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39th World Science Fiction Convention

39th Worldcon (1981)

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionDec 31, 2025
Entity authorityQ4636196 ↗
Source-derived summary

The 39th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as Denvention II, was held on 3–7 September 1981 at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel in Denver, Colorado, United States.

The chairmen were Suzanne Carnival and Don C. Thompson.

Participants

Attendance was 3,792.

Guests of honor

Clifford D. Simak (pro)

C. L. Moore (pro)

Rusty Hevelin (fan)

Ed Bryant (toastmaster)

Awards

The World Science Fiction Society administers and presents the Hugo Awards, the oldest and most noteworthy award for science fiction. Selection of the recipients is by vote of the Worldcon members. Categories include novels and short fiction, artwork, dramatic presentations, and various professional and fandom activities.

Other awards may be presented at Worldcon at the discretion of the individual convention committee. This has often included the national SF awards of the host country, such as the Japanese Seiun Awards as part of Nippon 2007, and the Prix Aurora Awards as part of Anticipation in 2009. The Astounding Award for Best New Writer and the Sidewise Award, though not sponsored by the Worldcon, are usually presented, as well as the Chesley Awards, the Prometheus Award, and others. In 2021, the Nommo Awards began presenting at Worldcon.

Editorial summary

Begin with the source’s own compact description: “39th World Science Fiction Convention” is 39th Worldcon (1981). The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through 39th, World and Science, not as a finished interpretation.

Editorial reviewA dependable orientation record for establishing vocabulary, names and a first evidence trail. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1981, 2007, 2009, 2021—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. For this dossier, 39th, World and Science is the immediate research focus.
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This entry incorporates text from “39th World Science Fiction Convention” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.