THE LEGAL RULES THREE
The Legal Rules 3 is the third in a continuing annual series of such
compilations produced as a service to fandom by Jerry William Lapidus, 54
Clearview Drive, Pittsford, New York. This will also be a Cult
publication, specifically f/r 258.25 or thereabout. Additional copies are
available from the above address, for a mere dime or two 6¢ stamps (if new
postal rates go into effect, make that two of whatever the standard
first-class per ounce postal rate turns out to be). This is a JeWeL, an
obviously non-profit organization.
--Notes on the third edition. Unfortunately, I was unable to obtain a copy
of a tape recording of the Heicon business meeting, as I was able to do for
the last two World Science Fiction Conventions. So I must base my
knowledge of the changes made at that convention on a listing of action
from Phil Rogers, parliamentarian, and on the convention reports in
Focal Point and Locus --especially the latter, which lists
official wording on most of the basic points. The material in this edition
is thus based on that, in addition to the previous issues of this
publication.
As in the past, I will begin with as complete as possible presentation of
the minutes of the Heicon Business meeting, followed by the current rules,
as altered by Heicon. In cases where material requires additional
explanation or discussion, I will comment or explain /_thusly_/.
I apologize in advance for any mistakes present; I would appreciate being
made aware of any such errors, in order that they might be corrected for
future editions.
***********
The Minutes
1. A motion of political/antiwar matter was torn up by the parliamentarian
after the St. Louis precedent as not being relevant to the Business
Meeting.
2. A motion re-defining the North American zones was tabled for the next
North American meeting /_Boston_/.
3. A plan for the establishment of a European convention organization,
including national conventions and awards by language or country,
eventual rotation of a European Convention and European awards, was
declared out of order on the grounds that the Worldcon had no right to
determine local conventions. A motion of support for the group behind
this plan was, however, passed.
4. The Los Angeles bid for 1972 won unopposed.
5. The following motion was passed: "Moved that the World SF Con
rotation plan return to a three zone system, i.e. the Western, Midwest,
and Eastern zones of North America beginning in 1973 with the Midwest.
Boundaries of these zones shall be as previously described. Any
site outside of North America may bid for a World SF Con in any year.
All bids must be placed two years in advance." As with all major
action, this must be ratified by Boston, and cannot take effect before
1973. An amendment that the World Con leave North America once every
four years was defeated.
6. A motion rescinding Rule 2.14, which limited the Hugo to an
English-language award and gave the Hugo to the now-abolished North
American Science Fiction Convention when the Worldcon went to a
non-English speaking country, was passed.
7. Two motions from St. Louis were ratified--the inclusion of Bermuda, the
Bahamas, and other Caribbean islands in the Eastern Region of the
rotation plan, and the inclusion of the category of "No Award"
on all final Hugo ballots.
The Rules of the World Science Fiction Society
1.01 The World Science Fiction Society is an unincorporated literary
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 lie 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 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 installment. 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.
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 appearing
in the previous calendar year.
2.09 Best fan writer. /_There have been no details approved as to
best fan artist or best fan writer categories. Thus I would suggest the
following wording, based upon the other rules and upon the decisions made
in presenting these awards in the past: Any fan whose work has appeared in
an amateur magazine in the previous calendar year.At present, any
material is eligible, with no limitations whatsoever. The question of
exactly what differentiates a fan from a professional should also be
considered as soon as possible.¯/
2.10 Best fan artist. /_See above.¯/
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 those 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. This applies both to permanent categories and to those which the
individual conventions 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 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 vote 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. The
process will be repeated until a majority vote winner is obtained.
2.16 No member of the then 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 Conventions: The Society shall choose the sites of the annual
World Science Fiction Conventions two years in advance at a business
meeting to be held at an 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 the then current committee may publish in the
program book.
3.02 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.
Eastern Division--Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North
Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York,
Quebec, and states and provinces eastward;
immediately after the 1970 convention, also St.
Pierre and Miquelon, Bermuda, the Bahamas, and
all islands of the Caribbean Sea not previously
included in this region, and other islands
similarly situated.
3.03 Convention sites shall be rotated among these divisions in the
following orders Midwest, East, West. Any site outside North America may
bid for a World Con in any year. 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 may two successive conventions be in the same division or
outside North America. In the event of such setting aside, rotation shall
be resumed the following 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
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 toward the dues of the convention to be voted upon. 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 North American
convention site 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 to be 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 American convention.
4.01 Any change to the forgoing rules may take effect no sooner than
the end of the convention during which such change is adopted.
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 also printed in the program book.
Illistrations by Mike Gilbert and Bill Rostler.