Fuzzy’s Travelogue is the newsletter of LAcon V: The 84th World Science Fiction Convention. This is Volume Nine of the series, February 2026 edition. A downloadable PDF version of the newsletter can be found here.
Issues of Fuzzy’s Travelogue will be distributed on a regular basis, to our members and on our website & social media, throughout the lead-up to our August 2026 convention. Previous issues can be found here: Volume 1 (May 2025), Volume 2 (June 2025), Volume 3 (July 2025), Volume 4 (August 2025), Volume 5 (September 2025), Volume 6 (October 2025), Volume 7 (November 2025), Volume 8 (January 2026).
You can read all about Fuzzy, LAcon V’s mascot, here.
WSFS
Hugo Awards Nominations Are Opening Soon
The Hugo Awards are one of the most prestigious awards in the science fiction and fantasy community. They are decided each year by the members of that year’s Worldcon, and this year that means you! Nominations for the 2026 Hugo Awards will open early in February. Now is a great time to start thinking about your favorite written and dramatic works, artists, podcasts, fanwriting and more from 2025.
If you joined before January 31, 2026 you will receive an email when we open nominations. That email will contain instructions on how to set up your LAcon V online account. This will let you log in to our member portal, where you will be able to make your nominations for the Hugo Awards. It will later serve as your one-stop shop to access the online portions of the convention, including Hugo Awards voting.
Site Selection Paperwork Due By February 28, 2026
LAcon V will also administer the vote to determine the site of the 2028 Worldcon. All current WSFS members will be able to vote in Site Selection after payment of the site selection fee (advanced voting fee). Voting in Site Selection automatically gives the voter a WSFS attending membership in the winning 2028 Worldcon.
Bidders for the 2028 Worldcon must submit their paperwork by February 28, 2026, to siteselection@lacon.org. Bidders should reference 4.6 of the WSFS Constitution for the requirements. More details and information about site selection voting will be available later.
Programming
Programming is calling out to all Publishers, Agents, and Authors!
LAcon V is thrilled to support the publishing community with an exciting lineup of parties, book launches, and group events. If you’re looking to showcase your authors or celebrate new releases, we want to hear from you! All the information can be found on our Book Launches, Publisher Parties, and Group Autographings page.
Book launches and Parties
Publishers, agents, and authors can submit ideas for book launches or parties via our Publishers, Agents & Authors Ideas Form.
Group Autographing Sessions
Use the same form to suggest group signings.
Program Item Suggestions
Publishers & Agents: Pitch panels, workshops, or other group items through our Program Pitch Survey via Planorama. You will need to set up a Planorama account to do so. More information and links can be found on our Program Participant page.
Individual Authors: Sign up for panels, readings, autographings, and more via our Program Participant Main Survey.
Last Call for Ideas
We are pulling together all of the wonderful ideas that have been submitted for panels, discussions, workshops, and presentations… but we are greedy and want MORE! If you have an idea for something you would like to attend, just fill out the Program Ideas Suggestion Form and let us know. The Suggestion Form will be closing at the end of January, so don’t delay.
Being on program
If you want to be on a program item, head over to our Program Participant Main Survey so you can tell us about yourself and your ideas! Applications for Program Participants close at the end of March.
Academic Track Applications are live
All scholars are welcome, whether formally affiliated with a university or operating as an independent scholar. We also strongly encourage scholars from minority backgrounds, including those from outside the Anglosphere.
It is expected that participants in the Academic Track will give a 30 minute oral and slide presentation (inclusive of Q&A), and all participants will be invited to participate in the scheduled poster session(s).
More details about Academic Programs, including application procedures, can be found here.
Ready to Play? Join the Gaming Fun at LAcon V!
We’re bringing the joy of gaming to LAcon V. From board games and TTRPGs to a board game library and even plans for an arcade-style space, there’s something for every gamer. Plus, we’re exploring gaming opportunities in our Virtual Worldcon space.
Tell Us What You Want to Play
What games should we feature? Do you want classics like Mahjongg, epic D&D campaigns, or something new? Share your preferences in our Gaming Survey.
Run a Game or Tournament
Game Masters and dedicated players make the magic happen! If you’d like to host a game or tournament, either in-person or online, fill out our Run a Game Survey. Your creativity helps us build unforgettable adventures.
Let’s celebrate the creativity and passion of the gaming community together. Get involved today!
Events
LAcon V Worldcon Film Festival
Following the success of the Film Festival at the Seattle 2025 Worldcon, the team is returning for LAcon V. The festival celebrates Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and other Speculative films from around the world. It is a fantastic opportunity to discover diverse independent shorts and feature-length films. Attendees are invited to drop in for a single screening or immerse themselves in five days of cinematic exploration. We also plan to highlight “Best Of” selections from other speculative fiction film festivals.
We are currently accepting submissions. If you are interested in submitting your work, please visit https://filmfreeway.com/WorldconFilmFestival for more details.
Hotel
Due to unforeseen circumstances, there has been a delay in opening our hotel booking. The convention is working hard with our partners at the Hilton to open as soon as possible. At this time we do not have an exact date as to when booking will be open, but we will make sure to notify everyone on all of our socials once we have a date in place.
In the meantime, please visit our hotels page and view the options we plan to have available at both the Hilton and the Marriott, that way you can be ready to make your choices as soon as we open booking. Thank you for your patience.
Art Show
LAconV is planning a fantastic Art Show open to all attendees for browsing and purchasing with space in the show available to any artist, professional or fan. In addition, the art show has several amazing special displays planned!
Firstly, a retrospective of art from the late Kelly Freas, a multi Hugo Award winning artist whose covers, and interior illustrations set the bar for book covers for many years.
Secondly, a sculpture garden of amazing works from Vincent Villafranca, a multiple Chesley award winner, who designed the Hugo bases for the 2013 Worldcon.
And most recently from Tim Kirk, who will be displaying many unpublished works from Harlan Ellison’s Dangerous Visions collection as well as original paintings from his award-winning Tolkien Calendar.
The LAconV Art Show Registration Form is now online and can be found here: https://scifiinc99.regfox.com/lacon-v-art-show, and spaces are already being sold. You do not need to be a member of LAcon V to enter art work, but if you wish to attend any convention activities in person or online, you must be a member of the con. If you have any questions about the art show, please contact us via artshow@lacon.org.
There is more being planned, so stay tuned.
Dealers Room
The LACon V Dealers Room will be in the Exhibit Hall. We are looking for diverse items of interest to our attendees, in addition to books. The first table requested will include one membership. Additional tables and memberships may be purchased separately. Booths are available if you prefer.
If you are interested in selling at LACon V, please contact us at dealers@lacon.org to be added to the Dealers mailing list.
Dealers Information (FAQ) and the Dealers Application form will be available in February 2026, a delay from our original date of January.
Social Media
LACon V is up and running as @laworldcon on Facebook, X, Instagram and Threads, while on Bluesky, you can follow us @laworldcon.bsky.social or on Mastodon wandering.shop/@lacon. We’re always looking for content, so if you have any information, please contact Taylor Deatherage (taylor.deatherage@lacon.org), Zoe Deterding (zoe.deterding@lacon.org) or Dave Hogg (david.hogg@lacon.org).
Virtual Memberships Available Now
In support of our robust online program, we offer our Virtual Membership which allows you to attend the online component of LAcon V. You will get to experience the programming that is offered online, but does not permit attending in person. It also includes a WSFS Membership for the event. We permit transferring the online portion of this membership to another person; however, the WSFS Membership portion is non-transferrable.
| Full Virtual Membership ages 13+ includes WSFS Membership |
$85 |
| Upgrade from WSFS to Virtual Membership contact us to upgrade |
$35 |
| Child Membership Attending and/or Virtual age 6-12 at time of convention |
$50 |
We are still planning more programming and events, both for our on site and our virtual members. Always remember… Adventure Awaits!
In Memoriam
On January 20th, 2026 our colleague and dear friend, Sandy Cohen, passed away suddenly. Sandy was active in Los Angeles fandom for decades and was an editor of this newsletter. Sandy was always willing to provide his skills to make it as pleasant and easy to obtain the information you need. We will sorely miss him.
Fuzzy’s Travelogue: Volume Nine
The Newsletter of LAcon V: The 84th World Science Fiction Convention, February 2026 Edition
Edited by Genny Dazzo, with Katie Warren and members of the LAcon V Committee
Fuzzy illustrations by Teddy Harvia, used with permission
Copyright © 2026, The Southern California Institute for Fan Interests (SCIFI) Inc. All rights reserved.
