A surprising outcome has award this year’s Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund (TAFF) race to John Coxon, who will attend this year’s World Science Fiction Convention, Renovation, in August.
As in most “elections”, the winner must receive the greatest number of votes. But more than that, “since 1986, TAFF candidates must receive at least 20% of the first-place votes on each side of the Atlantic.” Coxon’s 38 total votes actually placed him third (behind Liam Proven with 84, and Graham Charnock with 40), but he was the only one to hit the 20% requirement (he received 27 from Europe and 11 from North America; 20% would have been 27 and 10, respectively). For full details, see this report.
As we said when we announced the four candidates in December, “four is the largest number of candidates for a westward TAFF race since 1993.”
Coxon writes: “I’m shocked at my win and want to thank my nominators on both sides of the Atlantic for all their help, support and advice during this time. I’m really looking forward to visiting Renovation in August and now I have something to get me through my exams at the end of May!”
The Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund was created in 1953 “to underwrite cultural exchanges for well-known and popular fans familiar to those on both sides of the Big Pond. Since then, TAFF has sent North American fans to European conventions and European fans to North American conventions. It exists solely through the support of fandom. Delegates are selected by interested fans from all over the world, and each vote is accompanied by a donation of at least $3 or £2. These votes, and the continued generosity of fandom, make TAFF possible.”