The 61st World Science Fiction Convention (

Worldcon 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, during ...

), also known as Torcon 3, was held on 28 August–1 September 2003 at the

Metro Toronto Convention Centre Metro Toronto Convention Centre (originally and still colloquially Metro Convention Centre, and sometimes MTCC), is a convention complex located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada along Front Street (Toronto), Front Street West in the former Railway Land ...

and the

Fairmont Royal York The Fairmont Royal York, formerly and still commonly known as the Royal York, is a large historic luxury hotel in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located along Front Street West, the hotel is situated at the southern end of the Financial District, in ...

and Crowne Plaza (now the InterContinental Toronto Centre) hotels in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada. This convention was also the 2003

Canvention Canvention is the Canada, Canadian national science fiction convention, where the Prix Aurora Awards are presented. Normally it is held as part of an existing convention. Conventions The list of past Canventions may be referenced in the programme ...

, and therefore presented the

Prix Aurora Awards The Aurora Awards (french: Prix Aurora-Boréal) are a set of primarily literary awards given annually for the best Canadian science fiction or fantasy professional and fan works and achievements from the previous year."Literary glow of Auroras lure ...

Participants

Guests of Honour

George R. R. Martin George Raymond Richard Martin (born George Raymond Martin; September 20, 1948), also known as GRRM, is an American novelist, screenwriter, television producer and short story writer. He is the author of the series of epic fantasy novels ''A Song ...

(pro) *

Frank Kelly Freas Frank Kelly Freas (August 27, 1922 – January 2, 2005) was an American science fiction and fantasy artist with a career spanning more than 50 years. He was known as the "Dean of Science Fiction Artists" and he was the second artist inducted by ...

(artist), unable to attend due to illness *

Mike Glyer Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...

(fan) *

Spider Robinson Spider Robinson (born November 24, 1948) is an American-born Canadian list of science fiction authors, science fiction author. He has won a number of awards for his hard science fiction and humorous stories, including the Hugo Award 1977 and 198 ...

(toastmaster) *

Robert Bloch Robert Albert Bloch (; April 5, 1917September 23, 1994) was an American fiction writer, primarily of crime, psychological horror and fantasy, much of which has been dramatized for radio, cinema and television. He also wrote a relatively small ...

(GoHst of honor)

Other notable programme participants

Awards

2003 Hugo Awards

This was the first time that the 'Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form' and 'Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form' awards were presented as separate categories. * Best Novel: ''Hominids'' by

Robert J. Sawyer Robert James Sawyer (born April 29, 1960) is a Canadian science fiction writer. He has had 24 novels published and his short fiction has appeared in ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'', ''Amazing Stories'', '' On Spec'', ''Nature'', and numerou ...

* Best Novella: ''

Coraline ''Coraline'' () is a dark fantasy horror children's novella by British author Neil Gaiman. Gaiman started writing ''Coraline'' in 1990, and it was published in 2002 by Bloomsbury and HarperCollins. It was awarded the 2003 Hugo Award for Best ...

'' by

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...

* Best Novelette: "Slow Life" by

Michael Swanwick Michael Swanwick (born 18 November 1950) is an American fantasy and science fiction author who began publishing in the early 1980s. Writing career Swanwick's fiction writing began with short stories, starting in 1980 when he published "Ginungagap ...

* Best Short Story: "Falling Onto Mars" by Geoffrey A. Landis * Best Related Book: ''Better to Have Loved: The Life of Judith Merril'' by

Judith Merril Judith Josephine Grossman (January 21, 1923 – September 12, 1997), who took the pen-name Judith Merril around 1945, was an American and then Canadian science fiction writer, editor and political activist, and one of the first women to be wid ...

and Emily Pohl-Weary *

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form The Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation is given each year for theatrical films, television episodes, or other dramatized works related to science fiction or fantasy released in the previous calendar year. Originally the award covered both ...

: '' The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' * Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: "

Conversations with Dead People "Conversations with Dead People" is the seventh episode of the seventh and final season of the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. It is the only episode other than " Once More, with Feeling" where the title appears on screen. Plot S ...

", ''

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. It is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film of the same name, also written by W ...

'' * Best Professional Editor:

Gardner Dozois Gardner Raymond Dozois ( ; July 23, 1947 – May 27, 2018) was an American people, American science fiction author and editing, editor. He was the founding editor of ''The Year's Best Science Fiction'' anthologies (1984–2018) and was editor of ...

* Best Professional Artist:

Bob Eggleton Bob Eggleton (born September 13, 1960) is an American science fiction, fantasy and horror artist. Eggleton is a nine-time Hugo Award–winner for Best Pro Artist in science fiction and fantasy, first winning in 1994. He won the Hugo Award for Be ...

* Best Semiprozine:

Locus Locus (plural loci) is Latin for "place". It may refer to: Entertainment * Locus (comics), a Marvel Comics mutant villainess, a member of the Mutant Liberation Front * ''Locus'' (magazine), science fiction and fantasy magazine ** ''Locus Award' ...

* Best Fanzine:

Mimosa ''Mimosa'' is a genus of about 590 species of herbs and shrubs, in the mimosoid clade of the legume family Fabaceae. The generic name is derived from the Greek word (''mimos''), an "actor" or "mime", and the feminine suffix -''osa'', "resembl ...

* Best Fan Writer:

David Langford David Rowland Langford (born 10 April 1953) is a British author, editor, and critic, largely active within the science fiction field. He publishes the science fiction fanzine and newsletter ''Ansible'', and holds the all-time record for most ...

* Best Fan Artist: Sue Mason

Prix Aurora Awards

This Worldcon being also the 2003

, it awarded the

. They are given out annually for the best Canadian science fiction and fantasy literary works, artworks, and fan activities from that year, and are awarded in both English and French. * Best Long-Form Work in English: ''Permanence'' by

Karl Schroeder Karl Schroeder () (born September 4, 1962) is a Canadian science fiction author and a professional futurist. His novels present far-future speculations on topics such as nanotechnology, terraforming, augmented reality, and interstellar travel, an ...

* Best Long-Form Work in French: ''Le Revenant de Fomalhaut'' by Jean-Louis Trudel * Best Short-Form Work in English: "Ineluctable" by

* Best Short-Form Work in French: ''"La Guerre sans temps"'', Sylvie Bérard * Best Work in English (other): ''Be VERY Afraid!'' by Edo van Belkom * Artistic Achievement: Mel Vavaroutsos * Fan Achievement (publication): ''Made in Canada Newsletter'', webzine, edited by Don Bassie * Fan Achievement (organizational): Georgina Miles (

Toronto Trek Polaris (formerly Toronto Trek) was an annual science fiction and fantasy convention held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada. It began in 1986 as a relaxacon as Toronto Trek Celebration. Two years later, in 198 ...

16) * Fan Achievement (other):

Jason Taniguchi Jason Taniguchi is a writer and actor from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His poems and short fiction appear in the collection ''Jason Taniguchi's Very Sensible Stories and Poems for Grown-ups'' from Kelp Queen Press. He has also both written for and a ...

, one-man SF parody shows

Other awards

John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer The ''Astounding'' Award for Best New Writer (formerly the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer) is given annually to the best new writer whose first professional work of science fiction or fantasy was published within the two previous ...

: Wen Spencer

Future site selection

Two site selection votes were held at Torcon 3. *

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

won the vote for the

64th World Science Fiction Convention The 64th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as L.A.con IV, was held on 23–27 August 2006 at the Anaheim Convention Center and the nearby Hilton and Marriott hotels in Anaheim, California, United States. The organizing com ...

in 2006. *

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

won the vote for the 8th North American Science Fiction Convention in 2005.

Committee

* Chair: Peter Jarvis * Vice-chair: Ken Smookler

Division heads

* Programming: Terry Fong * Finance/Legal: Larry Hancock, Ken Smookler * Facilities: Murray Moore * Operations: Robbie Bourget * Events: Kathryn Grimbly-Bethke * Exhibits: Elaine Brennan * Communications: Michelle Boyce * Administration: Kent Bloom * Member Services: Lance Sibley

Board of directors

* President: Ken Smookler * Directors: Peter Jarvis, Larry Hancock, Murray Moore, Jody Dix, Linda Ross-Mansfield, Hope Leibowitz

Bid

* Bid Chair: Larry Hancock

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:World Science Fiction Convention 061 2003 conferences 2003 in Toronto Science fiction conventions in Canada Worldcon