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THE AUSTRALIAN SCIENCE FICTION FOUNDATION |
P.O. Box 215 Forest Hill Vic 3131.
Email address: asffsecretary@optusnet.com.au
About the Foundation
The A. Bertram Chandler Award
The Norma K. Hemming Award
The Wright Collection
Fan Funds
Amateur SF Competition
Joining the Foundation
USEFUL LINKS
SF Groups // Upcoming
Conventions // SF Resources // Resources for Emerging Writers
The Short List for this year's Norma K Hemming Award was released on April 30th 2012. Details are available on this page |
The Australian Science Fiction Foundation (affectionately known as the Foundation) was formally established in 1976, partially to carry on the work of Aussiecon, the first Australian World Science Fiction Convention.
Its main purpose is to sponsor and encourage the creation and appreciation of science fiction in Australia. The Foundation does that through the sponsorship and administration of writing workshops and short story competitions, seed loans to national conventions, and the publication of its newsletter, The Instrumentality. The Foundation has, since its inception, been a resource centre for everyone involved in Science Fiction in Australia.
The Foundation was the nucleus for the successful Aussiecon II bid and its members worked, along with many others, to run the 1985 Worldcon in Melbourne. In March 1988, the Foundation became an incorporated association.
The results of the Foundation's work can be seen at many conventions, for the Foundation lends seed money to get Natcons up and running. It also provides the funds for prizes in short story competitions. Help the Foundation carry on its good work - join now!
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In 1991 the Foundation set about establishing a new award for "Outstanding Achievement in Australian Science Fiction". In recognition of the contribution that science fiction writer A. Bertram Chandler made to Australian Science Fiction, and because of his patronage of the Foundation, the new award (after gaining the approval of Bert's widow Susan) is called the Chandler. Unlike the Ditmars, this award is decided upon by a jury and, although nominally an annual award presented in conjunction with the National Science Fiction Convention, is not necessarily presented every year.
The first Chandler Award was presented in 1992 to Van Ikin at the National Science Fiction Convention - SynCon '92. Subsequent winners were Merv Binns, George Turner, Wynne Whiteford, Grant Stone, Susan Batho(Smith-Clarke), Graham Stone, John Bangsund, John Foyster, Lucy Sussex, Lee Harding, Bruce Gillespie, Rosaleen Love, Damien Broderick, and Paul Collins.
Nominations for the Chandler Award are always open. Just drop a note to the Secretary via the post box or email.
Chandler
Award 2011 Ensemble (PDF 71KB)
Chandler
Award 2010 Ensemble (PDF 217KB)
Information on Past Winners
Previously there had been no specifically ‘feminist’ award for SF in Australia. Following representations by the Western Australian Science Fiction Foundation (WASFF), the ASFF decided to sponsor and administer a jury award known as the Norma K. Hemming Award. The award marks excellence in the exploration of themes of race, gender, sexuality, class and disability in science fiction produced either in Australia or by Australian citizens and first published in the calendar year preceding the year in which the award is given.
Jurors for the award are: editor Russell Blackford; editor-publisher Rob Gerrand; author Tess Williams; and editor Sarah Endacott.
Norma Kathleen Hemming (1927-1960) was an Australian fan and author whose work was informed by her experiences as one of the few women active in science fiction in her time.
Read
about the award, its winners since 2010, and the life and times of Norma Hemming
Read
about the Presentation of the Inaugural Norma K. Hemming Award at Aussiecon Four
Read about the Performance of The
Matriarchy of Renok at Aussiecon Four
Checkout
the short list for the 2012 Norma K Hemming Award
As a result of the generous donation Bill Wright, the Foundation has begun a memorabilia collection of fanzines, convention booklets, etc., some as early as from the 1950s. It is now housed at the Melbourne Science Fiction Club but may be accessed by fans. An audio/visual collection, such as the Anti-fan films, is also stored there. Any donations of films, photos, audio tapes are gratefully accepted.
More about the Wright Collection
The Foundation is pleased to announce that three fan funds have taken advantage of using a sub-account under the ASFF's main account to avoid the difficulties and expense of having to set up new accounts each time the administrators change. The account fees are negligible.
General information about Fan Funds, including links to the most up to date information about each, is available at: http://ozfanfunds.com/ and http://fanac.org/fan_funds/fan-funds.html.
The Foundation currently supports these Fan Funds:
DUFF (Down Under Fan Fund).
FFANZ (Fan Fund for Australia and New Zealand).
GUFF (Get Up-and-over Fan Fund or Going Under Fan Fund - depending on which way you're going!)
The Foundation is currently working on guidelines to offer conventions running the Amateur SF Competition that the Foundation funds. There would only be suggestions that may assist the committee, particularly if they haven't run one before. If anyone has some ideas that would be helpful please send them to the Foundation for consideration.
Fees:
There is a $A5.00 joining fee, plus an annual membership fee of
$A20.00 for both local and overseas members. (Overseas members please send cheques
made out in Australian dollars.) Write or email
the secretary for
a membership form, or download one!
SF Groups
Upcoming Conventions
SF Resources
Resources for Emerging Writers
AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
CANBERRA SCIENCE FICTION SOCIETY meets on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month. It's a relaxed social society for the discussion of SF and fantasy. Membership $24 p.a. For more info write to: CSFS, PO Box 47, Civic Square, ACT 2608, or e-mail canberrascifi@hotmail.com.
NEW SOUTH WALES
FRIENDS OF SCIENCE FICTION meet monthly at the Granville Youth & Community Centre (Sydney). Meeting from 10am-6pm. $10 members, $15 non-members.http://fsf.net.au/
NEWCASTLE SPACE FRONTIER SOCIETY (NSFS) Regular meetings and social functions. Full details available at http://www.nssa.com.au/nsfs.
SPOCKSOC: A SF group run by students at the University of NSW Kensington, Sydney. http://www.spocksoc.unsw.edu.au
STARWALKING (NSW) holds meetings
at the Lidcombe Catholic Workers Club, 24 John St, Lidcombe, opposite
Lidcombe Railway station on the third Sunday of some months. http://sydskyforce.starwalking.net/
SYDNEY FUTURIANS: Contact address: P.O. Box 152 Bexley North, NSW, 2207. Usually meet on the 3rd Friday of the month (except for December) in the foyer of UTS building, Broadway at 6.55pm.
QUEENSLAND
QUEENSLAND STAR TREKKERS FAN CLUB known as QUEST (original since 1977) meets at the Trinity Centre, 9 Church Street, Fortitude Valley on the second Sunday of the month except in January. Contact quest@startrekkers.com for more information or Mary Kemp on jmkemp@bigpond.net.au. The Club’s snail mail address is still PO Box 2084, Brisbane, Qld 4001. The Club’s website is http://www.qldstartrekkers.com.
VISIONS WRITERS GROUP offers meeting and critiquing for SF, Fantasy and Horror writers in QLD. Monthly meetings from 11am -2 pm, first Sunday of the month (except Jan and Dec) at Queensland State Library, Rm 2D, 2nd Floor. Brisbane. $10 joining fee, and $4 per meeting. There website is http://visionwriters.org. You can also join their virtual group (great for writing tips and general SF info) at http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/vision-writers.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
OUT THERE "You find a lot of queer things in space" is a social club for gay SF fans, mostly over 30, that meets monthly in Adelaide. Phone Rod on 0402027891 for more details.
STARSHIP MAWSON is a South Australian Star Trek fan club, & chapter of Starfleet International, run by Stuart Blair. See http://www.starshipmawson.com/
VICTORIA
AUSTREK, the Star Trek fan club in Victoria which has been going strong for more than 30 years meet on the 1st Saturday of every month from 2pm at the Northcote Town Hall, Melbourne. http://www.austrek.org/
DR WHO CLUB OF VICTORIA has been going for over 25 years. Their newsletter - Sonic Screwdriver - publishes news, reviews & gossip on Dr Who as well as publishing fanfic & pictures 6 times a year. $35 for a family membership) which gets you 7 issues of the newsletter. They meet at the Northcote Town Hall several times a year. http://www.vicnet.net.au/~dwcv/
FEDERATION SQUARE (Melbourne) SF & Fantasy genres book reading group. Free to attend, Meet on the 2nd Saturday of every month from 11.30am at Café Beer Delux in Federation Square. E-mail books@fedsquare. com.
MELBOURNE SCIENCE FICTION CLUB, Meet most Friday nights at 74
Melville Road, West Brunswick 3055. Membership to the MSFC is $35 single,
or $45 family/household or overseas, and $25 for interstate per annum.
http://www.msfc.sf.org.au/
*SFFiG* SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY in GEELONG http://au.groups. yahoo.com/ group/SFFiG/ Irregular meets announced via email. Discussions, trivia & games, news and more!
SPACED OUT: a science fiction club for gays, lesbians and associated
communities meets in Melbourne. $5 joining fee, then $20 annual membership. ($15
concession.) to Spaced Out Inc. PO Box 363, Preston, Vic. 3072. Non-profit
SF club offering monthly meetings, "Diverse Universe" newsletter
and "Solar
Spectrum" annual anthology.
http://www.spacedoutinc.org/
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
The DR WHO CLUB OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA meet on the first Saturday of each month 12.30-5pm at The Collins St Centre, Cnr Shaftesbury Ave and Collins St, South Perth. Club stalls, info, afternoon tea and entertainment. See <www.comedydownunder.com/westlodge/> or phone Aaron on (08) 0400 1957.
JAFWA is Perth's largest and oldest anime group. They offer screenings in the Jones lecture theatre, Curtin University from 5pm on any Saturday that isn't the first Saturday of the month. http://jafwa. asn.au/
CONTINUUM 8 will be held 8-11 June, 2012. Guests of honour will be Kelly Link, Alison Goodman, and Sue Ann Barber. Memberships will soon be available from their website http://www.continuum.org.au/ .
The UNSEEN UNIVERSITY CONVIVIUM 2012 takes place from 6–8 July 2012 at the University of Adelaide. Discounted prices for early-bird membership are due to end at the end of February so get in now if you want them. http://ausdwcon.org/
CON 9 FROM OUTER SPACE will be held in Melbourne on 14-15 July, 2012. Con 9 From Outer Space will be celebrating the golden age of science fiction movies, TV shows and radio up to 1965 - though the focus is mainly the 1950s. http://www.con9fromouterspace.com/
CONFLUX 8: ON THE BEACH will be held at Novotel, a four and a half star hotel located in Canberra's city centre from 29-30 September 2012. http://www.conflux.org.au/
NULLUS ANXIETAS IV (The Discworld Convention) will be held in Melbourne, 9-11 March 2013 at the Bell Rydges, Preston. http://ausdwcon.org/
ASIF - AUSTRALIAN SPECULATIVE FICTION IN FOCUS - ASIF is a voluntary group run by booklovers who love reading speculative fiction. http://aussiespecficinfocus.wordpress.com/
THE AUSTRALIAN SCIENCE FICTION BULLSHEET - All the news of what's happening in SF in Australia and around the world. http://bullsheet.sf.org.au/
E-FANZINES - Many of the world's best fanzines available as PDFs, including many Australian ones. http://efanzines. com/
METEOR INCORPORATED is an Australian organisation seeking to securely preserve Australia's great SF and Fantasy collections of books, magazines and other memorabilia when the current owners can no longer maintain their collection. Meteor Inc was formed in 2007 as a not-for-profit incorporated organisation to raise funds to set up a permanent science fiction institution and research collection in Australia. The repository will be based on donations of the great SF and fantasy collections of Australia. Meteor Inc plans to buy premises and set up a fully functioning library and research facility. http://www.meteor.org.au/
The following organisations provide resources, support, opportunities, and training for emerging writers:
THE AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY OF AUTHORS.
http://www.asauthors.org/
AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
ACT WRITERS CENTRE
http://www.actwriters.org.au/
NEW SOUTH WALES
BOORANGA WRITERS ALBURY
http://www.csu.edu.au/faculty/arts/humss/booranga
NORTHERN RIVERS WRITERS' CENTRE
http://www.nrwc.org.au/
NSW WRITERS' CENTRE
http://www.nswwriterscentre.org.au/
VARUNA - THE WRITERS' HOUSE (KATOOMBA)
http://www.varuna.com.au/
WORDS OUT WEST (THE CENTRAL WEST WRITERS' CENTRE)
http://www.wordsoutwest.com.au/
NORTHERN TERRITORY
THE NORTHERN TERRITORY WRITERS' CENTRE
http://www.ntwriters.com.au/
QUEENSLAND
QUEENSLAND WRITERS' CENTRE
http://www.qwc.asn.au/
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN WRITERS' CENTRE
http://www.sawriters.on.net/
TASMANIA
THE TASMANIAN WRITERS' CENTRE
http://www.tasmanianwriters.org/
VICTORIA
THE FELLOWSHIP OF AUSTRALIAN WRITERS (Victoria)
http://www.writers.asn.au/
VICTORIAN WRITERS' CENTRE
http://vwc.org.au/
THE WHEELER CENTRE
http://wheelercentre.com/
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
THE FELLOWSHIP OF AUSTRALIAN WRITERS (Western Australia)
http://www.fawwa.org.au/
writingWA
http://www.writingwa.org/
Last Update: 23 May 2012.