The Sasquan masquerade was held in the First Interstate Center for the Arts (then known as the INB Performing Arts Center), on same campus as the Convention Center, in the evening of Friday, August 21.[6] There were 45 entrants competing for ten major awards.[6] The Sasquan Masquerade Director was Sharon Sbarsky.[6]Kevin Roche was the master of ceremonies and the judges were Brad W. Foster, David Gerrold, Sandy Pettinger, Kathy Sanders, and Syd Weinstein. The workmanship judges were Tanglwyst de Holloway and Michele Weinstein.[6]
The winners, across four experience-based categories, were:[6][7]
Best Use of Traditional Materials: "San" (Princess Mononoke) by Casandra Friend
Best Woodworking Magic: "Ashe and Lux" (League of Legends) by Rachelle Henning and Tori Wheeler
Best Accessory: "Fauntal" by Ashlee
Best Use of Recycled Materials: "Immortan Joanna" by Claire Stromberg
Judge's Choice (de Holloway): "Octopus Dress" by Desiree Gould
Judge's Choice (Weinstein): "Don't Blink" by Paulina Crownhart and Julia Buragino
Rising Star Award: "We Are Groot" by Jason Giddings
Best in Class: "We Are Groot" by Jason Giddings
Presentation awards:
Honorable Mention: "Don't Blink" by Paulina Crownhart and Julia Buragino
Dead Ringer Award: "The Captain" (Captain Kangaroo) by Robert Mitchell
Best Re-Creation: "Immortan Joanna" by Claire Stromberg
Best in Class: "We Are Groot" by Jason Giddings
Journeyman division
Workmanship awards:
Honorable Mention: "Luigi" by Bevan Rogers
Honorable Mention (Transformation): "Diana Prince/Wonder Woman" by Denise Tanaka
Best Use of Non-Traditional Materials: "Sleeping Beauty, the Vintage Edition" by Hal Bass, Sharon Bass, Barbara Galler-Smith, Janine Wardale, John Wardale, and Ita Vandenbroek
Best Use of Materials That Hate You: "Theia the Tabbybrook Mage" by Natalie Rogers
Best Patterning and Fitting: "Marian Keiffer" by Debi "7 of Eowyn" Schwartz
Worst Infection of the Beading Disease: Tie:-
"Doctor Who Time Lords" by Carol Hamill and Forrest Nelson
"Victorian Justice League" by Barbara Hoffert, Mark Ezell, Ellie Ezell, Ann Ezell, Zachary Brant, and Kathryn Brant
Rising Star Award: "Blood Dragon Lord" by Lesli Jones
Best in Class: "Blood Dragon Lord" by Lesli Jones
Presentation awards:
Most Beautiful: "Marian Keiffer" by Debi "7 of Eowyn" Schwartz
Best Re-Creation: "Doctor Who Time Lords" by Carol Hamill and Forrest Nelson
Best in Class: "Blood Dragon Lord" by Lesli Jones
Master division
Workmanship awards:
Best Use of a Sweater Pattern: "Knit Klingon Warrior" by Shael Hawman
Best Use of Light Refraction: "Dreams of a Rainbow" by Susan Torgerson and Chris Corbitt
Best Use of Shower Accessories: "Rainbow Jellyfish" by Orchid Cavett
Best Dyeing: "Senator Padmé Amidala" by Torrey Stenmark
Most Skill-Sets in a Single Bound: "Professor R. Miles Levell, Gentleman Time Traveler" by Richard Miles
Go Big or Go Home Award: "Princess Marshmallow" by Lance Ikegawa
Rising Star Award: Tie:-
"Knit Klingon Warrior" by Shael Hawman
"Rainbow Jellyfish" by Orchid Cavett
Presentation awards:
Honorable Mention: "Rainbow Jellyfish" by Orchid Cavett
Honorable Mention: "Senator Padmé Amidala" by Torrey Stenmark
Best Critter: "Roll for Initiative" by Jonnalyn Wolfcat, Melissa Quinn, Alita Quinn, and Anita Taylor
Most Beautiful: "Princess Marshmallow" by Lance Ikegawa
Best in Class: "Professor R. Miles Levell, Gentleman Time Traveler" by Richard Miles
Overall
Best in Show (workmanship): "Roll for Initiative" by Jonnalyn Wolfcat et al.
Best in Show (presentation): "Victorian Justice League" by Barbara Hoffert, Ann Ezell, Mark Ezell, Kathryn Brant, Zach Brant, Ellie Ezell
The World Science Fiction Society administers and presents the Hugo Awards,[8] the oldest and most noteworthy award for science fiction. Selection of the recipients is by vote of the Worldcon members. Categories include novels and short fiction, artwork, dramatic presentations, and various professional and fandom activities.[8][9]
Other awards may be presented at Worldcon at the discretion of the individual convention committee. This has often included the national SF awards of the host country, such as the Japanese Seiun Awards as part of Nippon 2007,[10] and the Prix Aurora Awards as part of Anticipation in 2009. The Astounding Award for Best New Writer and the Sidewise Award, though not sponsored by the Worldcon, are usually presented, as well as the Chesley Awards, the Prometheus Award, and others.[10]
Of the 2,122 valid nominating ballots, 2,119 were submitted online and 3 on paper.[11] The year's final ballot was dominated by slates organized as the "Sad Puppies" and "Rabid Puppies".[12] The controversy brought international press attention to the awards process and caused several nominees to withdraw from consideration.[13][14] However, only one slate candidate won an award, and in the five categories in which only slate candidates were nominated, no award was given.[15][16][17]
After the "Spokane in 2015" bid chaired by Alex von Thorn[19] won the site selection vote, Sally Woehrle and Bobbie DuFault were announced as co-chairs of the convention on behalf of the Seattle Westercon Organizing Committee.[20] DuFault died suddenly on the morning of September 14, 2013.[21][22] The convention announced that Sally Woehrle would serve as chair with Glenn Glazer, Pierre Pettinger, and Mike Willmoth as vice-chairs.[2]
Three committees announced bids and qualified to be on the site selection ballot for the 73rd World Science Fiction Convention:
Helsinki in 2015, bid chair Eemeli Aro, would be held August 6-10, 2015[23]
Orlando in 2015, bid chair Adam Beaton, would be held September 2-6, 2015[24]
Spokane in 2015, bid chair Alex von Thorn, would be held August 19-23, 2015[19]
The first contested Worldcon selection since the 2007 vote for the 2009 Worldcon site saw active campaigning and drew celebrity endorsements. Authors George R. R. Martin and Cory Doctorow publicly supported the Helsinki bid and encouraged their fans to vote while artist Phil Foglio declared his support for Spokane's bid[25][26][27] and artist Bob Eggleton declared his support for Orlando.[28]
Spokane won the site selection contest on the third round of ballot counting in Australian-style preferential balloting.[4] Spokane finished with 645 votes, gaining a majority over Helsinki with 610.[29] Orlando was dropped in the second round with 307 votes and "none of the above" had been eliminated in the first round.[30]Boston, Minneapolis, and Locust Grove, Virginia, each received multiple write-in votes with Pyongyang and other hoax sites receiving single write-in votes.[30]
Future site selection
Four committees announced bids to host the 75th World Science Fiction Convention and filed all of the required paperwork by the February 2015 deadline: "Nippon in 2017", "Montréal in 2017", "Helsinki in 2017", and "Washington D.C. in 2017".[31] The 2017 site selected by the voters was announced during the convention's third World Science Fiction Society business meeting, on Saturday, August 22, 2015.[32] With 1363 votes out of 2625 valid ballots, Helsinki won on the first ballot and will operate as "Worldcon 75". DC17 ran second with 878 votes, Montréal third with 228, and Nippon fourth with 120.[33]
^ ab"Article 3: Hugo Awards". WSFS Constitution. World Science Fiction Society. 2008. Archived from the original on May 20, 2011. Retrieved April 5, 2009.