The inaugural World Science Fiction convention was held in 1939 in New York, United States. It was chaired by American author Sam Moskowitz who was only 19 years old at the time of the convention. Worldcon has been held every year since its inception, except for the years 1942 to 1945, during the Second World War.
The first installment of the convention to be held outside the United States was the sixth Worldcon. It took place in 1948 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The first Worldcon outside North America was the 15th World Science Fiction Convention in 1957 in London. Countries that have hosted Worldcon include the UK, Germany, Australia, the Netherlands, Japan, and Finland. However, most Worldcons were held in North America.
Worldcon sites are selected by voting of the Worldcon membership two years in advance. Whenever the World Science Fiction Convention is being held outside North America, the North American Science Fiction Convention (NASFiC) is scheduled near the time of the Worldcon.
Worldcon offers excellent programming full of exciting events and activities, including (but not limited to) meet & greets, autograph sessions and other activities involving industry professionals, art shows, costuming, dancing, exhibits, live musical and theatrical performances, fan tables, gaming, panel discussions, and more. The convention also hosts two award ceremonies. The Hugo Awards are presented for the best science fiction and fantasy works, and the Chesley Awards are given to the best artistic works.
Each Worldcon committee selects the Guests of Honor invited to the convention. They include authors, artists, editors, fans and media guests renowned for their lifetime contribution to the genre (typically at least 25 years of activity). Past Guests of Honor have included writers Harry Harrison, Robin Hobb, George R. R. Martin and Anne McCaffrey, filmmaker James Gunn, artist Boris Vallejo, and many others.
In 2020, the event was held online due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Photo: aebogdan.com
