Novacon
Novacon is an annual science fiction convention, usually held each November in the English Midlands. Launched in 1971, it has been hosted by the Birmingham Science Fiction Group since 1972.
History
The first Novacon was organised by the University of Aston Science Fiction Group in November 1971, at a time when the Eastercon was the only regular annual sf convention in the UK. The first Novacon was judged a success and its members voted to make it an annual event. The organisation was passed to the recently formed Birmingham Science Fiction Group to ensure continuity from year to year. Since then, Novacon has developed into a fan-centred rather than academic convention, based around a single-stream, structured programme and intended to let its members network and socialise, as well as attend programme items; there are usually also several science-oriented items.
Nova Awards
The annual Nova Awards are presented at Novacon. These are given in the categories of Best Fanzine, Best Fan Writer and Best Fan Artist. In addition, the Novacon committee occasionally presents its own Nova, for Best Fan; historically, recipients have a history of service to Novacon and/or the Birmingham Science Fiction Group.
List of Novacons
| No | Year | Name | Location | Guests of Honour | Attendance* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1971 | NOVACON | Imperial Centre, Birmingham | James White | 144 |
| 2 | 1972 | NOVACON 2 | Imperial Centre, Birmingham | Doreen Rogers | 144 |
| 3 | 1973 | NOVACON 3 | Imperial Centre, Birmingham | Ken Bulmer | 146 |
| 4 | 1974 | NOVACON 4 | Imperial Centre, Birmingham | Ken Slater | 211 |
| 5 | 1975 | NOVACON 5 | Royal Angus Hotel, Birmingham | Dan Morgan | 272 |
| 6 | 1976 | NOVACON 6 | Royal Angus Hotel, Birmingham | David Kyle | 317 |
| 7 | 1977 | NOVACON 7 | Royal Angus Hotel, Birmingham | John Brunner | 278 |
| 8 | 1978 | NOVACON 8 | Holiday Inn, Birmingham | Anne McCaffrey | 309 |
| 9 | 1979 | NOVACON 9 | Royal Angus Hotel, Birmingham | Christopher Priest | 290 |
| 10 | 1980 | NOVACON 10 | Royal Angus Hotel, Birmingham | Brian W. Aldiss | 495 |
| 11 | 1981 | NOVACON 11 | Royal Angus Hotel, Birmingham | Bob Shaw | 362 |
| 12 | 1982 | NOVACON 12 | Royal Angus Hotel, Birmingham | Harry Harrison | 373 |
| 13 | 1983 | NOVACON 13 | Royal Angus Hotel, Birmingham | Lisa Tuttle | 339 |
| 14 | 1984 | NOVACON 14 | Grand Hotel, Birmingham | Robert Holdstock | 333 |
| 15 | 1985 | NOVACON 15 | De Vere Hotel, Coventry | James White, David Langford | 340 |
| 16 | 1986 | NOVACON 16 | De Vere Hotel, Coventry | E. C. Tubb, Chris Evans | 257 |
| 17 | 1987 | NOVACON 17 | Royal Angus Hotel, Birmingham | Iain M. Banks | 315 |
| 18 | 1988 | NOVACON 18 | Royal Angus Hotel, Birmingham | Garry Kilworth | 336 |
| 19 | 1989 | NOVACON 19 | Excelsior, Solihull | Geoff Ryman | 303 |
| 20 | 1990 | NOVACON 20 | Excelsior, Solihull | Jack Cohen | 330 |
| 21 | 1991 | NOVACON 21 | Forte Poste House, Solihull | Colin Greenland | 200 |
| 22 | 1992 | NOVACON 22 | Royal Angus Hotel, Birmingham | Storm Constantine | 300 |
| 23 | 1993 | NOVACON 23 | Royal Angus Hotel, Birmingham | Stephen Baxter | 243 |
| 24 | 1994 | NOVACON 24 | Royal Angus Hotel, Birmingham | Graham Joyce | 214 |
| 25 | 1995 | NOVACON 25 | Chamberlain Hotel, Birmingham | Brian Aldiss, Bob Shaw, Harry Harrison; Iain Banks (special guest) | 338 |
| 26 | 1996 | NOVACON 26 | Hotel Ibis, Birmingham | David Gemmell | 281 |
| 27 | 1997 | NOVACON 27 | Abbey Hotel, Great Malvern | Peter F. Hamilton | 277 |
| 28 | 1998 | NOVACON 28 | Britannia Hotel, Birmingham | Paul J. McAuley | 265 |
| 29 | 1999 | NOVACON 29 | Britannia Hotel, Birmingham | Ian Stewart | 239 |
| 30 | 2000 | NOVACON 30 | Britannia Hotel, Birmingham | Christopher Priest; Rog Peyton (special guest); David A. Hardy (guest artist) | 224 |
| 31 | 2001 | NOVACON 31 | Quality Hotel, Bentley | Gwyneth Jones | 219 |
| 32 | 2002 | NOVACON 32 | Quality Hotel, Bentley | Ian McDonald | 252 |
| 33 | 2003 | NOVACON 33 | Quality Hotel, Bentley | Jon Courtenay Grimwood | 203 |
| 34 | 2004 | NOVACON 34 | Quality Hotel, Bentley | Ian Watson | 217 |
| 35 | 2005 | NOVACON 35 | Quality Hotel, Bentley | Alastair Reynolds | 216 |
| 36 | 2006 | NOVACON 36 | Quality Hotel, Bentley | Ken MacLeod | 212 |
| 37 | 2007 | NOVACON 37 | Quality Hotel, Bentley | Charles Stross | 208 |
| 38 | 2008 | NOVACON 38 | Quality Hotel, Bentley | Ian R MacLeod; Vernon Brown (fan guest) | 177 |
| 39 | 2009 | NOVACON 39 | Park Inn, Nottingham | Justina Robson | 210 |
| 40 | 2010 | NOVACON 40 | Park Inn, Nottingham | Iain M Banks; Brian W. Aldiss (special guest) | 262 |
| 41 | 2011 | NOVACON 41 | Park Inn, Nottingham | John Meaney | tbc |
| 42 | 2012 | NOVACON 42 | Park Inn, Nottingham | Jaine Fenn | tbc |
| 43 | 2013 | NOVACON 42 | Park Inn, Nottingham | Jo Walton | tbc |
| 44 | 2014 | NOVACON 44 | Park Inn, Nottingham | Kari Sperring; John Gribbin (science guest) | tbc |
(*Attendance figures taken from individual programme books and may not reflect the final figures; for instance, more than 500 people attended Novacon 14.)