Get ready to nominate! Our latest newsletter went out a few days ago with the info that the Hugo Award nominations will open sometime soon (later this week).

The iconic Griffith Park Observatory and the park itself have been the site of filming for various popular SFF TV shows and movies, including Buffy, Back to the Future II, and Star Trek: Voyager - just to name a few! Consider visiting the site when you're in town for LAcon V.

Become a part of the LAcon V academic track by visiting our site and finding out how to submit your interest form: www.lacon.org/academictrack Participants in the academic track are expected to give a 30-minute oral and slide presentation (inclusive of Q&A).

The Artemis II launch window was set to open today, but has been delayed until March. Regardless, it has been fun to follow the news of this exciting endeavor!

Calling all gamers! We want you for LAcon V! Want to DM a game, run a panel, or even volunteer for Gaming programming? Visit our site to find out more about how you submit your interest form now: www.lacon.org/gaming

Are you interested in joining the Dealers' Room at LAcon V? Please contact us at [email protected] to be added to our Dealers’ mailing list and/or fill out the Dealers Room Interest form here: www.lacon.org/2025/09/12/a...

Guest of Honor Stan Sakai will soon feature as an artist and writer in an upcoming (and very recently announced) Marvel Comics series rebooting the storyline of the Future Foundation. The first comic in this series will be released in May of this year.

How it started, and how it's going. A little comparison of how the lobby of the Hilton Anaheim was designed when LAcon II was held there, and what attendees can expect when they arrive for LAcon V. Read more about our venues on the site: www.lacon.org/venue

Have you checked out our Volunteer Opportunities page lately? New roles are added all the time! Review the list, and consider submitting your volunteer interest form, over on our site now: www.lacon.org/volunteer/op...

Looking for a romantic gift for that special person? What better way to say "I Love You," than with an attending membership to the World Science Fiction Convention? LAcon.org/register

Once, not too long ago, there was a young fan who wanted to nominate her favorite book of the year for the Hugo Award. She kept planning to pick up her Worldcon membership, but left it until January 31. On February 1, she woke up and realized that she'd forgotten! She'd left it too late.

An active research site that gives a perspective on the natural world of 40,000 years ago, the La Brea Tar Pits have been used as a filming location for SFF like Encino Man and Birdemic 2: The Resurrection.

We need your Program items! Now is the time to pitch us your unique and unusual program ideas around sci-fi, fantasy, or fandom-related topics in general. Fill out the Program Participant Interest Form on our site now: www.lacon.org/programming/...

Southern California has a surprising variety of local cryptids, like the mysterious Dark Watchers, Fresno's Nightcrawlers, the Charman, a lake monster in Lake Elsinore, and even Fuzzy the Channel Island Fox. If you spot any of these mysterious creatures, make sure to let us know!

"It looks like a perfect day for hunting space rocks!" Los Angeles has been the setting for many science fiction movies, but few as iconic as Larry Blamire's classic The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra. You'll recognize Bronson Canyon as the alien crash site!

Ryan Hurst (Sons of Anarchy) is going to play Kratos in Prime Video's adaptation of Gods of War. The series, with LACon V Guest of Honor Ronald D. Moore as showrunner, will follow the plot of the two most recent games: God of War and God of War: Ragnarök.

You can now purchase a Virtual Membership or upgrade from a Voter Membership to Virtual Membership via the LAcon V website. Virtual Memberships are $85 and include WSFS Membership.

One of our special guests, NASA aerospace engineer Tracy Drain, will be in Vancouver on February 12th as part of the National Geographic Live Speaker Series! Her "Cosmic Adventures with Tracy Drain" talk will take place at the Vancouver Playhouse, with doors opening at 6:30 pm PST.

Known for its Instagrammable garden of lamp posts, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is one of America's premier destinations for contemporary art. While you're in the city for the World Science Fiction Convention, it's worth a visit.

We're looking for SoCal locals to help out as part of our on-the-ground marketing team. Do you know bookstores and comic book stores in the area? Feel like putting up posters? Got a flair for design? Let us know via the Volunteer page on our site!

If you're watching the movie Battle: Los Angeles, you might notice that there aren't a lot of Los Angeles landmarks in it. That's because it's mostly filmed in Louisiana. The palm trees are CGI!

Book launches, parties, autographing sessions ... there are a myriad of ways that authors and fans interact at a Worldcon. If you're an author or publisher, you can send us ideas for these kinds of events here: www.lacon.org/programming/...

Bidders for the 2028 Worldcon must submit their paperwork by February 28, 2026, to [email protected]. Bidders should reference 4.6 of the WSFS Constitution for the requirements. More details and information about site selection voting will be available later.

The LAcon V Art Show is open to all attendees for browsing and purchasing, and space in the art show is available to any artist, professional, or fan. Non-members of the con can enter artwork, but you must be a member if you wish to attend any convention activities in person or online.

If you intend to nominate for the 2026 Hugo Awards, now is the time to sign up for a WSFS membership. Only those who are WSFS members prior to the end of day on January 31, 2026 have the right to nominate for the Hugos. LAcon.org/Register

This just in - LAcon V Guest of Honor Ronald D. Moore's For All Mankind returns on March 27!

Applications for Program Participants close at the end of March, so start brainstorming those ideas and submitting now at lacon.org/programming/programparticipant

"Scientists are predicting that the future will be far more futuristic than they'd previously predicted." Richard Kelly's gonzo depiction of a near-future Los Angeles on the brink of disaster in his movie Southland Tales is a love letter to the city.

You can now purchase a Virtual Membership or upgrade from a Voter Membership to Virtual Membership via the LAcon V website. Virtual Memberships are $85 and include WSFS Membership.

Catch up with the latest work from one of our Guests of Honor by starting with Stan Sakai's new Marvel Comics collab with Peach Momoko - Sai: Dimensional Rivals! The first of five issues is out now, and you can find more about how to get it here: www.marvel.com/articles/com...

In 1988, Los Angeles Times Magazine published a futuristic look at how they imagined LA would look in the year 2013. You can find the piece here, and see if you agree with their vision of LA's future: archive.org/details/6125...

Find us at @arisia.bsky.social this weekend in Boston at our fan table! Talk to us about LAcon V, register, and so much more. More info about when you can find us there is right here: www.arisia.org/FanTables

Do you want to attend a Worldcon panel called "A Brief History of Rhyme: Speculative Poetry and Science Verse"? We certainly haven't thought of it yet. It's only going to happen if you pitch us your awesome ideas using this form right here: www.lacon.org/programming/...

The Academic Track is a multi-disciplinary stream of academic programming that is part of the annual Worldcon experience. Details on how to propose an Academic Track presentation are now available at www.lacon.org/academictrack.

The deadline to register & be Hugo-voting-eligible is January 31st!

Super cool!

Scifi pals! If you're hoping to nominate your favorites for the Hugo Awards, the first step is joining the "WSFS Membership Only" tier before Jan 31st! scifiinc99.regfox.com/membership

It's worth noting that the WSFS business meeting is Virtual this year, so you can participate even if you cannot make it to Los Angeles (or if you feel the situation in the USA is not safe for you.)

Game Masters are the backbone of every amazing RPG adventure. Without you, chaos would reign!

If you intend to nominate for the 2026 Hugo Awards, now is the time to sign up for a WSFS membership. Only those who are WSFS members prior to the end of day on January 31, 2026 have the right to nominate for the Hugos. LACON.org/Register

Do you need drop-off childcare at LAcon V? We want to hear from you if you have children aged 6 months to 12 years and you need childcare coverage at the convention. Please fill out our survey on the website ASAP to help us determine care needs for you at the con: www.lacon.org/childcare

LAcon V is excited to share with you our joy for all things gaming-related. We want to celebrate the diverse world of gaming, showcasing all the amazing creativity and passion of gamers, game designers, and game makers.

A Live Episode of a LAist & NPR game show “Go Fact Yourself” will be featured at LAcon V! @gofactyourpod.bluesky.social is a game/chat show usually recorded with a live audience available on NPR stations nationwide, including LAist 89.3 in Los Angeles.

We've got some info for you all about our Gaming track at LAcon V. Our Gaming Staff would love to know what games you'd like to see and play at LAcon V, if you'd be interested in running a game or games, or if you'd like to volunteer with Gaming!

Local writer George H. Smith tackled the looming sense of dread that the atomic age brought in “The Last Days of L.A.” (1959). Writing in the second person, he put the reader in the mindset of those waiting for an atomic apocalypse.

You can now purchase a Virtual Membership or upgrade from a Voter Membership to Virtual Membership via the LAcon V website. Virtual Memberships are $85 and include WSFS Membership.

LAcon V is still in need of volunteers! In particular, right now we are looking for Guest of Honor Liaisons. Visit our site link in bio to learn more, and to send in your application: lacon.org/volunteer

You can make sure this doesn’t happen by submitting better program item ideas. 😅 www.lacon.org/programming

Did you know that ANYONE can vote in the Hugo Awards? Read on to find out how: reactormag.com/anyone-can-v...