy works first published or released in the 2009 calendar year. Details of the Sir Julius Vogel Awards can be viewed by clicking on this link.

Nominations open on January 1st 2010 and close on 31st March 2010 at 8.00pm.
Please email your nominations to sjv_awards@sffanz.org.nz

Please send one nomination per email and include as many contact details as possible for the nominee as well as yourself.

A detailed nomination FAQ can be found here

Rules and Criteria for the Sir Julius Vogel Awards
Rules and Criteria for the Sir Julius Vogel Awards (PDF)

Voting for the awards will take place at the 2010 National Science Fiction convention, Au Contraire.

Please support the works that you like by nominating them, even if you think (or know) that they have already been nominated - additional nominations still matter. The number of nominations a work receives may have a direct bearing on whether it makes it to the final ballot.

The nominating period for the Hugo Awards commences January 1st 2010.

The Hugo Awards celebrate the best in the field of science fiction and fantasy.

Hugos are presented each year at the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) by the World Science Fiction Society.

The Hugo nomination process for works published or otherwise released in 2009 and individual achievement awards is open to current members of the World Science Fiction Society, which means supporting or attending members of the 2009 Worldcon (Anticipation) or the upcoming 2010 Worldcon (Aussiecon 4).

Nominations must be received by 13 March 2010. In order to participate, you must have purchased an Aussiecon 4 membership by 31 January 2010 or have been a member of the 2009 Worldcon, Anticipation.

More details and a nomination form can be found on the Aussiecon 4 website.

According to Vincent Docherty, Hugo Awards Administrator, the best-known Hugo Award categories are Best Novel and Best Dramatic Presentation. "However, there are many other categories of Hugo Awards, including some for short fiction, for artists, and editors, and for activities by fans," says Docherty, "Winning an award as prestigious as the Hugo can mean the difference between an author having one or two works published and having the industry keen to get its hands on anything you create."

A shortlist of the five most popular works or achievements in each award category will be published in early April 2010, with the voting process open to Aussiecon 4 members until 31 July 2010.

The Hugo Awards Ceremony will be one of the highlights of Aussiecon 4, and will take place on the evening of Sunday 5 September 2010.

Aussiecon 4 will be held at the new Melbourne and Convention and Exhibition Centre from 2 to 6 September 2010. The convention will be a five-day event bringing together readers and fans and a premium field of authors, illustrators, publishers, scientists, and other leading genre figures.

"Worldcon is a truly amazing and unique phenomenon", says Perry Middlemiss, Co-Chair of Aussiecon 4. "It has all the features of an international writer's festival but celebrates a very specific genre: science fiction, fantasy, and horror."

Contact:
Vince Docherty
Hugo Awards Administrator
hugoadmin@aussiecon4.org.au
Telephone: +31 6 5252 1090
http://www.thehugoawards.org

Fiona Park
Communications Division Head
communications@aussiecon4.org
Telephone: +61 3 9281 7423
For more information about Aussiecon4, see our website.

The minutes of the 2009 SFFANZ AGM are now available to view.

Writer Neil Gaiman, who was the Literary Guest of Honour at Construction, the 1998 New Zealand National Science Fiction and Fantasy convention - will be in Wellington on the 13th March 2010 as an official speaker at the NZ International Arts Festival being held in Wellington under the Writers and Readers section.

Date : 13 March 2010 (Saturday)
Time : 5.30pm
Duration : 1 hour
Price : $25.00 adult
Venue : Wellington Town Hall

More information can be found here.

Information about the festival proper can be found here.

It is with regret that we announce that two members of the board, June Young and James Dignan, have had to step down for personal reasons. However, June has kindly agreed to stay on as Press officer. We thank June and James for their service and contributions over the past years.

June's resignation from the board left the position of president vacant. The Board have appointed Alan Robson as the new president.

Click On the logo above for more information about the World SF Convention next year. Click here to download a PDF press release.

A promotional tour has been arranged for Voyagers: Science Fiction Poetry from New Zealand (edited by Mark Pirie and Tim Jones).

The dates and venues for the tour are:

Dunedin Library, 14 Oct, 5:30 pm, join Sue Wootton, James Dignan, Tim Jones and IP Director Dr David Reiter to kick off the national tour.

Circadian Rhythm Cafe, 15 Oct, 7 pm. Our event here will feature Sue Wootton, Jenny Powell, James Dignan, David Eggleton, Tim Jones and David Reiter.

Christchurch, Madras Cafe, 16 Oct, 5 pm, with Owen Marshall, James Norcliffe, David Gregory, Tim Jones and David Reiter

Wellington, Wellington Central Library, 19 Oct, 5:30 pm, with Janis Freegard, Nic Hill, Helen Rickerby, Jack Perkins, Rachel McAlpine, Michael O'Leary, Marilyn Duckworth, Tim Jones, Mark Pirie and David Reiter

Kapiti Coast, Kapiti Coast Library, 20 Oct, 5:30 pm for 6 pm, featuring Puri Alvarez, Nic Hill, Helen Rickerby, Michael O'Leary, Janis Freegard and David Reiter

Hamilton, TBC, 21 Oct

Auckland, 22 Oct, Auckland Central Library, with Raewynn Alexander, Jacqueline Ottway, Iain Sharp, Michael Morrissey, Anna Rugis, Alastair Paterson, Iain Britton, Thomas Mitchell, Janet Charman and David Reiter

Devonport, 24 Oct, 6:30 pm, Depot Arts Space, with Iain Britton, Alistair Paterson, Andrew Fagan, Janet Charman, Anna Rugis, Thomas Mitchell and David Reiter.

The full results can be found here.

The Sir Julius Vogel Awards are awards in professional and fan fields from the 2007 year, voted by the fans and presented at the National Science Fiction convention each year. Full details on the categories and rules can be found here. Voting is open to members of SFFANZ or members of the national science fiction convention for that year.

The awards this year were held at Conscription.

We have now started a regular series of book reviews of books distributed by both Hachette (New Zealand) and Harper Collins (New Zealand). Click on the Reviews link in the menu on the left hand side. Bookmark the page and return to it regularly. The reviews will be constantly updated.

Hachette (New Zealand) is part of the Hachette group, one of the leading publishers in France. In New Zealand, they distribute books from many publishers such as Little Brown, Headline, Hodder etc.

Harper Collins (New Zealand) is the official distributor for Harper Voyager, Simon and Schuster, Usborne, Anova Books and Little Hare Books.

We will shortly be publishing reviews of SF and Fantasy novels distributed by both Hachette and Harper Collins. There is a new link reviews on the main menu on the left hand side. This link will take you straight to the reviews.

Semaphore Magazine is run in New Zealand by New Zealanders. It publishes work from around the world and strongly encourages submissions from New Zealanders. Semaphore publishes short fiction, poetry and creative essays in a quarterly e-zine. Every December it publishes an anthology of the best pieces from the previous four issues, as voted by the readers.

Prima Storia is a new journal dedicated to publishing strong fiction pieces by Australian and New Zealand writers. We are interested in submissions from writers working in any genre -- and particularly work from writers that does not fit comfortably in any genre. We would also be very interested in publishing an essay on the history of New Zealand sci-fi. If anyone feels up to it and wants a book token or two, please let us know. Please visit the website for the Editor's (Mark Rickerby's) email address. He is happy to answer any questions that you might have.

The Sir Julius Vogel sub-committee of SFFANZ is currently accepting nominations for science fiction and fantasy works first published or released in the 2008 calendar year. Details of the Sir Julius Vogel Awards can be viewed by clicking on this link.

Nominations open on 1 December 2008 and close on 28 February 2009.

To make a nomination please email sjv_awards@sffanz.org.nz.

Please send one nomination per email and include as many contact details as possible for the nominee as well as yourself.

You can find full details about the nomination procedures and rules, including eligibility criteria here. These rules can be downloaded as a PDF document here.

A detailed nomination FAQ can be found here.

The voting will occur at Conscription, the national science fiction convention being held in Auckland, New Zealand over Queen's Birthday, 27 May - 1 June 2009.

Please support the works that you like by nominating them, even if you think (or know) that they have already been nominated - additional nominations still matter. The number of nominations a work receives may have a direct bearing on whether it makes it to the final ballot.

The World Science Fiction Convention is coming to Melbourne. It will be held between the 2nd and the 6th of September 2010. The guests of honour are Kim Stanley Robinson, Robin Johnson and Shaun Tan. Full details and membership information can be found on the Aussicon4 web site.

Radio NZ has just released a 7 disc audio production of 'The Master of Paxwax', the first story in Phillip Mann's dualogy about Pawl Paxwax, the Gardener. If it sells well enough they will also release the second volume, 'The Fall of the Families' - so please contact Replay Radio and, of course, buy the discs. Orders can be placed by writing to: Replay Radio, P O Box 123, Wellington, and on the web at: Replay Radio They accept Visa and Mastercard, as well as cheques. Phillip Mann is the Patron of the Phoenix SF Club based in Wellington.

ConScription, the 30th National New Zealand SF Convention, will take place over Queen's Birthday Weekend (29th May - 1st June) 2009 at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Auckland. A writer's workshop has been organised to begin on May 27th, the Wednesday before the convention. The guest of honour is Julie Czerneda and the fan guest of honour is Robbie Matthews. Full details may found at their website.

Behind these genre-defining elements is the story of John Hope, who, by means of a sleeping elixir, awakes to a utopian community in a distant future a "kingdom of thought" where the struggle for existence has been eliminated and humanity operates under an unwritten law of civility and harmony, aided by telekinesis that inerrantly reveals all wrong-doers. Since only two of the probably three volumes are extant, the tale ends with a chilling cliffhanger.

In his introduction, Dominic Alessio the editor of the re-published edition, discusses the cutting-edge aspects of this work and its significance in both the realm of science fiction and the history and culture of its day. Dominic Alessio is Associate Professor of History and Director of the Study Abroad Program at Richmond, The American International University in London.

The Los Angeles Times has a  review of the book

Here is an academic introduction and a sample chapter

To find out more about the book go to the University of Nebraska Press, with an option to purchase a copy.

Also available for purchase here via the United Kingdom. This site has a decent sized image of the book cover

The minutes of the AGM held on March 24th 2008 have been posted to the web site. Click on the link on the left hand side.

There is a lot of new information on the Interesting Lists page. We have added bibliogaphic information about anthologies of New Zealand SF together with bibliographies of a lot of New Zealand science fiction writers. We have also put together lists of New Zealand film and television SF and Fantasy.

In accordance with the motion passed at the AGM on 24th March 2008, the SFFANZ Board have opened a discussion site to debate the structure of the Sir Julius Vogel (SJV) awards. Please visit sffanz_discuss for information on how to take part in the debate.

We look forward to hearing from you.

We've been asking for lists of work by New Zealanders in the fields of science fiction, fantasy and horror (see the panel on the right hand side of this page). To this end, we have put a new link in the left hand menu. It is called Interesting Lists and if you click on it, you will be taken to a page where we are starting to display the lists we have received. Of course, we'd like more material to add to the lists, so please do get in touch with us if you have anything to add.

The Sir Julius Vogel Awards are awards in professional and fan fields from the 2007 year, voted by the fans and presented at the National Science Fiction convention each year. Full details on the categories and rules can be found here. Voting is open to members of SFFANZ or members of the national science fiction convention for that year.

The awards this year were held at Conjunction.

They will attend Swancon 2008, the 47th Australian National Convention and the 33rd annual West Australian Science Fiction Convention. And they will be swinging by New Zealand to say hi! More details as they come to hand.

We will provide details on how to take part in this discussion shortly. Members will be contacted directly, and the details will be made public here.

New rules for the Sir Julius Vogel Awards

Original rules for the Sir Julius Vogel Awards

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