The most prestigious science-fiction literary award in the world has been derailed for a second year in a row by a campaign that works to block nominations that are "overtly to the left," The Guardian reports. The right-wing Sad and Rabid Puppies lobbies monopolized the annual Hugo awards nomination process in order to force titles like Space Raptor Butt Invasion and a My Little Pony cartoon onto the official shortlists:
The lobbies have been operating since 2013 in order to block the Hugo awards from honoring works that Sad Puppies deems "niche, academic, overtly to the left in ideology and flavor, and ultimately lacking what might best be called visceral, gut-level, swashbuckling fun."
Supporters swing the nomination process by buying memberships to the annual World Science Fiction Convention, which allows them to nominate works endorsed by Sad and Rabid Puppies. Of 80 recommendations put forward by Rabid Puppies this year, an entire 62 works earned enough votes to make the official ballot.
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2015's awards were also hijacked by the campaigns, with Game of Thrones author George RR Martin calling the Hugos "broken" and former winner Connie Willis refusing to present the prize, saying her participation would "lend cover and credibility to winners who got the award through bullying and extortion." The members of the World Science Fiction Society eventually responded by voting "no award" in five categories rather than vote for nominees put on the ballot by the Puppy groups.
Winners of the 2016 award will be announced at Worldcon in Kansas this August. Read the full list of finalists at The Guardian.
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