ConJosé is awarding a special Hugo for Best Web Site. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about the award. If you have any further questions, please write to wsfs@conjose.org.

Q. How is the award defined?

Best Web Site. Any generally accessible world wide web site whose subject is primarily related to the field of science fiction, fantasy, or fandom, and which had content generally available during the calendar year 2001.

Q. How do I enter my site for the Award?

You don't need to do anything. All web sites that meet the definition of the award are automatically eligible.

Q. Do sites have to be based in the USA and/or written in English?

No, the Hugo Awards are international in scope. This should be particularly the case for the web site award as web sites can be easily accessed regardless of where in the world they are based.

Q. How does voting work?

Voting is in two stages. The first stage is a nomination process in which voters are allowed to suggest up to five entries for each category in the Hugo Awards. The top five nominees then go forward to a final ballot. For an in-depth description of the voting process please see the following web page: http://www.emcit.com/hugo_rules.shtml.

Q. Who is eligible to vote?

Nomination is open to all members of the current and previous year's Worldcon. The final ballot is voted on only by members of the current year's Worldcon. Nominations for the Best Web Site Hugo were thus open to members of ConJosé and to members of The Millennium Philcon, the 2001 Worldcon. The final ballot will be voted on by members of ConJosé.

Q. Do I have to attend Worldcon to vote?

No, all Worldcons have a special category of Supporting Membership, which entitles the member to a range of benefits, including voting on the Hugo Awards, but does not include the cost of attending the convention.

Q. Can I nominate my site now?

No. Nominations have now closed.

Q. My site contains numerous sub-sites. Are they separately eligible?

ConJosé has no control over how voters nominate. If a nomination is made for a specific sub-site then we will probably accept that as separate from a nomination for the main site. If your site contains a number of separately edited sections, each with its own distinct identity (for example you host the sites of several authors or clubs) it would probably be polite to suggest to voters that those sub-sites be nominated separately. However, if your "sub-sites" are effectively the equivalent of the columns or departments of a newspaper then you should probably ask voters to consider the site as a whole.

Q. How should web sites be judged?

That is entirely up to the voters. We expect them to consider factors such as content, appearance, ease of use and usefulness to lovers of science fiction and fantasy. However, individual voters will have their own opinions as to which factors are most important.

Q. Can I publicize the Award on my web site?

Certainly. We ask you to include a link to the ConJosé web site (http://www.conjose.org). After all, unless they join ConJosé your readers can't vote for you. In addition we would be grateful if you would note somewhere on the site that "WSFS", "Worldcon", "World Science Fiction Convention" and "Hugo Award" are registered service marks of the World Science Fiction Society, an unincorporated literary society.

Q: How can we judge web sites when the content changes over time?

Just as artists often produce a continuous flow of artwork, web sites quite often change over time. Just as in the Best Artist category, our basic assumption is that Hugo voters will be making their decisions based on what they saw appear during the previous calendar year. (And just like the Best Artist category, we won't quiz the voters on the specifics they're using.) Luckily, many web site sites provide archives or "issues" so that visitors can examine past content.

Q: Does this affect any other Hugo Awards? What about fanzines that also have web sites?

This category does not preclude any entity from being eligible in any permanent category. If a fanzine or semiprozine sponsors a web site, then the magazine will be judged against other magazines, and the web site itself will be judged against other web sites. Periodicals and hyperlinked web pages are usually quite different, even if produced by the same person. There is no more a conflict than someone being up for both Best Fanzine and Best Fan Writer category.

Q: Will there be "Best Professional Web Site" and "Best Fan Web Site" awards?

No, there is only one web site Hugo award - all web sites will be judged against other web sites. (There are some "amateur" web sites that are much nicer than most "professional" sites.) With the universal access capabilities of web sites, there's no real divide in visibility as there is with the large differences in press runs of various printed publications, and therefore no need to have a similar split in web site categories.

Q. Will the web site award be presented in other years?

ConJosé is presenting the Best Web Site Award under a provision of the WSFS Constitution that allows individual Worldcons to add a single extra category to the Hugo Awards for one year only. Other Worldcons may also choose to present the web site award if they feel it appropriate. To make the award permanent it would be necessary to amend the WSFS Constitution. This is a fairly complex process that will take at least two years. If you would like more information about amending the WSFS Constitution please write to wsfs@conjose.org.

"ConJosé" is a service mark of San Francisco Science Fiction Conventions, Inc. (SFSFC), a California non-profit corporation recognized as tax-exempt under IRC 501(c)(3). The ConJosé logo was created by and is © 2001 David Cherry, and is a service mark of SFSFC. This web site is © 2002 SFSFC except where otherwise noted. "Worldcon," "World Science Fiction Convention," "WSFS," "World Science Fiction Society," "NASFiC," and "Hugo Award" are registered service marks of the World Science Fiction Society, an unincorporated literary society.    ConJosé Privacy Policy