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26th World Science Fiction Convention

26th Worldcon (1968)

Summary

26th Worldcon (1968)

FieldValue
nameBaycon, the 26th World Science Fiction Convention
genreScience fiction
venueClaremont Hotel
locationBerkeley, California
countryUnited States
dates29 August–2 September 1968
organizerWorld Science Fiction Society
filingnon-profit
attendance~1,430

The 26th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as Baycon, was held on 29 August–2 September 1968 at the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley, California, United States.

In 1968, Worldcon, annual World Science Fiction Convention, was combined with Westercon, the annual West Coast Science Fantasy Conference, sharing guests of honor and chairmen. The chairmen were Bill Donaho, Alva Rogers, and J. Ben Stark.

Participants

Attendance was approximately 1,430.

Guests of honor

  • Philip José Farmer (pro)
  • Walter J. Daugherty (fan)
  • Robert Silverberg (toastmaster)

Awards

1968 Hugo Awards

  • Best Novel: Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny
  • Best Novella:
    • "Weyr Search" by Anne McCaffrey and
    • "Riders of the Purple Wage" by Philip José Farmer (tie)
  • Best Novelette: "Gonna Roll Them Bones" by Fritz Leiber
  • Best Short Story: "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" by Harlan Ellison
  • Best Dramatic Presentation: "The City on the Edge of Forever" (Star Trek episode, original script by Harlan Ellison)
  • Best Professional Artist: Jack Gaughan
  • Best Professional Magazine: if
  • Best Fanzine: Amra, edited by George Scithers
  • Best Fan Artist: George Barr
  • Best Fan Writer: Ted White

Other awards

  • Special Award: Harlan Ellison for Dangerous Visions
  • Special Award: Gene Roddenberry for Star Trek

Notes

This Worldcon was the first one that was attended by large numbers of people in the hippie subculture. A psychedelic light show was presented in the main ballroom of the hotel. Robert Silverberg gave a speech about using LSD to attain a mystical experience. Harlan Ellison read a story he had written about a hippie commune.

Poul Anderson emceed a presentation by the Society for Creative Anachronism.

Long-time president of DAW Books, Betsy Wollheim (whose father, author and publisher Donald A. Wollheim, was a leader in the development of science fiction as a popular genre) remembers:

The high point of my childhood experience at conventions was Baycon 1968 in Oakland. I remember the excitement of it all—sliding down the fire slides, the big eucalyptus forest behind the Claremont Hotel...the tournaments on the lawn.... And I remember at the age of 16 thinking, "No convention can ever be this wonderful again, so I should never go to another." Famous last words!

References

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

1968-conferences 1968-in-california 1968-in-the-united-states science-fiction-conventions-in-the-united-states worldcon
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