“The Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund (TAFF) was created in 1953 for the purpose of providing funds to bring well-known and popular science fiction fans familiar to those on both sides of the ocean across the Atlantic.
Since that time TAFF has regularly brought North American fans to European conventions and European fans to North American conventions. TAFF exists solely through the support of fandom. The candidates are voted on by interested fans all over the world, and each vote is accompanied by a donation. These votes, and the continued generosity of fandom, are what make TAFF possible.” – http://taff.org.uk/
„The TAFF count is done and we have a winner.
One featured more strongly in Europe and the other was the North American favourite.
Both easily passed the twenty per cent test and both were impeccably behaved throughout.
The final count was so incredibly close that I had absolutely idea who was going to win until the last few votes were counted.
However there is a winner.
Just nudging ahead by a few votes was Nina Horvath, our TAFF superfan from Austria.
She’s talked so often of her delight at attending some of the Eurocons that I’m sure the Sasquan 2015 Worldcon will absolutely blow her mind.
I know you folks in North America will make her 2015 TAFF trip an amazing experience and she will feel as welcome among you as I did, just two years ago.
Many commiserations go to Wolf von Witting. He came within a gnat’s whisker of victory. I do hope he runs again and I wish him all the best in a future race.” – Jim Mowatt
Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund co-administrator Jim Mowatt has released the ballot count from this year’s race:
46 Nina Horvath
34 Wolf von Witting
19 No preference
1 Hold Over Funds
Warm congratulations to Nina, SF&F fan, author, reviewer and correspondent of EUROPA SF, an european SF ambassador to the 2015 Worldcon !
Many thanks to all TAFF contributors !
„The 73rd World Science Fiction Convention will be held in Spokane, Washington, USA, on August 19-23, 2015.
Spokane is a regional center in eastern Washington state, 280 miles east of Seattle and the largest city on Interstate 90 and the Amtrak Empire Builder train route between Minneapolis and Seattle, also the largest city between Calgary and Salt Lake City. The convention site is in the heart of downtown Spokane, adjacent to the historic Centennial Trail and Riverfront Park, location of the 1974 World’s Fair. Spokane has hosted many major national and international gatherings, including the annual Hoopfest, the 2007 and 2010 National Figure Skating Championships, the 2009 Veterans Wheelchair Games, and the 2012 National Square Dance Convention, among others. Spokane is a beautiful city with the motto “Near Nature, Near Perfect,” highlighting the parks, gardens, natural and other outdoor attractions in the region. The convention site is within easy walking distance of over a hundred restaurants, as well as museums, theaters, shopping, historic sites, and other attractions.
Sasquan is the 2015 World Science Fiction Convention, also known as “Worldcon,” the annual gathering of science fiction and fantasy fans. Worldcon celebrates the best works and creators in the speculative fiction field and culture. Hundreds of authors, editors, publishers, artists, scientists, game designers, and other creators and intellectual leaders will participate in the convention program.
Worldcons are the site of the Hugo Awards, the premier awards in the science fiction field, recognizing the greatest books and stories, related works, film, television, podcasts, and fan works.
The convention will feature panels, presentations, readings, autograph sessions, kaffeeklatsches, and discussion groups, as well as participatory activities including writing, art, and other workshops, costuming and cosplaying, filk and other music, games including role-playing, board, and card games, fanzines, children’s programming, and other activities.
There will also be an art show, dealers room, exhibits on science, publishing, and the history and culture of fandom, and a world-class stage masquerade with the best fan costumers. The convention theme will include content from stories and storytellers of the Northwest, from aboriginal legends through the technologies of present and future to the possibilities and impossibilities of what we can imagine.
Worldcons have been held (almost) annually since 1939 under the auspices of the World Science Fiction Society. The convention is held in a different location each year, recently in Melbourne (2010), Reno (2011), Chicago (2012), San Antonio (2013) and London (2014). The 2015 Worldcon will also host the site selection vote for the 2017 Worldcon, among bids from Helsinki, Japan, Montreal, and Washington DC. The 2016 Worldcon will be held in Kansas City.”
Nina Horvath is a very active european fan, a talented speculative fiction writer and an efficient, competent and responsible individual.
She is a genuine SF fan, receptive and balanced, sociable and adaptable, a worthy exponent of the European SF fandom.
Nina Horvath is well known speculative fiction fan and writer within the germanophone and european fandom, she participated to the European SF Conventions, the Eurocons and to several national SF conventions as the czech & slovak SFF yearly events.
Nina Horvath’s participation to the 2015 Worldcon (Sasquan) will create benefits for the World’s SF fandom, for the American and European fandoms, Nina will have the chance to meet in person and to discuss with the world’s most important SF writers, artists, editors and fans and she will spread the word, will communicate her experience in a convincingly and relevant manner.
Nina Horvath is an Austrian SF&F fan and author of science fiction, fantasy and horror, editor of three anthologies of fantasy and science fiction stories. She’s a Paleontologist, a graduate of the University of Vienna.
Nina was awarded with the DPP (Deutscher Phantastik Preis/German Award for Speculative Fiction), the best short story category for “The Scent Organ”(Die Duftorgel) and Vincent Award (dedicated to the German language horror) for editing the anthology „The Shadow Clock” (Die Schattenuhr).
Nina Horvath stories have been published in german language anthologies, magazines and fanzines.
„The Shadow Clock” (Die Schattenuhr) anthology that she edited, was published in the „Bizarre world of Edgar Allan Poe” series of the Blitz Publishing House.
Anthologies :
”The Shadow Clock” (Die Schattenuhr), editor, Blitz Publishing House, 2011
”Metamorphosis – In the Footsteps of H. P. Lovecraft” (Metamorphosen – Auf den Spuren H.P.Lovecrafts ), co-editor with Manuela Bianchi and Sabrina Eberl, Torsten Low Publishers, 2010;
”Darwin’s Tortoise” (Darwin Schildkröte), co- editor with Timo Bader and Bernhard Weißbecker, Fabylon Publishers, 2008;
Short stories :
”Stolen Memory” (Gestohlene Erinnerung), in the ”Hunger” short stories collection, Blitz Publishers, 2012;
”Hedge Euro” (Der Heckeeuro), in the ”Neues aus Anderwelt – Hölle” ( News from Another World – Hell ), short stories collection, 2012;
”Sunday Child” (Das Sonntagskind), in the ”Diebe , Drachen und Dämonen” (Thieves, Dragons and Demons ), short stories collection, 2012;
”On every ship sailing and puffing …” (Auf jedem Schiff das dampft und segelt …), in the ”Uriel” short stories collection, p.machinery Publishers, 2012;
”The Scent Organ” (Die Duftorgel), in the ”Prototypen” (Prototypes) short stories collection, Begedia Publishers, 2011; 2012 DPP Award for best short story;
”Insect World” (Welt der Insekten), in the ”Neues aus Anderwelt – Klassische Science Fiction ” (News from Another World – Classic Science fiction), short stories collection, 2011;
”The Invisible Puppeteer” (Der unsichtbare Marionettenspieler), in the ”Paradoxon” short stories collection, Sarturia Publishing, 2011;
”Nekropolis”, in the” Frauen ! – Starke Erzählungen über das strake Geschlecht” (Women ! – Hard Stories about the Strong Gender), short stories collection, Septime Publishing, 2010;
”New Ice Age” (Die neue Eiszeit ), in the ”Von Feuer und Dampf ” (Fire and Steam), short stories collection, Arcanum Publishing, 2010;
”The Life and Death Power Sword” (Das Schwert des Lebens und die Macht des Todes), in ”The Sword Dragons Saga” (Die Saga der Drachenschwerter), short stories collection, Wunderwald Publishing, 2010;
”Freedom for the Water Droplets” (Freiheit den Wassertropfen !), in the ”Neues aus Anderwelt – Wasserwesen” (News from Another World – Aquatic Creatures), short stories collection, 2010 ;
”A Little Apocalypse” (Ein bisschen Weltuntergang) in the ”War es Urknall Im still” short stories collection, Sarturia Publishing, 2010;
”Home, Sweet Parallel Home” (Trautes Heim, parallel), ”Boa Esperança” (Good Hope ), short stories collection, p.machinery Publishers, 2010;
”Zombies for a Day” (Zombies für einen Tag), in the ”Metamorphosen – Auf den Spuren HP Lovecrafts” (Metamorphosis – On the Traces of H.P. Lovecraft), short stories collection, Torsten Low Publishers, 2009 ;
”Power of Darkness” (Dunklen die Macht), in the ”Geschichten einen Krieges” (Stories of a War) short stories collection, VPH Publishers, 2008 ;
”The Glass Dome Principle” (Das Glaskuppelprinzip), in the ”Das Glaskuppelprinzip” short stories collection, Sarturia Publishers, 2008 ;
”Darwin’s Tortoise” (Darwin Schildkröte), in the ”Darwin Schildkröte”, short stories collectionm Fabylon Publishers, 2008;
”Eye of the Future” (Zukunftsauge), in the ”Disturbania” short stories collection, Atlantis Publishing, 2008;
”Under the Façade” (Hinter der Fassade), in the ”Die Null Matrix” (The Zero Matrix), short stories collection, Sarturia Publishers, 2007 ;
”Broken Soul” (Die Seele geteilte), in the ”Die Formel des Lebens” (The Life Formula), short stories collection, Wurdack Publishing, 2007 ;
”The Cosmozos Theory” (Die Kosmozoentheorie ), in the „Welt der Geschichten 5″ (World of the Stories 5), short stories collection, Hary Production Publishers, 2007;
”Spiral” (Die Spirale), in the ”Der Engel , der auf meiner Schulter Sass” (The Angel that Sat on My Shoulder), short stories collection, Richmond Publishing, 2007, and in the ”Überschuss” (Surplus) short stories collection, Wurdack Publishers, 2005;
”Allegory of Death” (Die Allegorie des Todes), in the ”Angst II ” (Fear II), short stories collection, Hary Production Publishers, 2007 ;
”Free as a Bird” (Vogelfrei) in „Xun 13” and ”Fantasia” 202/203 Magazines, 2006 ;
”The Dream of the Universe ” (Vom Universum geträumt) in ”Kurzgeschichten” Magazine 4/ 06, 2006 ;
”Mayliss”, in the ”Fantastisches Österreich” (Fantastic Austria), website, 2005 ;
”Death of a Puppet” (Tod einer Puppe), in the ”Goethe und Golem” (Goethe and the Golem”, short stories collection, Wurdack Publishers, 2005 ;
”The Thing from the Cave” (Das Ding in der Höhle ), Wildes Land website, 2005 ;
”Oxymoron” in the ”Kurzgeschichten” Magazine, 5/05, Lichtenau, 2005 and in the ”Künstliche Intelligenzen – Maschinengeburten” (Artificial Intelligence – The Birth of the Machine), Zeitspur, 2004 ;
”Dark Light, Light darkness” ( Hell dunkel, dunkel hell), Schattenseiten website, 2004 ;
”The Value of a Moment” (Der Wert des Augenblicks), Thunderyear , 2002;
