Nobody knows for sure, because nothing has ever received sufficient nominations to make the ballot; therefore, no administrator has ever had to make a ruling on the subject. Also, this is the first year that the rule has had wording inserted (“or the equivalent in other media”) that suggests that something that published in non-print media might be eligible. (Remember that “published” doesn’t just mean “imprinted with ink on pieces of paper” despite those people who wish it did claiming that’s the “plain meaning” of it.)

This year’s lead Hugo Award administrator, Vincent Docherty, discussed the difficulty of ruling preemptively on works in a thoughtful article on the File 770 web site.

The short version: unless there are enough nominations cast for the works in question, nobody will ever know, because administrators almost never rule on a work unless the voters try to give it enough nominations to make the ballot. This is similar to how courts won’t issue rulings without an actual case before them — no hypothetical rulings allowed.

Note: Kevin has taken the opportunity to correct typographical and grammatical errors in the original post.

• Best Novel: The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman
• Best Actor: David Tennant (Doctor Who)
• Best Actress: Eve Myles (Torchwood)
• Best Phenomenon: True Blood
• Best Graphic Novel: Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader, Neil Gaiman
• Best Collectable Model: The Journal of Impossible Things (Doctor Who)
• SFX Hope for the Future: Steven Moffat
• Best TV Show: Supernatural
• Best TV Episode: “Children of Earth” (Torchwood)
• SFX Cult Hero: Gareth David Lloyd
• Best Film Director: JJ Abrams (Star Trek)
• Best Movie: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
• SFX Breakout Award: Being Human
• SFX Lifetime Award: Gerry Anderson

the voting rules remain the same — subscriber votes count double.

(In our case that means Kevin gets two votes and Cheryl gets one because the subscription is in Kevin’s name.)

You have until April 1st to vote, which is pretty much the same deadline as the Hugos. However, as usual with the Locus Awards, this round of voting will determine the winners as well as the short lists they issue in advance of the award ceremony.

Over at The Guardian Sam Jordison explains why the Booker Prize for 1970 is only just being judged. This list of books being considered is quite interesting. Brian Aldiss is there with a book called The Hand Reared Boy. No, it is not science fiction, it is about sex. You can work out what the title means for yourselves. The wonderful Mary Renault is also on the list with Fire From Heaven, the first in her trilogy of novels about Alexander the Great. Patrick O’Brian is nominated for Master and Commander, a book we suspect that many of you have read. And then there’s Joe Orton with Head To Toe, a book that Publishers Weekly describes as, “A cross between Gulliver and Alice.” Sam’s post has the full short list.