Firstly, we are very sad to announce that Lyn McConchie and Mary Victoria are no longer able to attend due to unforseen events. We were so pleased when they said yes to being invited guests of the convention and they will be missed.

However (look away, Lyn and Mary!), we have so much for you to do and see that you should really start sleeping all day and night to prepare. If you haven’t already, take a look at our mintox program, and see more details of the Academic Stream and the WriterStream.

Thursday night is free, and you’ll be able to bring your friends to sample the Swancon experience. The hilariously geeky BRENT! will launch the convention with some end-of-week LOLs, followed by a debate over the assertion that “We are Living in a Computer Simulation”. Then join Eric Ripper, SF fan and Leader of the Opposition, who will be launching the Future Imperfect Art Show. There will also be gaming and various panels, plus the Hyatt bar will be open for business if you just want to catch up with everyone.

Before the convention opens, you are invited to Meet Our Guests over lunch at Mai’s Vietnamese Restaurant East Perth. Places are limited, but there’s still some seats available if you get in quick!

If there’s one thing that fans love most of all, it’s Having Opinions. If that describes you, make sure you get your votes in for the Tin Duck and Ditmar Awards. There will be printed ballots available at the door so you can vote once you arrive. Check the links for eligibility criteria. Then join us for cocktails at the Orbit | Gollancz Natcon Fifty Awards Ceremony, for the presentation of these awards and more!

Saturday night is Masquerade night! Airbrush Tattoos WA are trading in the Dealer Room all weekend. They specialise in full colour and glow in the dark, waterproof airbrush tattoos small and large! They are also available for full costume tattooing – if you want something a little special for the Masquerade or any other program item, you are welcome to book ahead by email to make your appointment.

Lastly: Swancon only survives on the kindness of volunteers. If you have a strong attention to detail and a few hours to spare over the convention weekend we would love to hear from you.

7:30pm on Sunday 24 April 2011 in the Hyatt Regency Perth.

Thanks to our very kind sponsors, Orbit Australia and Gollancz Australia, members of Swancon Thirty Six | Natcon Fifty are invited to attend a cocktail party before the presentation of awards for the best works of science fiction and fantasy for 2010, including:

The Swancon Thirty Six Tin Ducks
The Natcon Fifty Ditmar Awards
The 2011 Norma K Hemming Award
Peter McNamara Achievement Award
and more…

GOLLANCZ AUSTRALIA on Facebook

ORION AUSTRALIA on Facebook

Best Novel
————————————————————————
* Death Most Definite, Trent Jamieson (Hachette)
* Madigan Mine, Kirstyn McDermott (Pan Macmillan)
* Power and Majesty, Tansy Rayner Roberts (Voyager)
* Stormlord Rising, Glenda Larke (Voyager)
* Walking the Tree, Kaaron Warren (Angry Robot Books)

Best Novella or Novelette
————————————————————————
* “Acception”, Tessa Kum (Eneit Press)
* “All the Clowns in Clowntown”, Andrew J. McKiernan (Brimstone Press)
* “Bleed”, Peter M. Ball (Twelfth Planet Press)
* “Her Gallant Needs”, Paul Haines (Twelfth Planet Press)
* “The Company Articles of Edward Teach”, Thoraiya Dyer (Twelfth Planet Press)

Best Short Story
————————————————————————
* “All the Love in the World”, Cat Sparks (Sprawl, Twelfth Planet Press)
* “Bread and Circuses”, Felicity Dowker (Scary Kisses, Ticonderoga Publications)
* “One Saturday Night With Angel”, Peter M. Ball (Sprawl, Twelfth Planet Press)
* “She Said”, Kirstyn McDermott (Scenes From the Second Storey, Morrigan Books)
* “The House of the Nameless”, Jason Fischer (Writers of the Future XXVI)
* “The February Dragon”, Angela Slatter and Lisa L. Hannett (Scary Kisses, Ticonderoga Publications)

Best Collected Work
————————————————————————
* Baggage, edited by Gillian Polack (Eneit Press)
* Macabre: A Journey through Australia’s Darkest Fears, edited by Angela Challis and Marty Young (Brimstone Press)
* Scenes from the Second Storey, edited by Amanda Pillar and Pete Kempshall (Morrigan Books)
* Sprawl, edited by Alisa Krasnostein (Twelfth Planet Press)
* Worlds Next Door, edited by Tehani Wessely (FableCroft Publishing)

Best Artwork
————————————————————————
* Cover art, The Angaelien Apocalypse/The Company Articles of Edward Teach (Twelfth Planet Press), Dion Hamill
* Cover art, Australis Imaginarium (FableCroft Publishing), Shaun Tan
* Cover art, Dead Sea Fruit (Ticonderoga Publications), Olga Read
* “The Lost Thing” short film (Passion Pictures), Andrew Ruhemann and Shaun Tan

Best Fan Writer
————————————————————————
* Robert Hood, for Undead Backbrain
* Chuck McKenzie, for work in Horrorscope
* Alexandra Pierce, for body of work including reviews at Australian Speculative Fiction in Focus
* Tehani Wessely, for body of work including reviews at Australian Speculative Fiction in Focus

Best Fan Artist
————————————————————————
* Rachel Holkner, for Continuum 6 props
* Dick Jenssen, for cover art of Interstellar Ramjet Scoop
* Amanda Rainey, for Swancon 36 logo

Best Fan Publication in Any Medium
————————————————————————
* Australian Speculative Fiction in Focus, edited by Alisa Krasnostein et al.
* Bad Film Diaries podcast, Grant Watson
* Galactic Suburbia podcast, Alisa Krasnostein, Tansy Rayner Roberts, and Alex Pierce
* Terra Incognita podcast, Keith Stevenson
* The Coode Street podcast, Gary K. Wolfe and Jonathan Strahan
* The Writer and the Critic podcast, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond

Best Achievement
————————————————————————
* Lisa L. Hannett, cover design for The Girl With No Hands and Other Tales (Ticonderoga Publications)
* Helen Merrick and Andrew Milner, Academic Stream for Aussiecon 4
* Amanda Rainey, cover design for Scary Kisses
* Kyla Ward, Horror Stream and The Nightmare Ball for Aussiecon 4
* Grant Watson and Sue Ann Barber, Media Stream for Aussiecon4
* Alisa Krasnostein, Kathryn Linge, Rachel Holkner, Alexandra Pierce, Tansy Rayner Roberts, and Tehani Wessely, Snapshot 2010

Best New Talent
————————————————————————
* Thoraiya Dyer
* Lisa L. Hannett
* Patty Jansen
* Kathleen Jennings
* Pete Kempshall

William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism or Review
————————————————————————
* Leigh Blackmore, for Marvels and Horrors: Terry Dowling’s Clowns at Midnight
* Damien Broderick, for editing Skiffy and Mimesis: More Best of Australian Science Fiction Review
* Ross Murray, for The Australian Dream Becomes Nightmare
* Tansy Rayner Roberts, for A Modern Woman’s Guide to Classic Who

Votes can be sent via email to: ditmars@sf.org.au

Online voting is available at: http://ditmars.sf.org.au/2011

Postal ballots will be distributed in the near future.

Voting for the Ditmar Award is conducted in accordance with the rules specified at http://wiki.sf.org.au/Ditmar_rules, and is open to members of Swancon Thirty Six (including supporting members) and to members of Dudcon III who were eligible to vote in the 2010 Award. Voting in all award categories is by the optional preferential system, and each eligible individual may vote only once. All ballots (including emailed ballots) should include the name and address of the voter. If you have questions regarding the ballot or voting procedure, please email ditmars@sf.org.au.

Posted ballots need to be postmarked no later than 13 April 2011.

Alternatively, completed ballots may be placed in the ballot box in the registration area of the convention by 5:00pm, Saturday 23 April 2011. Printed ballot papers will be available at the convention Voting is open to full and supporting members of Swancon. Voting is by Optional Preferential Voting. Number as many boxes as you wish in each category, in the order of your preference, with 1 being your first choice. You do not have to number every box.

The Tin Duck Committee reserves the right to make further decision on the validity of nominees. Ballot forms must be clearly signed by the voter. Only one ballot form per person.

Download your ballot paper here (pdf).

Nominees are:

Best WA Professional Long Written Work
* Betrayal: Lara Morgan
* Samhane: Daniel I. Russell
* Seer of Sevenwaters: Juliet Marillier
* Slave of Sondelle: Bevan McGuiness
* Walking to the Stars: Laney Cairo

Best WA Professional Short Written Work
* Brave Face: Pete Kempshall
* By the Banks of the Nabarra: Daniel I. Russell
* Date with a Vampire: Annette Backshall
* Deeper than Flesh and Closer: Carol Ryles
* Downtown: Martin Livings
* For Those in Peril on the Sea: Stephen Dedman
* Home: Martin Livings
* Initiation: Sonia Helbig
* Little Arkham: Martin Livings
* Lollo: Martin Livings
* Out: Stephen Dedman
* Pang and Co. Genuine Scribe Era Stationery Pty Ltd: Elizabeth Tan
* Requiem for the Burning God: Shane Jiraiya Cummings
* Signature Walk: Pete Kempshall
* The Mikarr Way: Lyn Battersby
* Threadsongs: Joanna Fay
* Twixt Firelight and Water: Juliet Marillier

Best WA Professional Art Work
* Cover Design Sprawl: Amanda Rainey
* The Water Nymph I and II: Kathryn Linge

Best WA Professional Production
* An Eclectic Slice of Life: edited by Craig Bezant
* Australis Imaginarium: edited by Tehani Wessely
* Belong: edited by Russell B. Farr
* Cover Design Glitter Rose: Amanda Rainey
* Cover Design Scary Kisses: Amanda Rainey
* Cover Design The Company Articles of Edward Teach / Angaelien Apocalypse: Amanda Rainey
* Dead Sea Fruit: edited by Russell B. Farr
* Glitter Rose by Marianne De Pierres: edited by Alisa Krasnostein
* Macabre: A Journey Through Australia’s Darkest Fears: edited by Angela Challis
* Midnight Echo #4: edited by Lee Battersby
* Sprawl: edited by Alisa Krasnostein
* Worlds Next Door: edited by Tehani Wessely

Best WA Fan Art Work
* Fallen Angel: Christina Lorenz
* Swancon 2010 Tin Duck Trophy: Swancon 2010 Committee
* Swancon Thirty Six Logo: Amanda Rainey

Best WA Fan Written Work
* Crossdressing: Sarah Parker
* Hand Fetish: Sarah Parker
* Poetic Justice: Michael Burrows
* Reviews at ASiF!: Mitenae
* Reviews at ASiF!: Tehani Wessely
* Reviews in Specusphere: Satima Flavell
* Technical / Mechanical: Sarah Parker Writing on the Body: Sarah Parker
* Zuehl de da Emgalai: Tom Eitelhuber

Best WA Fan Production
* Australian Specfic In Focus! (ASiF!): produced by Alisa Krasnostein et al
* Boxing Day Super Mega Podcast: produced by Jonathan Strahan et al
* Brimstone Press HorrorScope: produced by Shane Jiraiya Cummings
* Coode St Podcast: produced by Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe
* Eclecticism E-zine: produced by Craig Bezant
* Galactic Surburbia: produced by Alisa Krasnostein, Alex Pierce and Tansy Rayner Roberts
* Snapshot 2010: produced by Alisa Krasnostein, Tehani Wessely, Kathryn Linge et al
* Ticon 4: produced by Liz Grzyb and Russell B. Farr
* Top 20 Films of the Decade Poll & Presentation, presented at Swancon 2010: produced by Tom Eitelhuber

CATEGORIES

OPEN: 1st prize $250 | 2nd prize $100
JUNIOR: (18 and under): 1st prize $100 | 2nd prize $50

Stories must be submitted as an RTF or Word (doc.) attachment by email to Tehani Wessely.

Entry is free for the JUNIOR category. Entry to the OPEN category is free for Swancon Thirty Six | Natcon Fifty members. and $10 per story for non-members. (Day members are eligible for free entry.) Limit of two entries per person.

THEME: Historical futures
CLOSING DATE: Friday April 1, 2011
OTHER IMPORTANT DETAILS: Stories must be between 1000 and 3500 words to be eligible. Works must be unpublished and must not have previously won any other awards, nor be under consideration by any other market or competition.

The judges reserve the right to present no awards should there not be enough quality entries. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Works are eligible if they have been “published” (be it written work, art, performing art, podcast or convention running) in the 2010 calendar year, and must not have been voted on in any previous Tin Duck Award. Nominations will be validated by the Tin Duck Awards Committee, and may be moved to a different category for if deemed necessary. Works nominated without a category may be deemed invalid by the Awards Committee. Nominations may be subject to short-listing in categories with large number of nominations.

Multiple nominations may be submitted for any category. Nominations must be received no later than midnight 13 March 2011. Any active fan may nominate works, but you must be a member of Swancon 2010 or Swancon Thirty Six to vote. Voting information will be released shortly after nominations close.

Nominate online, or download a pdf.

The award categories are:

• Best WA Professional Long Written Work
• Best WA Professional Short Written Work
• Best WA Professional Art Work
• Best WA Professional Production (any medium)
• Best WA Unpaid or Fan Written Work
• Best WA Unpaid or Fan Art Work
• Best WA Unpaid or Fan Production

The Norma K. Hemming Award marks excellence in the exploration of themes of race, gender, sexuality, class and disability:

• in the form of science fiction and fantasy or related artwork or media.
• produced either in Australia or by Australian citizens.
• first published, released or presented in the calendar year preceding the year in which the award is given.

The Australian Science Fiction Foundation (ASFF) launched this major new award at Aussiecon 4, the 68th World Science Fiction Convention held in Melbourne on 2–6 September 2010.

The Award will not necessarily be given annually, and a selection will only be made if there is a work that meets an appropriate standard of excellence.

Dr Toby Burrows (Scholars Centre, University of Western Australia) has published an edition of Norma Hemming’s collected writings called Dwellers in Silence – Stories and Plays by Norma Hemming. It is available for purchase online from Lulu.

Download the rules and entry form here.