Pong Award

(For other Pongi, see Pong (Disambiguation).)

In 1967, Ted White, co-chair of Nycon 3, that year’s Worldcon, proposed naming the Hugos for Best Fanzine, Best Fan Writer and Best Fan Artist, the "Pongs" to honor the quintessential fan, Bob Tucker -- much more appropriate than the very, very non-fannish Hugo Gernsback. It would presumably have been voted on the same way, but be named the "Pong" rather than the "Hugo".

It was not popular with fandom -- it was viewed as creating a second-class award -- and didn't happen. (See, for example, Ratatosk #42 for an editorial on the subject and Ratatosk #44 for the nominations ballot and for Bruce Pelz's suggestion for voters to register their displeasure on the nomination ballot before sending it in.)

Evidently it worked, because by the time the final Hugo ballot went out, the idea of a Pong Award had been dropped and the fan categories were Hugos as they'd always been.

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Fanhistory

1967

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