What is it?
GUFF was created in 1979. Known as the Get Up-and-over Fan Fund or the Going Under Fan Fund, depending on which direction its running, GUFF exists to provide funds to enable well- known fans from Oceania (Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia) and Europe to visit each other’s national (or other) conventions and get to know each other’s fandoms better. GUFF, like other fan funds, exists solely through the support of fandom. The candidates for each trip are voted on by interested fans, and each vote is accompanied by a monetary donation. These votes, and the continuing generosity of fandom through auctions and other donations, are what make GUFF possible.Who may vote?
Voting in the race to send a Australian fan to Glasgow 2024: A Worldcon for our Futures in August 2024 is open to anyone who was active in fandom prior to January 2023, and who contributes at least GBP6, EUR7, AUD10, NZD10, or the equivalent in other currencies to the fund. Larger contributions are encouraged and will be gratefully accepted. Only one vote per person is allowed. You must sign or otherwise verify your ballot, but your vote will not be made public.Voting Details
GUFF uses a preferential ballot system, which guarantees automatic runoffs until a majority is obtained. You rank the candidates in order of your preference. If the leading first-place candidate does not have a majority of votes after the first round of counting, the first-place votes for the lowest-placed candidate are discarded, and the second-place votes on those ballots are counted as first-place votes for the candidates concerned. This process is repeated until one candidate has a majority of all the votes cast. Votes for candidates below first place are therefore important, but you may not rank any candidate in more than one position on your ballot.Hold Over Funds: This choice, like ‘No award’ in award balloting, gives you the chance to vote for no GUFF trip in 2024 if for any reason none of the candidates appeal. Hold over funds may be voted for in any position on the ballot.
No Preference: This choice is for voters who do not wish the GUFF trip to be held over, but who either cannot or prefer not to decide between the candidates. It can be voted for in any position on the ballot but cannot be eliminated, so any specific preferences ranked below it would never be counted.
Write-in: No write-ins will be accepted. A write-in on a paper ballot will be treated as an invalid first vote with consequential preferential votes allocated according to that process. A write-in ballot with no consequential preferences will be treated as a donation to GUFF.
Donations
GUFF gratefully accepts your freely given money and material for auction. If you’re not eligible to vote, or for some reason you don’t wish to vote, why not donate anyway? All funds will be used to pay for current and future GUFF trips.Candidates
Each candidate has posted a bond of AUS$25 and promises if elected that, barring force majeure, they will travel to attend Glasgow 2024: A Worldcon for our Futures in Glasgow, Scotland, 8-12 August 2024. Candidates have also provided nominations from Australasian and European fans and a short platform, which is displayed below.How to cast your vote
Please read the whole ballot before voting.You can vote at https://bit.ly/guff_2024_vote or by completing and sending this ballot form to an administrator (Simon Litten, littenz@gmail.com, or Alison Scott, guffeurope@gmail.com – postal addresses on request), or at an SF convention where someone is collecting ballots.Votes are not valid unless accompanied by a contribution of at least GBP6, EUR7, AUD10, NZD10, or an equivalent amount in other currencies. Please pay by Paypal to Simon at littenz@gmail.com or Alison at guffeurope@gmail.com; if this doesn’t work for you, contact Simon or Alison for bank account details. Choose ‘friends and family’ or add 10% to cover Paypal fees. Voting will close on 22 April 2024 at 23:59 British Summer Time (00:59 Central European Summer Time, 08:59 23 April 2024 Australian Eastern Standard Time).
Candidates
Kat Clay (Australia)
I’m Kat Clay, and I’ve been a part of Australia’s fan community for more than a decade. For the past two years, I’ve won Australia’s Ditmar Award for Best Fan Writer for my blog, https:// www.katclay.com/ and YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/katclay. I’ve helped organise Melbourne’s local convention, Continuum, and you’ll always find me at the Fan Fund Auction – it’s my convention highlight!
I’m also passionate about raising the profile of science fiction from the Asia Pacific and have hosted panels and written reviews featuring work from the region.
I would love to be the GUFF delegate to act as a ‘Fanbassador’ from down under!
Nominators: Belle McQuattie, TR Napper, Cat Sparks (Oceania), Jukka Halme, Marcin Klak (Europe)
Ian Nichols (Australia)
I've attended around a hundred cons since Swancon 2, in 1977, been on the program of most of them, on the committee for about ten, been GOH twice, once for a Natcon, had dealer's tables and won an art competition and a Tin Duck. I know many Australian and international writers, courtesy of being a book reviewer for a newspaper. I've pubbed my ish, pro/am, I'm gregarious, knowledgeable and I've even got a doctorate in writing. I was an actor, so I can speak in public, sing and play filk and I'm good on panels. Please send me to Glasgow.
Nominators: Edwina Harvey, Perry Middlemiss, Julian Warner (Oceania), David Langford, Liz Williams (Europe)
Voting
Your name*:
Address:
Country*:
Email*:
*required
Please indicate your voting preference below.** Use only the numbers 1 to 4 (1= first choice); do not repeat any numbers. You do not need to number every choice.
Kat Clay Ian Nichols Hold Over Funds No Preference Signed:
Date:
We may ask around if we don’t know you already; you might want to suggest someone we should ask (not a candidate or nominator) here: