VCON is a fantasy, gaming, and science fiction convention

Science fiction convention

Science fiction conventions are gatherings of fans of various forms of speculative fiction including science fiction and fantasy. Historically, science fiction conventions had focused primarily on literature, but the purview of many extends to such other avenues of expression as movies and...

 held annually in Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

, British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. It has been hosted by the West Coast Science Fiction Association since 1993, and by WCSFCCA (the Western Canadian Science Fiction Convention Committee Association) before that.

The first "VCON" (which was simply called the Vancouver SF Convention) was held April 9 and 10, 1971 at the Hotel Georgia in Vancouver. Its sponsoring organisations included the University of British Columbia

University of British Columbia

The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...

 Science Fiction Society (UBC SFFEN), the B.C. Science Fiction Association (an offshoot of the UBC club) and the Simon Fraser University

Simon Fraser University

Simon Fraser University is a Canadian public research university in British Columbia with its main campus on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby, and satellite campuses in Vancouver and Surrey. The main campus in Burnaby, located from downtown Vancouver, was established in 1965 and has more than 34,000...

 Science Fiction Society (SF3). There have been 34 VCONs held (including VCONs 18.5 and 19.5), plus other events (like The Science of Murder in 1994 and The Science of Survival in 1995) which were put on by WCSFA, but did not use the VCON name.

At VCON the Elron Awards for most dubious "achievements" in science fiction

Science fiction

Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...

 are presented, often with selected passages from the offending winners publicly read to the delight of attendees. R. Graeme Cameron, president of the British Columbia Science Fiction Association (BCSFA), has stated publicly that the name "Elron" is not an allusion to science-fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard

L. Ron Hubbard

Lafayette Ronald Hubbard , better known as L. Ron Hubbard , was an American pulp fiction author and religious leader who founded the Church of Scientology...

. The awards are reported each year in the BCSFA's science fiction fanzine

Science fiction fanzine

A science fiction fanzine is an amateur or semi-professional magazine published by members of science fiction fandom, from the 1930s to the present day...

 BCSFAzine.

Another VCON tradition is the Turkey Readings, during which panelists read selections from the worst published science fiction and fantasy books that the group has been able to collect. At the same time, volunteers from the audience act of the story being read, and artists make a poster inspired by the story (and the actors.) After the first 30 seconds, audience members can bid to make the reading stop, but other audience members can bid higher for the reading to continue. The bids must be deposited in cash in order to be counted. The reading continues until there are no more bids to make it continue. After the Turkey Readings, the "art" is auctioned off. The funds raised go to CUFF, the Canadian Unity Fan Fund.

VCON has hosted Canvention

Canvention

Canvention is the Canadian national science fiction convention, where the Prix Aurora Awards are presented. Normally it is held as part of an existing convention.-Conventions:...

, Canada's national science fiction convention several times: VCON 14/Canvention 6 in 1986, VCON 26/Canvention 21 in 2001, and VCON 32/Canvention 27 in 2007. VCON has also hosted Westercon

Westercon

Westercon is a regional science fiction and fantasy convention founded in September 1948 by Walter J. "Doc" Dougherty of the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society...

, the travelling science fiction convention for Western North America, at Westercon 44/VCON 19 in 1991.

Guests at VCON have included Lynn Abbey

Lynn Abbey

Lynn Abbey is an American computer programmer and author.-Background:Born in Peekskill, New York, Abbey was daughter of Ronald Lionel and Doris Lorraine . She attended the University of Rochester, where she began as an astrophysics major. She earned a A.B...

 (VCON 26/Canvention 21), Forrest J Ackerman

Forrest J Ackerman

Forrest J Ackerman was an American collector of science fiction books and movie memorabilia and a science fiction fan...

 (VCON 15), Rob Alexander (VCON 20), Anne Autor (The Science of Murder), Donna Barr

Donna Barr

Donna Barr is an American comic book author and cartoonist.She was born in Everett, Washington, the second child in a family of six siblings....

 (VCON 17), Peter S. Beagle

Peter S. Beagle

Peter Soyer Beagle is an American fantasist and author of novels, nonfiction, and screenplays. His most notable works include the novels The Last Unicorn, A Fine and Private Place and Tamsin, and the award-winning story "Two Hearts".-Career:Beagle won early recognition from The Scholastic Art &...

 (VCON 32), John Berry

John Berry

Sir John Berry was an English naval officer of the Royal Navy, and was in 1675 the captain of the annual convoy to Newfoundland that took place during the years of the colony's founding....

 (VCON 13), Al Betz (VCON 26/Canvention 21), Betty Bigelow (VCON 22, VCON 26/Canvention 21), David Bigelow (VCON 26/Canvention 21), James P. Blaylock (VCON 27), Robert Bloch

Robert Bloch

Robert Albert Bloch was a prolific American writer, primarily of crime, horror and science fiction. He is best known as the writer of Psycho, the basis for the film of the same name by Alfred Hitchcock...

 (VCON 13), Ben Bova

Ben Bova

Benjamin William Bova is an American science-fiction author and editor. He is the recipient of six Hugo Awards for Best Professional Editor for his work at Analog Science Fiction in the 1970's.-Personal life:...

 (VCON 10), Brom

Gerald Brom

Gerald Brom is an American gothic fantasy artist and illustrator, known for his work in role-playing games, novels, and comics.-Early life:Brom was born March 9, 1965, in Albany, Georgia. As the son of a U.S...

 (VCON 27), Steven Brust

Steven Brust

Steven Karl Zoltán Brust is an American fantasy and science fiction author of Hungarian descent. He was a member of the writers' group The Scribblies, which included Emma Bull, Pamela Dean, Will Shetterly, Nate Bucklin, Kara Dalkey, and Patricia Wrede; he also belongs to the Pre-Joycean...

 (VCON 22), John Byrne (VCON 8), R. Graeme Cameron (VCON 21), Terry Carr

Terry Carr

Terry Gene Carr was a U.S. science fiction author, editor, and teacher.Terry Carr was born in Grants Pass, Oregon...

 (VCON 5), C.J. Cherryh (Westercon 44/VCON 19), Hal Clement

Hal Clement

Harry Clement Stubbs better known by the pen name Hal Clement, was an American science fiction writer and a leader of the hard science fiction subgenre.-Biography:...

 (VCON 16), Michael Coney (VCON 20), Monte Cook

Monte Cook

Monte Cook is a professional table-top role-playing game designer and writer. He is married to Sue Weinlein Cook.-Roleplaying:Cook has been a professional game designer since 1988, working primarily on role-playing games. Much of his early work was for Iron Crown Enterprises as an editor and writer...

 (VCON 27), John G. Cramer

John G. Cramer

John G. Cramer is a professor of physics at the University of Washington in Seattle, the United States. When not teaching, he works with the STAR detector at the new Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory, and the particle accelerator at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland...

 (VCON 16), A.C. Crispin (VCON 24), Don H. DeBrandt (VCON 19.5), Samuel R. Delany

Samuel R. Delany

Samuel Ray Delany, Jr., also known as "Chip" is an American author, professor and literary critic. His work includes a number of novels, many in the science fiction genre, as well as memoir, criticism, and essays on sexuality and society.His science fiction novels include Babel-17, The Einstein...

 (VCON 12), Charles de Lint

Charles de Lint

Charles de Lint is a Canadian fantasy author and folk musician. He is also the chief book critic for The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction....

 (VCON 20), Shane Desjardins (VCON 25), Philip K. Dick

Philip K. Dick

Philip Kindred Dick was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist whose published work is almost entirely in the science fiction genre. Dick explored sociological, political and metaphysical themes in novels dominated by monopolistic corporations, authoritarian governments and altered...

 (VCON 2), Candas Jane Dorsey

Candas Jane Dorsey

Candas Jane Dorsey is a Canadian poet and science fiction novelist.Born and still living in Edmonton, Alberta, Dorsey became a writer from an early age, and a freelance writer since 1980. She writes across genre boundaries, writing poetry, fiction, mainstream and speculative, short and long form,...

 (VCON 26/Canvention 21), Dave Duncan

Dave Duncan (writer)

David Duncan is a Canadian fantasy author. He was born in 1933 in Scotland, and educated there at the High School of Dundee and at the University of St Andrews. After graduating in 1955 he moved to Canada where he lived in Calgary, Alberta, and is currently situated on Vancouver Island in Victoria,...

 (VCONs 18 and 29), George Dyson

George Dyson (science historian)

George Dyson is a scientific historian, the son of Freeman Dyson and Verena Huber-Dyson, brother of Esther Dyson, and the grandson of Sir George Dyson. He is the father of Lauren Dyson. When he was sixteen he went to live in British Columbia in Canada to pursue his interest in kayaking and...

 (VCON 26/Canvention 21), James Ernest

James Ernest

James Ernest is an American game designer and juggler. He is best known as the owner and lead designer of Cheapass Games. Prior to founding Cheapass, he worked as a juggler at various venues, including Camlann Medieval Village, and as a freelancer with Wizards of the Coast. He also worked for...

 (VCON 26/Canvention 21, VCON 27), Tony Fabris (VCON 32), Steve Fahnestalk (Westercon 44/VCON 19), Lynne Taylor Fahnestalk (VCON 30), Bill Ferridge (The Science of Murder), Dr. James "Rex" Ferris (The Science of Murder), Beth Finkbiner (VCON 14/Canvention 6), Mike Finkbiner (VCON 14/Canvention 6), Esther Friesner

Esther Friesner

Esther Mona Friesner-Stutzman, née Friesner is an American science fiction and fantasy author best known for her humorous pieces.- Life :...

 (VCON 28), John Gajdecki (VCON 27), William Gibson

William Gibson

William Gibson is an American-Canadian science fiction author.William Gibson may also refer to:-Association football:*Will Gibson , Scottish footballer...

 (Westercon 44/VCON 19, VCON 21), Georges Giguère (VCON 11), David Gerrold

David Gerrold

Jerrold David Friedman , better known by his pen name David Gerrold, is an American science fiction author who started his career in 1966 while a college student by submitting an unsolicited story outline for the television series Star Trek. He was invited to submit several premises, and the one...

 (VCON 23), Charlie Grant

Charlie Grant

Charles Grant was an African American second baseman in negro league baseball. Grant nearly crossed the baseball color line decades before Jackie Robinson when Major League Baseball manager John McGraw attempted to pass him off as a Native American named "Tokohama".-Background:Grant was born in...

 (The Science of Murder), Jon Gustafson (VCON 9), Barbara Hambly

Barbara Hambly

Barbara Hambly is an award-winning and prolific American novelist and screenwriter within the genres of fantasy, science fiction, mystery, and historical fiction...

 (VCON 30), Patrick Nielsen Hayden

Patrick Nielsen Hayden

Patrick James Nielsen Hayden , is an American science fiction editor, fan, fanzine publisher, essayist, reviewer, anthologist, teacher and blogger. He is a World Fantasy Award and Hugo Award winner , and is an editor and the Manager of Science Fiction at Tor Books...

 (Westercon 44/VCON 19), Teresa Nielsen Hayden

Teresa Nielsen Hayden

Teresa Nielsen Hayden is an American science fiction editor, fanzine writer, essayist, and teacher. She is a consulting editor for Tor Books. She has also worked for Federated Media Publishing, where in 2007 she revived the comment section for the blog Boing Boing...

 (Westercon 44/VCON 19), Constantine Hiebner (VCON 18.5), Frank Herbert

Frank Herbert

Franklin Patrick Herbert, Jr. was a critically acclaimed and commercially successful American science fiction author. Although a short story author, he is best known for his novels, most notably Dune and its five sequels...

 (VCONs 3, 7 and 11), James P. Hogan

James P. Hogan (writer)

James Patrick Hogan was a British science fiction author.-Biography:Hogan was born in London, England. He was raised in the Portobello Road area on the west side of London...

 (VCON 16), Nalo Hopkinson

Nalo Hopkinson

Nalo Hopkinson is a Jamaican science fiction and fantasy writer and editor who lives in Canada. Her novels and short stories such as those in her collection Skin Folk often draw on Caribbean history and language, and its traditions of oral and written storytelling.Hopkinson has...

 (VCON 28), Katherine Howes (VCON 14/Canvention 6), Matt Hughes

Matt Hughes (writer)

Matthew Hughes is a British-born Canadian author who now lives wherever his secondary career as a housesitter takes him, while continuing to write science fiction under the name Matthew Hughes, crime fiction as Matt Hughes and media tie-ins as Hugh Matthews...

 (VCON 32), Mike Jackson

Mike Jackson

General Sir Michael David "Mike" Jackson, is a retired British Army officer and one of its most high-profile generals since the Second World War. Originally commissioned into the Intelligence Corps in 1963, he transferred to the Parachute Regiment, with whom he served two of his three tours of...

 (VCON 23), Steve Jackson

Steve Jackson

Steve Jackson may refer to:* Steve Jackson , set theorist at University of North Texas* Steve Jackson , co-founder, with Ian Livingstone, of Games Workshop...

 (Westercon 44/VCON 19), Jordin Kare

Jordin Kare

Jordin Kare is a physicist and aerospace engineer known for his research on laser propulsion. In particular, he was responsible for Mockingbird, a conceptual design for an extremely small reusable launch vehicle, and was involved in the Clementine lunar mapping mission.Kare is also known as...

 (VCON 28), Jerry Kaufmann (Westercon 44/VCON 19), Eileen Kernaghan

Eileen Kernaghan

Eileen Kernaghan is a Canadian novelist and three-time winner of the Aurora Award for English-language Canadian speculative fiction. The settings of her historical fantasy novels range from the prehistoric Indus Valley and eighteenth century Bhutan, to Elizabethan England and nineteenth century...

 (VCON 14/Canvention 6, VCON 18.5), Adrian Kleinbergen

Adrian Kleinbergen

Adrian Kleinbergen is a Canadian artist, born in Edmonton, Alberta. Along with drawing and painting, he does jewelry design and manufacture, sculpture, caricature, writing, costuming, and even magic. He started in comics in 1987, penciling, inking and coloring Starstone and Darkewood for Aircel...

 (VCON 28), Ursula K. Le Guin

Ursula K. Le Guin

Ursula Kroeber Le Guin is an American author. She has written novels, poetry, children's books, essays, and short stories, notably in fantasy and science fiction...

 (VCON 1), Todd Lockwood

Todd Lockwood

Todd Wills Lockwood, born in Boulder, Colorado, is an American artist specializing in fantasy and science fiction illustration. He is best known for his work on the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, and for his covers for the books of R.A. Salvatore...

 (VCONs 29 and 30), Elizabeth A. Lynn

Elizabeth A. Lynn

Elizabeth A. Lynn is a US writer most known for fantasy and to a lesser extent science fiction. She is particularly known for being one of the first writers in science fiction or fantasy to introduce gay and lesbian characters; in honor of Lynn, the GLBT bookstore "A Different Light" took its...

 (VCON 18), Jaymie Matthews (VCON 29), Randy McCharles (VCON 30), Mary Lou Merner (The Science of Murder), George Metzger (VCON 8), Vonda McIntyre

Vonda McIntyre

Vonda Neel McIntyre is an American science fiction author.-Biography:Vonda N. McIntyre, daughter of H. Neel and Vonda B. Keith McIntyre, earned a degree in biology from the University of Washington in 1970. That same year, she attended the Clarion Writers Workshop, founded at the Clarion...

 (VCON 9), Sam Moskowitz

Sam Moskowitz

Sam Moskowitz was an early fan and organizer of interest in science fiction and, later, a writer, critic, and historian of the field.-Biography:...

 (VCON 15), Ryan Nicholson

Ryan Nicholson

Ryan Nicholson is a Canadian makeup artist and director of independent horror films.- Biography :Ryan Nicholson was born and raised in Victoria, British Columbia...

 (VCON 27), Larry Niven

Larry Niven

Laurence van Cott Niven / ˈlæri ˈnɪvən/ is an American science fiction author. His best-known work is Ringworld , which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics...

 (VCON 5), Debbie Notkin (VCON 12), Warren Oddsson (Westercon 44/VCON 19), Carol Palmeter (The Science of Murder), Lloyd Penney (VCON 25), Yvonne Penney (VCON 25), Frederik Pohl

Frederik Pohl

Frederik George Pohl, Jr. is an American science fiction writer, editor and fan, with a career spanning over seventy years — from his first published work, "Elegy to a Dead Planet: Luna" , to his most recent novel, All the Lives He Led .He won the National Book Award in 1980 for his novel Jem...

 (VCON 14/Canvention 6), Tim Powers

Tim Powers

Timothy Thomas "Tim" Powers is an American science fiction and fantasy author. Powers has won the World Fantasy Award twice for his critically acclaimed novels Last Call and Declare...

 (VCON 27), Roger Raupp

Roger Raupp

Roger Raupp is an artist whose work has appeared in games such as the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game from TSR, and the collectible card game Magic: the Gathering from Wizards of the Coast....

 (VCON 18), Randy Reichardt (VCON 14/Canvention 6), Sharon Ritmiller (The Science of Murder), Frank M. Robinson

Frank M. Robinson

Frank M. Robinson is an American science fiction and techno-thriller writer.-Biography:Robinson was born in Chicago, Illinois. The son of a check forger, Frank started out working as a copy boy for International Service in his teens and then became an office boy for Ziff-Davis...

 (VCON 12), Jeanne Robinson

Jeanne Robinson

Jeanne Robinson was an American-born Canadian dancer, choreographer, teacher and co-author of three award-winning science fiction novels, The Stardance Saga...

 (VCON 17), Kim Stanley Robinson

Kim Stanley Robinson

Kim Stanley Robinson is an American science fiction writer known for his award-winning Mars trilogy. His work delves into ecological and sociological themes regularly, and many of his novels appear to be the direct result of his own scientific fascinations, such as the fifteen years of research...

 (VCON 21), Spider Robinson

Spider Robinson

Spider Robinson is an American-born Canadian Hugo and Nebula award winning science fiction author.- Biography :Born in the Bronx, New York City, Robinson attended Catholic high school, spending his junior year in a seminary, followed by two years in a Catholic college, and five years at the State...

 (VCON 17), Robert Runté (VCON 10), Robert J. Sawyer

Robert J. Sawyer

Robert James Sawyer is a Canadian science fiction writer. He has had 20 novels published, and his short fiction has appeared in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, Amazing Stories, On Spec, Nature, and many anthologies. Sawyer has won over forty awards for his fiction, including the Nebula Award ,...

 (VCON 25, VCON 26/Canvention 21), Elizabeth Ann Scarborough

Elizabeth Ann Scarborough

Elizabeth Ann Scarborough was born March 23, 1947 and lives in Port Townsend, Washington. Scarborough won a Nebula Award in 1989 for her novel The Healer's War, and has written more than a dozen other novels...

 (VCON 18), Alex Schomburg

Alex Schomburg

Alex Schomburg was a prolific American commercial and comic book artist and painter whose career lasted over 70 years.-Biography:...

 (VCON 15), Mr. Science (VCON 25), Bob Shaw

Bob Shaw

Bob Shaw, born Robert Shaw, was a science fiction author and fan from Northern Ireland. He was noted for his originality and wit. He won the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer in 1979 and 1980...

 (VCON 17), Robert Sheckley

Robert Sheckley

Robert Sheckley was a Hugo- and Nebula-nominated American author. First published in the science fiction magazines of the 1950s, his numerous quick-witted stories and novels were famously unpredictable, absurdist and broadly comical.Sheckley was named Author Emeritus by the Science Fiction and...

 (VCON 17), Robert Silverberg

Robert Silverberg

Robert Silverberg is an American author, best known for writing science fiction. He is a multiple nominee of the Hugo Award and a winner of the Nebula Award.-Early years:...

 (VCONs 4 and 31), Jon Singer (VCON 9), Sharree Sledge (VCON 13), Lisa Smedman

Lisa Smedman

Lisa Smedman is a newspaper editor and a science fiction and fantasy novelist. Her most well-known work is Extinction, a novel set in the Forgotten Realms universe.-Background:...

 (VCONs 29 and 32), Martin Springett

Martin Springett

A Canadian illustrator, Martin Springett is mostly noted for his illustrations of Guy Gavriel Kay's Fionavar Tapestry series.Springett grew up in England, and moved to Canada in his late teens - where he was employed as a gardener, hospital porter and drove a forklift, while pursuing his interests...

 (VCON 32), Suzanne Tompkins (Westercon 44/VCON 19), Verna Trestrail-Smith (Westercon 44/VCON 19), Jonathan Tweet

Jonathan Tweet

Jonathan Tweet is a game designer who has been involved in the development of the role-playing games Ars Magica, Everway, Over the Edge, Talislanta and the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons, as well as the Collectible Miniatures Game Dreamblade.-Early life:Jonathan Tweet started playing D&D in...

 (VCON 27), A. E. van Vogt

A. E. van Vogt

Alfred Elton van Vogt was a Canadian-born science fiction author regarded by some as one of the most popular and complex science fiction writers of the mid-twentieth century: the "Golden Age" of the genre....

 (VCON 6), Jack Vance

Jack Vance

John Holbrook Vance is an American mystery, fantasy and science fiction author. Most of his work has been published under the name Jack Vance. Vance has published 11 mysteries as John Holbrook Vance and 3 as Ellery Queen...

 (VCON 7), vixy (VCON 32), Michael Walsh

Michael Walsh (publisher)

Michael Jarrett Walsh owns and operates Old Earth Books, a small press science fiction publisher. He primarily publishes re-prints, though occasionally he issues original books from established authors. His first publication was a short story collection Rude Astronauts, by Allen Steele, published...

 (VCONs 10, 13, 15, 30, and 32), Bill Warren

Bill Warren

William Bond Warren , better known as Bill Warren, is an American film historian and critic generally regarded as one of the leading authorities on science fiction, horror and fantasy films....

 (VCON 11), Elizabeth Warren

Elizabeth Warren

Elizabeth Warren is an American bankruptcy expert, policy advocate, Harvard Law School professor, and Democratic Party candidate in the 2012 United States Senate election in Massachusetts. She has written several academic and popular books concerning the American economy and personal finance. She...

 (VCON 11), Ted White

Ted White (author)

Ted White is a Hugo Award-winning American writer, known as a science fiction author and editor and fan, as well as a music critic...

 (VCON 8), Susan Wood

Susan Wood (science fiction)

Susan Joan Wood Susan Joan Wood Susan Joan Wood (August 22, 1948-November 12, 1980 was a Canadian author, critic, and science fiction fan, born in Ottawa, Ontario.Wood discovered science fiction fandom while she was studying at Carleton University in the 1960s. Wood met fellow fan Mike Glicksohn of...

 (VCON 6), and Roger Zelazny

Roger Zelazny

Roger Joseph Zelazny was an American writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels, best known for his The Chronicles of Amber series...

(VCON 8).