The Hugo Award for Best Fan Artist is given each year for artists of works related to science fiction or fantasy which appeared in low- or non-paying publications such as
semiprozines or
fanzine
A fanzine (blend of '' fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleasure of others who share ...
s. A
Hugo Award for professional artists is also given. The Hugo Awards have been described as "a fine showcase for
speculative fiction
Speculative fiction is a term that has been used with a variety of (sometimes contradictory) meanings. The broadest interpretation is as a category of fiction encompassing genres with elements that do not exist in reality, recorded history, nat ...
" and "the best known literary award for science fiction writing".
The fan award was first presented in 1967 and has been awarded annually. Beginning in 1996, Retrospective Hugo Awards, or "Retro Hugos", have been available to be awarded for years 50, 75, or 100 years prior in which no awards were given.
To date, Retro Hugo awards have been awarded for 1939, 1941, 1943—1946, 1951, and 1954, although only the 1946 and 1951 Retro Hugos received sufficient nominations for the Fan Artist Hugo to make the ballot.
Hugo Award nominees and winners are chosen by supporting or attending members of the annual
World Science Fiction Convention
Worldcon, or more formally the World Science Fiction Convention, the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS), is a science fiction convention. It has been held each year since 1939 (except for the years 1942 to 1945, durin ...
, or Worldcon, and the presentation evening constitutes its central event. The selection process is defined in the World Science Fiction Society Constitution as
instant-runoff voting
Instant-runoff voting (IRV) is a type of Ranked voting, ranked preferential Electoral system, voting method. It uses a Majority rule, majority voting rule in single-winner elections where there are more than two candidates. It is commonly referr ...
with six nominees, except in the case of a tie. The works on the ballot are those six most-nominated by members that year, with no limit on the number of works that can be nominated.
Initial nominations are made by members in January through March, while voting on the ballot of six nominations is performed roughly in April through July, subject to change depending on when that year's Worldcon is held.
Prior to 2017, the final ballot was five works; it was changed that year to six, with each initial nominator limited to five nominations.
Worldcons are generally held near
Labor Day
Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...
and in a different city around the world each year.
During the 58 nomination years, 79 artists have been nominated; 32 of these have won, including co-winners and Retro Hugos.
Brad W. Foster
Brad W. Foster (born April 26, 1955) is an American illustrator, cartoonist, writer and publisher. He has also been Artist Guest of Honor at multiple conventions such as ArmadilloCon 10, Conestoga 9, Archon 35, NASFiC 2010, and 73rd World Sci ...
has received the largest number of awards, with 8 wins out of 27 nominations.
William Rotsler and
Tim Kirk
Tim Kirk is both a professional artist and an American fan artist. He worked as a senior designer at Tokyo DisneySea, as an Imagineer for the Walt Disney company. He began his professional art career during the mid-1970s as an illustrator at ...
have won five awards, from twenty-three and eight nominations respectively. The only other artists to win more than twice are
Teddy Harvia
Teddy Harvia is the pen name of David Thayer, an American science fiction fan artist. "Teddy Harvia" is an anagram of "David Thayer". He was born in Oklahoma but grew up in and resides in Dallas, Texas.
, Teddy Harvia has won the Hugo Awar ...
, with four out of twenty nominations,
Alexis A. Gilliland, with four out of eight, and
Frank Wu, also with four out of eight.
Winners and nominees
In the following tables, the years correspond to the date of the ceremony. Artists are eligible based on their work of the previous calendar year. Entries with a blue background and an asterisk (*) next to the artist's name have won the award; those with a white background are the nominees on the short-list.
* Winners
Retro Hugos
Beginning with the
1996 Worldcon, the World Science Fiction Society created the concept of "Retro Hugos", in which the Hugo award could be retroactively awarded for 50, 75, or 100 years prior. Retro Hugos may only be awarded for years in which a Worldcon was hosted, but no awards were originally given.
Retro Hugos have been awarded eight times, for 1939, 1941, 1943—1946, 1951, and 1954.
Only the 1946 and 1951 Retro Hugos received enough nominations for the Fan Artist Hugo to make the ballot.
References
External links
The Hugo Awards official website
{{featured list
Visual arts awards
Awards established in 1967
Fan Artist