DUFF is a fund which helps to send a fan from North America to a National Convention or Worldcon in Australia or New Zealand and, in alternate years, a fan from Australia/New Zealand to a Worldcon or NASFiC in North America.
Founded on the model of TAFF, the Trans Atlantic Fan Fund. Two or more fans run against each other in any given DUFF race; fans pay a voting fee to cast ballots, and donated items are auctioned to offset the costs. After attending the convention, the winners become administrators of DUFF for the next two years (one electing a fan to come to their country, the next electing a fan to go across the Pacific and replace them as administrators on their return). The administrators are responsible for distributing and counting the ballots and act as liaison with conventions, either where items are auctioned or benefit DUFF or where the winners of a given race are to attend. Costs for this lengthy travel being what they are, in many cases DUFF has only been able to defray most but not all of the delegate's expenses.
The first DUFF race was in 1972. Here is a full list of DUFF winners.
Here are the voting details (PDF) of the latest DUFF race. The winner is John Hertz, who will attend Aussiecon 4, the 69th World Science Fiction Convention, 2-6 September 2010, in Melbourne, Australia.
Current DUFF Adminstrators:
Steve and Sue Francis
5503 Matterhorn Drive
Louisville KY 40216-1326, USA
sjf1138 at aol dot com and sfsue at aol dot com
Emma Hawkes
9/36 Cape Street
Osborne Park, WA 6017
Australia
ehawkes at iinet dot net dot au
Updated 6 April 2010. If you have a comment or question about these Web pages please send a note to the Fanac Webmaster. Thank you.