THE WORLD SCIENCE FICTION SOCIETY RULES 1971

1.01         The World Science Fiction Society is an unincorporated literary society whose functions are: to choose the recipients of the annual Science Fiction Achievement Awards, known as the Hugos; to choose the location for the annual World Science Fiction Convention; and to attend the annual World Science Fiction Convention.

1.02         The membership of the World Science Fiction Society at any time consists of all those who have paid membership dues to the then current convention committee.

1.03         The management and responsibility for all phases of the annual World Science Fiction Convention lies entirely with the convention committee, which acts in its own name, not that of the Society. The convention committee which puts on the convention is, of course, the committee whose bid for selection of its location is accepted by the annual meeting of the society.

2.01         The selection of the Science Fiction Achievement Awards, nicknamed Hugos, will be made are as follows:

2.02         Best Novel: A science fiction or fantasy story of 40,000 words or more, appearing for the first time during the previous calendar year. Appearance in a prior year makes a story ineligible, except that the author may withdraw a version from consideration if he feels that version is not representative of what he wrote. A story may thus be eligible only once. Publication date, or cover date in the case of a dated magazine, takes precedence over the copyright date. A serial takes its appearance to be the date of the last instalment. Individual stories appearing as a series are eligible only as individual stories, and are not eligible taken together under the title of the series. The convention committee may move a story into a more appropriate category if it feels it necessary, provided the story is within 5,000 words of the category limits.

2.03         Best Novella: Rules as for Best Novel, with length under 40,000 words and above 17,500 words.

2.04         Best Short Story: Rules as for Best Novel, with length under 17,500 words.

2.05         Best Dramatic Presentation. Any production, directly related to science fiction or fantasy, in the fields of radio, television, stage, or screen, which has been publicly presented for the first time in its present form during the previous calendar year. In the case of individual programs presented as a series, the separate programs shall be individually eligible, but the entire year’s production taken as a whole under the title of the series shall not be eligible.

2.06         Best Professional Artist: A professional artist whose work was presented in some form in the science fiction or fantasy field during the previous calendar year.

2.07         Best Professional Magazine: Any magazine devoted primarily to science fiction or fantasy, which has published four or more issues, at least one issue appearing in the previous calendar year.

2.08         Best Amateur Magazine: Any generally available non-professional magazine devoted to science fiction, fantasy, or related subjects, which has published four or more issues, at least one issue appearing in the previous calendar year.

2.09         Best Fan Writer: [never officially defined; our definition on the nomination forms follows tradition.]

2.10         Best Fan Artist: [never officially defined; our definition on the nomination forms follows tradition.]

2.11         Additional Categories: Not more than two special categories may be created by the convention committee, with nomination and final voting to be the same as for the other, permanent categories. The convention committee is not required to create any such categories; they should be held to a minimum, and those created by one convention committee are not binding on following committees. Awards under these categories will be Science Fiction Achievement Awards or Hugos.

2.12         The name and design shall not be extended to any other award whatsoever.

2.13         No Award: At the discretion of the individual convention committee, if a lack of nominations or final votes in a specific category shows a marked lack of interest in that category on the part of the voters, the award in that category shall be cancelled for that year. In addition, the entry NO AWARD shall be mandatory in each and every category of the Hugos on the final ballot. This applies to both permanent categories and those which the individual convention committees establish on a temporary basis.

2.14         Nominations and Voting: Selection of nominees for the final award voting shall be done by a poll conducted by the convention committee under rules determined by the convention committee. Final Award voting shall be by mail, with ballots sent only to Society members. Final ballots shall include name, signature, address, and membership number to be filled in. Final ballots shall standardize alternatives given in each category to not more than five. Assignment of nominees nominated in more than one category to their proper one and eligibility of nominees shall be determined by the convention committee. Voters shall indicate the order of their preference for nominees in each category.

2.15         Tallying: Counting of all votes shall be the responsibility of the convention committee, which is responsible for all matters concerning awards. In each category votes shall be first tallied by the voters’ first choice. In the event no majority choice is then obtained, the nominee placing last will be eliminated and the ballots listing him as first choice redistributed on the basis of the ballots’ second listed choice. This process will be repeated until a majority vote winner is obtained.

2.16         No member of the current convention committee nor any publication closely connected with them shall be eligible for an award.

2.17         The Hugo award will continue to be standardized as to the design of the rocket ship on the model presently in use. The design of the base is up to each convention committee.

3.01         The Society shall choose the sites for the annual World Science Fiction Conventions two years in advance at a business meeting held at an advertised time during each annual World Science Fiction Convention, presided over by the chairman of the then current convention committee, or by someone designated by the committee. The business meeting shall be conducted under Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised and such other rules as the then current convention committee may publish in the program book.

3.02         In order to assure an equitable distribution of convention sites, the North American continent is divided into three geographical divisions as follows:
Western Division: New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Saskatchewan, and states and provinces westward; and Baja California.
Central Division: All Mexico except Baja California, and all states and provinces between the Western Division and the Eastern Division.
Eastern Division: Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Quebec, and states and provinces eastward; and St Pierre and Miguelon, Bermuda, Bahamas, and all islands of the Caribbean Sea not previously included in this division and other islands similarly situated.

3.03         Convention sites shall be rotated among these divisions and the rest of the world in the following order: Western, Central, Eastern, beginning in 1973 with the Central division, with any site outside North America eligible to bid in any year.  All bids must be placed two years in advance. The bids of locations to hold a convention shall only be considered and voted on if they lie within the geographical division whose turn it is; except that the rule of rotation may be set aside by a vote of three-fourths voting, with the provision that in no case except that of sites outside North America may two successive conventions be in the same division. In the event of such setting aside, rotation shall be resumed the next year.

3.04         By bidding, a convention committee promises to abide by this constitution. Proposed date and dues for the next convention must be announced by bidding committees before site selection. Such proposals are subject to modification by the business meeting.

3.05         In the event the Society is without a properly selected location for the next annual convention because of the resignation of the then current convention committee or other cause, the five most recent convention committee chairmen willing to serve shall be authorized to select the next location for the World Science Fiction Convention.

3.06         Voting for sites of World Science Fiction Conventions shall be limited to members of the current convention who have also paid at least $2.00 towards the dues of the convention to be voted on. The details of implementation shall be decided upon by each convention committee.

3.07         When the World Science Fiction Convention is held outside North America, the portion of the voting regulations which requires physical attendance at the voting session for the selection of the site in North America to be chosen at that convention shall be suspended. Instead, the convention site for two years hence shall be chosen by an Australian mail ballot administered by that convention committee. Any person who owns any type membership in that convention and that two years hence shall be eligible to vote. The regular voting rules shall be immediately reinstated at the succeeding World Science Fiction Convention held in North America.

4.01         Any change in the foregoing rules may take effect no sooner than the end of the convention during which such change is accepted.

4.02         All previous by-laws, constitutions, and resolutions having the effect of by-laws and constitutions of the World Science Fiction Society are revoked.

4.03         The rules of the World Science Fiction Society as decided in the business meetings shall be printed by the World Science Fiction Convention Committee, and distributed with the Hugo nomination ballots, and hopefully printed in the program book.

Business Meeting Rules

The business meeting of the 29^th World Science Fiction Convention will be held Sunday 5 September 1971 at 1000 (10 am). The site of the 1973 World Science Fiction Convention will be selected at a special meeting held Saturday 4 September 1971 at 1000 (10 am). The meetings will be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised, as interpreted by the Parliamentarian except where contravened by the following Special Rules:

1. All motions, Resolutions, or other items to be presented for a vote of the convention membership at the Sunday business meeting must be submitted in written form, together with a written second, and received by the Chairman of the Noreascon Committee at least eighteen (18) hours prior to that meeting.

2. All groups planning to make bids at the con-site selection meeting Saturday must declare their intention to bid to the Chairman of the Noreascon committee, in writing, no later than 1000 (10am) Wednesday 1 September 1971.

3. If the Parliamentarion thinks the circumstances warrant it, he may accept – subject to the approval of the Chairman – motions submitted to him after the deadline, but before the opening of the business meeting, provided such motions are submitted in writing, with written seconds. These motions, if approved by the committee, will be presented to the convention after all other business has concluded.

4. Amendments may be submitted from the floor under the following restrictions:
4.1 Amendments must be related to the general aim of the original proposal: “amendments” that are actually new proposals will be automatically ruled out of order.
4.2 Amendments-to-amendments will be allowed only with the consent of the original amendor under the “originator’s consent” clause in Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised and will not otherwise admitted to vote. In short, any amendment offered to a legitimately-submitted proposal will be voted on as offered or as amended with the consent of the amendment’s originator only.

5. In all cases, the decision of the Parliamentarian will be final.