DRAGON CON ATTRACTS 65,000 FANS FOR FIVE DAYS OF POP CULTURE CELEBRATION

More Than $190,000 Raised for Open Hand Atlanta, And Still Counting

ATLANTA – September 5, 2022 – Dragon Con, Atlanta’s internationally known pop culture, fantasy, sci-fi, and gaming convention, attracted 65,000 attendees for the five-day celebration and raised at least $190,000 for its official 2022 charity, Open Hand Atlanta.

Initially estimated at 60,000 people, fan attendance reached 65,000 and sold out all five days. Fans travelled from all 50 states and a handful foreign countries, including Canada, Brazil, Australia, and several western European nations.

With monies still being collected, the convention’s charity efforts have raised at least $190,000 for Open Hand Atlanta, which provides meals and other services to food-insecure individuals with medically directed diets, already a record amount, far surpassing the previous record of $142,000 raised in 2021 for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta.

Since 2013, the convention has consistently raised more than $100,000 for each of its annual official charities, including a dollar-for-dollar match from the convention up to an additional $100,000.  Funds are raised through convention-based auctions, special merchandise sales, special events, and the convention match.

Dragon Con will return in 2023 for the five-day Labor Day Weekend, Aug. 31 to Sept. 4.

“We were delighted to bring our fans together for another terrific convention, where they celebrated the things they love, connected with friends, and forgot about the outside world for a few days,” convention co-chair Rachel Reeves said.  “We are incredibly impressed with fans’ generosity and their willingness to support Open Hand Atlanta, which does great work to meet an important community need.”

Some of this year’s top guests included cultural icon William Shatner, Emmy -nominated star of television and movies Morena Baccarin, David Ramsey, star of CW’s collection of superhero shows known as the Arrowverse, and Once Upon a Time’s Jennifer Morrison, along with a host of other celebrities and experts from the worlds of television, movies, comics, literature, and gaming were on hand to greet fans, lead discussions, and sign autographs during this year’s convention.

Several television shows filmed in Georgia were represented including Doom Patrol, Stargirl, The Walking Dead, and Fear the Walking Dead.

In the Dragon Awards, the only fan’s choice award in fandom, Leviathan Falls by James S.A. Corey won the Best Science Fiction Novel, the first of 15 categories of fiction, comics, gaming, and filmed entertainment. This is a second Dragon for Corey, following a 2017 win for Babylon’s Ashes.

LifeSouth, which has organized the convention’s annual Robert A. Heinlein “Pay It Forward” blood drive since 2002, held another successful drive. This year, more than 3,000 donors donated to the drive, resulting in about 7,500 blood components. The annual drive – consistently ranked as the largest convention-based blood drive – benefits LifeSouth, which serves more than 25 hospitals in the Atlanta area and 125 hospitals in the Southeast.

About Dragon Con

Dragon Con is the internationally known pop culture convention held each Labor Day Weekend in Atlanta. Organized for fans, Dragon Con features more than 3,500 hours of comics, film, television, costuming, art, music, and gaming over four days. For more information, please visit www.dragoncon.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

DRAGON AWARDS RECOGNIZE FANS’ FAVORITES IN FICTION, GAMES, AND OTHER ENTERTAINMENT

James S.A. Corey’s Leviathan Falls Recognized as Best Science Fiction Novel

Comic Book Legend Jim Starlin, Short Fiction Author Sarah Pinsker, and Fandom Champion

John Carroll Honored for Contributions to Writing, Fandom, and the Industry

ATLANTA – September 4, 2022 – Dragon Con, the internationally known pop culture, sci fi, fantasy, and gaming convention, announced the winners of its 7^th annual Dragon Awards, a fan’s choice awards program to recognize the best in books, comics, games, and filmed entertainment.

Leading this year’s Dragon Awards, Leviathan Falls by James S.A. Corey was the fans’ choice in the Best Science Fiction Novel category. This is Corey’s second Dragon, with Babylon’s Ashes winning in 2017.

Dragon Con also announced three other convention awards, recognizing achievement in short fiction and lifelong contributions to the profession and fandom.

Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather by Sarah Pinsker was honored with the Eugie Foster Memorial Award for Short Fiction, established in the memory of the Nebula-award winning author and long-time Dragon Con volunteer director. A juried award, the “Eugie” celebrates the best in innovative fiction. Past winners include Elaine Cuyegkeng (2021), Simone Heller (2019), and Fran Wilde (2018).  No award was given in 2020.

The Julie Award, given to an industry professional for universal achievement spanning multiple genres, was awarded to comic book writer and artist Jim Starlin, who created Thanos, Shang-Chi, Dreadstar, and many other best-recognized characters. Starlin was also a pioneer in securing creator ownership for comics artists and writers.

And, John Carroll was recognized with the Hank Reinhardt Fandom Award, given each year to an individual who has made significant contributions to fandom. Moore has not only been a 15-year volunteer at Dragon Con, working in the convention’s Tech Ops and other departments, but also has supported several other science fiction and fantasy conventions around metro Atlanta including sister convention MomoCon.     

The Dragon Awards were created in 2016 as part of Dragon Con’s 30^th anniversary celebration. All fans – not just Dragon Con members or attendees – were invited to nominate their favorite properties for the awards and then select Dragon Award winners by voting on the annual Dragon Awards ballot.

More than 7,000 fans cast ballots for this year’s Dragon Award winners, selected from among 93 properties in 15 categories covering the full range of fiction, comics, television, movies, video gaming, and tabletop gaming.  Winners were announced on Sept. 4 at Dragon Con 2022 in downtown Atlanta.

Final voting was held via the dedicated Dragon Awards website, and the voting period ran from mid-August to Sept. 3. The ballot was selected in an open nomination process in which fans nominated their favorite properties. The nomination period ran from early November 2021 until July 2022. The best and most popular of the nominated properties were elevated to the ballot.

And the Dragon Award winners are …

Best Science Fiction Novel          

Leviathan Falls by James S.A. Corey

Best Fantasy Novel (Including Paranormal)         

Book of Night by Holly Black

Best Young Adult / Middle Grade Novel

A Dark and Starless Forest by Sarah Hollowell

Best Military Science Fiction or Fantasy Novel  

A Call to Insurrection by David Weber, Timothy Zahn, Thomas Pope

Best Alternate History Novel     

The Silver Bullets of Annie Oakley by Mercedes Lackey

Best Media Tie-In Novel              

Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil by Timothy Zahn

Best Horror Novel          

The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig

Best Comic Book             

Immortal X-Men by Kieron Gillen, Mark Brooks

Best Graphic Novel        

Dune: House Atreides Volume 2 by Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, Dev Pramanik

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy TV Series             

Stranger Things, Netflix

Best Science Fiction of Fantasy Movie   

Dune by Denis Villeneuve

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy PC / Console Game         

Elden Ring, Bandai Namco Entertainment

Best Science Fiction of Fantasy Mobile Game    

Diablo Immortal, Blizzard

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Board Game      

Star Wars Outer Rim: Unfinished Business, Fantasy Flight Games

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Miniatures / Collectable Card / Role-Playing Game         

Magic: The Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, Wizards of the Coast

About Dragon Con

Dragon Con is the internationally known pop culture convention held each Labor Day in Atlanta. Organized for fans, Dragon Con features more than about 3,500 hours of comics, film, television, costuming, art, music, and gaming over five days. For more information, please visit www.dragoncon.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

DRAGON CON’S GAMING MOVES TO A NEW BUILDING

AmericasMart Building Three Offers Nearly 3 Acres of Space for Tabletop, Pen & Paper,

and Video Games While Westin Remains Integral to the Gaming Footprint  

Japanese Arcade Games Return; Joystick Game Bar Hosts Pop Up Experience;

Two Bridges Are Better Than One for Artemis Spaceship Simulator Fans

ATLANTA – August 1, 2022 – Dragon Con, one of the largest gaming conventions in the nation, is moving a large part of its ‘round the clock gaming programming one block up and one block over, from AmericasMart Building One to Building Three.

While the move was necessary because of renovations to Building One, the new space is better laid out and quite roomy – offering nearly 3 acres of games and gaming, from the latest and most popular video games to rarely seen board games.

Dragon Con, the internationally famous pop culture, science fiction, fantasy, and gaming convention, runs from Thursday, Sept. 1 to Monday, Sept. 5 with events and activities across five host hotels – Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Hilton Atlanta, Westin Peachtree, and Sheraton Atlanta – and AmericasMart Buildings Two and Three.

“We think fans will really appreciate the new layout. It’s easier to navigate and find the games they love to play, or discover something new,” convention co-chair Dave Cody said. “Meanwhile, we’re going to continue to use the Westin space as we always have.”

All the gaming panels and presentations that had been held in the Westin in past years will be there again in 2022.  This includes The War College/National Security Decision Making Game, LARP, the dual bridge Artemis Spaceship Bridge Simulator, Werewolf and other social deception games, Video Gaming Programming, and Table Top Programming.

As it always has, Dragon Con will offer fans a chance to talk with today’s top game designers, voice actors, and other experts about games, game design, and gaming culture.  Popular parties, such as the Heroes & Villains Ball and the 8-Bit Bash, offer gamers and other fans a chance to take a break from the tables.

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DRAGON CON’S DRAGON AWARDS PUBLISHES ITS 2022 BALLOT

Fans-Focused Awards Recognize Excellence in Fifteen Categories of

Fiction, Comics, Gaming, and Filmed Entertainment.

Seventh Annual Awards Will Be Announced at Dragon Con over Labor Day Weekend.

ATLANTA – August 11, 2022 – Dragon Con’s Dragon Awards, a fan’s choice awards program to recognize the very best in science fiction and fantasy literature, comics, gaming, and filmed entertainment, has published its 2022 ballot.

Winners of the Dragon Awards are selected by fans – not just Dragon Con members or convention attendees – and voting is free.  You can view the ballot here.

“For the last seven years, we have given fans the chance to nominate and vote for the best in science fiction and fantasy, whether they read it, watch it, or play it,” said convention co-chair David Cody. “The Dragon Awards have become the industry’s best awards for identifying the books, games, comics, television, and movies that fans love the best.”

In 2021, more than 7,000 fans cast ballots for Dragon Award winners, selected from among 93 properties in 15 categories covering the full range of fiction, comics, television, movies, video gaming, and tabletop gaming.  Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir was the fans’ choice in the Best Science Fiction Novel category last year.

All voting is done electronically and only via a ballot emailed to each confirmed voter. To vote, fans must first register on the Dragon Awards website: Register Here. Ballots are then emailed in batches every few days through August.

Fans have until Friday, Sept. 2 at 11:59 p.m., Eastern, to register. Voting ends 24-hours later on Saturday, Sept. 3 at 11:59 p.m., also Eastern.

Winners will be announced on Sunday, Sept. 4 at Dragon Con in downtown Atlanta. The annual Labor Day convention is scheduled this year from Sept. 1 to Sept. 5.

The ballot was selected in an open nomination process, in which more than 4,000 fans participated. Using the dedicated Dragon Awards website, fans were invited to nominate one (and only one) of their favorite properties in any or all the award categories. Nominations ran from November 2021 until mid-July 2022. The best and most popular of the nominated properties were elevated to the ballot.

Further details are available on the awards website: www.dragoncon.org/awards/. Please direct all inquiries to dcawards@dragoncon.org or mail them to Dragon Awards, PO Box 16459, Atlanta, GA 30321-0459 USA.

About Dragon Con

Dragon Con is the internationally known pop culture convention held each Labor Day Weekend (Sept. 1 -Sept. 5, 2022) in Atlanta. Organized for fans, Dragon Con features more than 3,500 hours of comics, film, television, costuming, art, music, and gaming over four days. For more information, please visit www.dragoncon.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

WILLIAM SHATNER, WALTER KOENIG, MORENA BACCARIN, TOM CAVANAGH,

DAVID RAMSEY AND DANIELLE PANABAKER BRING OUT THE STARS AT DRAGON CON

Cavanagh, Ramsey, Panabaker Lead a Large Cast of Arrowverse Stars; Flanigan and Luttrell Will Lead a Meet Up of Stargate Atlantis Fans; And Encanto Castmates Will Charm Con-goers

ATLANTA – Aug. 8, 2021 – Two living members of the original Star Trek television series, William Shatner and Walter Koenig, lead a long list of celebrity guests headed to Dragon Con, Atlanta’s internationally known pop culture, fantasy, science fiction, and gaming convention, for Labor Day weekend.

Emmy-nominated actors Morena Baccarin and Tom Cavanagh, along with David Ramsey and Danielle Panabaker, will join Shatner and Koenig to meet fans, lead panel discussions and sign autographs.

Other top guests from television and movies including Charmed’s Holly Marie Combs; Stargate Atlantis’ Joe Flanigan and Rachel Luttrell; Encanto’s Diane Guerrero, Mauro Castillo, and Adassa; Stargirl’s Brec Bassinger, Yvette Monreal, Trae Romano, and Anjelika Washington; and Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD’s Brett Dalton, Jason O’Mara, and Briana Venskus; as well as voice actors Kaitlyn Robrock (Disney’s Minnie Mouse), Jim Cummings (Disney’s Winnie the Pooh), and Nolan North (Superman).

Several television shows filmed in Georgia will be represented including Doom Patrol, Stargirl, The Walking Dead, and Fear the Walking Dead, which recently moved production to Georgia after several seasons in Texas. Other media guests will represent Titans, Supernatural, Star Trek Picard, Star Trek Discovery, Stargate SG-1, The Magicians, Locke & Key, and The Expanse, as well as video game Red Dead Redemption.

An estimated 60,000 people are expected to attend Dragon Con over the five-day Labor Day Weekend – Sept. 1 to Sept. 5 – with events and activities across AmericasMart Buildings Two and Three and five host hotels – Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Hilton Atlanta, Westin Peachtree, and Sheraton Atlanta.

Literary Guest of Honor Nnedi Okorafor, an award-winning science fiction novelist best known for Who Fears Death and the Binti trilogy, and Artist Guest of Honor Stephanie Law, a fantasy fine artist whose work explores mythology in next contexts, especially into the natural world.

For an older generation of fans, the convention also welcomes Sam J. Jones and Melody Anderson from the 1980 cult classic film, Flash Gordon.

Shatner is a cultural icon and best remembered as Capt. James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise in the Star Trek television series, the animated series, and seven motion pictures. He will be at the convention on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday only.

He will be joined Koenig, who played Ensign Pavel Chekov, who brought teen idol good looks to the bridge of the USS Enterprise. Koenig also appeared all seven motion pictures featuring the original cast. Later in his career, Koenig had a featured role in the science fiction television series Babylon 5.

Baccarin has a wide following in pop culture, having had lead roles in television’s Gotham and The Flash, two Deadpool movies, television’s Firefly and its follow up film Serenity, and the 2009 television reboot of V.  Baccarin will be joined by Gotham castmate (and spouse) Ben McKenzie.

Cavanagh leads a strong showing of castmates from the Arrowverse, the CW franchise that includes several DC Comics-based shows including Arrow, The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, and several others.  Cavanagh is an original cast member of The Flash, appearing as Dr. Harrison Wells and Reverse Flash, with appearances in Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow, Supergirl, and Batwoman.  Cavanagh is also well known to television audiences from the shows Ed and Scrubs.

Ramsey plays the role of John Diggle (also known as Spartan or Green Arrow), initially on Arrow, which ran from 2012 to 2020, and continues in that role across the so-called Arrowverse programs, including The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, Superman and Lois, and Supergirl.

Panabaker, another The Flash original actor, played Caitlyn Snow (also known as Killer Frost) across the Arrowverse, also appearing in DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, and Arrow.

Cavanagh, Ramsey and Panabaker will be joined by Danielle Nicolet (The Flash), Olivia Swann (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow), and Arthur Darvill (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow).  Darvill is also well known in fandom as companion Rory Williams from the Doctor Who franchise.

About Dragon Con

Dragon Con is the internationally known pop culture convention held each Labor Day Weekend (Sept. 1 -Sept. 5, 2022) in Atlanta. Organized for fans, Dragon Con features more than 3,500 hours of comics, film, television, costuming, art, music, and gaming over four days. For more information, please visit www.dragoncon.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

WILLIAM SHATNER, WALTER KOENIG, MORENA BACCARIN, TOM CAVANAGH,

DAVID RAMSEY AND DANIELLE PANABAKER BRING OUT THE STARS AT DRAGON CON

Cavanagh, Ramsey, Panabaker Lead a Large Cast of Arrowverse Stars; Flanigan and Luttrell Will Lead a Meet Up of Stargate Atlantis Fans; And Encanto Castmates Will Charm Con-goers

ATLANTA – Aug. 8, 2021 – Two living members of the original Star Trek television series, William Shatner and Walter Koenig, lead a long list of celebrity guests headed to Dragon Con, Atlanta’s internationally known pop culture, fantasy, science fiction, and gaming convention, for Labor Day weekend.

Emmy-nominated actors Morena Baccarin and Tom Cavanagh, along with David Ramsey and Danielle Panabaker, will join Shatner and Koenig to meet fans, lead panel discussions and sign autographs.

Other top guests from television and movies including Charmed’s Holly Marie Combs; Stargate Atlantis’ Joe Flanigan and Rachel Luttrell; Encanto’s Diane Guerrero, Mauro Castillo, and Adassa; Stargirl’s Brec Bassinger, Yvette Monreal, Trae Romano, and Anjelika Washington; and Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD’s Brett Dalton, Jason O’Mara, and Briana Venskus; as well as voice actors Kaitlyn Robrock (Disney’s Minnie Mouse), Jim Cummings (Disney’s Winnie the Pooh), and Nolan North (Superman).

Several television shows filmed in Georgia will be represented including Doom Patrol, Stargirl, The Walking Dead, and Fear the Walking Dead, which recently moved production to Georgia after several seasons in Texas. Other media guests will represent Titans, Supernatural, Star Trek Picard, Star Trek Discovery, Stargate SG-1, The Magicians, Locke & Key, and The Expanse, as well as video game Red Dead Redemption.

An estimated 60,000 people are expected to attend Dragon Con over the five-day Labor Day Weekend – Sept. 1 to Sept. 5 – with events and activities across AmericasMart Buildings Two and Three and five host hotels – Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Hilton Atlanta, Westin Peachtree, and Sheraton Atlanta.

Literary Guest of Honor Nnedi Okorafor, an award-winning science fiction novelist best known for Who Fears Death and the Binti trilogy, and Artist Guest of Honor Stephanie Law, a fantasy fine artist whose work explores mythology in next contexts, especially into the natural world.

For an older generation of fans, the convention also welcomes Sam J. Jones and Melody Anderson from the 1980 cult classic film, Flash Gordon.

Shatner is a cultural icon and best remembered as Capt. James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise in the Star Trek television series, the animated series, and seven motion pictures. He will be at the convention on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday only.

He will be joined Koenig, who played Ensign Pavel Chekov, who brought teen idol good looks to the bridge of the USS Enterprise. Koenig also appeared all seven motion pictures featuring the original cast. Later in his career, Koenig had a featured role in the science fiction television series Babylon 5.

Baccarin has a wide following in pop culture, having had lead roles in television’s Gotham and The Flash, two Deadpool movies, television’s Firefly and its follow up film Serenity, and the 2009 television reboot of V.  Baccarin will be joined by Gotham castmate (and spouse) Ben McKenzie.

Cavanagh leads a strong showing of castmates from the Arrowverse, the CW franchise that includes several DC Comics-based shows including Arrow, The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, and several others.  Cavanagh is an original cast member of The Flash, appearing as Dr. Harrison Wells and Reverse Flash, with appearances in Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow, Supergirl, and Batwoman.  Cavanagh is also well known to television audiences from the shows Ed and Scrubs.

Ramsey plays the role of John Diggle (also known as Spartan or Green Arrow), initially on Arrow, which ran from 2012 to 2020, and continues in that role across the so-called Arrowverse programs, including The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, Superman and Lois, and Supergirl.

Panabaker, another The Flash original actor, played Caitlyn Snow (also known as Killer Frost) across the Arrowverse, also appearing in DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, and Arrow.

Cavanagh, Ramsey and Panabaker will be joined by Danielle Nicolet (The Flash), Olivia Swann (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow), and Arthur Darvill (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow).  Darvill is also well known in fandom as companion Rory Williams from the Doctor Who franchise.

About Dragon Con

Dragon Con is the internationally known pop culture convention held each Labor Day Weekend (Sept. 1 -Sept. 5, 2022) in Atlanta. Organized for fans, Dragon Con features more than 3,500 hours of comics, film, television, costuming, art, music, and gaming over four days. For more information, please visit www.dragoncon.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Dragon Con Updates

Dragon Con 2022 is just around the corner, and we are looking forward to having so many fans join us for another exciting Labor Day in downtown Atlanta. While we spend a lot of time each year planning to make sure that Dragon Con is the greatest pop culture convention on the planet, we always make health and safety a top priority.

We want to thank everybody for their patience as we have worked very hard to develop COVID protocols intended to keep our Dragon Con Family safe. While things are certainly better now than they were a year ago, we are not yet out of the woods. Unfortunately, the spread of Covid in the metro-Atlanta area is currently at a high level. Therefore, it is necessary to continue to take precautions to keep our attendees, guests and partners safe. These decisions were not made lightly and came as a result of many discussions with health officials, our venues, and the city.

In 2021, we committed to following CDC guidelines, and as a result, Dragon Con 2021 was a safe environment allowing our fans to come together for a much needed celebration of all things fandom. CDC guidelines will continue to be our guidepost as we determine the safest way to gather. This includes:

• Well-fitting and appropriate masks are required indoors at all our convention venues, including all five host hotels and AmericasMart Buildings Two and Three. Last year our members did an incredible job with mask compliance and we expect no less this year.
• This year’s convention will have reduced capacity compared to 2019’s convention, though we will welcome more fans than in 2021 and will bring back a limited number of Saturday-only memberships. We expect memberships at all levels to sell out.
• Related to that, there will be no onsite membership sales to reduce congestion, increase social distance, and improve traffic at badge pickup in the Sheraton. If memberships are available for purchase, they will only be available online through Growtix.
• We have made other changes throughout the convention to reduce traffic flow and increase personal space.
• Proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test are not required this year. We highly encourage everyone to get vaccinated to help reduce the spread and severity of COVID 19. Additionally, we encourage every person to make informed decisions about attending our event in the best interest of their own health and that of their loved ones. If you are not feeling well or have been recently exposed to somebody with Covid, please plan to stay home.
• To help spread the joy that is Dragon Con to those who stay home, we continue to offer Dragon Con Goes Virtual, featuring overlapping coverage of the live convention and exclusive programming just for the platform from our amazing fan tracks, available to fans for the low price of $10. Additionally, we will again host the virtual marketplace from September 1 through September 9, allowing fans both at the event and at home to purchase from and support their favorite vendors and artists.

The very best part of Dragon Con is the community. We know that you have each other’s backs, that you care for your fellow fans, and that you will follow the rules because it’s the right thing to do. We trust you to make good decisions and look forward to welcoming you back.

We will continue to evaluate our policies and procedures and follow the guidance of public health officials in order to keep the convention as safe as possible.

Dragon Con Media Engagement welcomes you to Dragon Con 2022!  We are pleased in your interest in covering our convention and excited to see and your fellow reporters. Every week until the convention we will send you an email blast which will help you to report from Dragon Con.  We are anticipating this year’s attendance to be up 50% more than 2021, which. will still maintain enough room for social distancing.

While we have a few topics included in this email, we are open to finding out what you, as reporters, want to see in future updates.  Please contact us with your questions and concerns.

Contacting Dragon Con

Who should you contact? A general rule is that you contact mediarelations@dragoncon.org for administrative support and dancarroll@dragoncon.org for in depth information about the convention itself.

• For questions about reporting from Dragon Con, please contact Samm Douglas (mediarelations@dragoncon.org). She supports you with badge processing and helping with the tools for navigating the convention. She and her team are your support specialist.
• For questions about the convention itself, interviewing a Dragon Con representative, and understanding what this whole thing is about, please contact Dan Carroll (Dancarroll@dragoncon.org). He is your Dragon Con expert who is here to help you get better background on Dragon Con and find the best stories.
• When in doubt include both Samm and Dan they will fight to be the first to answer your questions.

When you reach out to us, remember to put your name or your outlet in the subject line so we can more quickly serve you.

How To Pick Up a Media Badge at Dragon Con/Media Room Hours

Dragon Con, Atlanta’s world-famous pop culture festival, will launch on September 1 and run through September 5.  As reporters approved by Dragon Con you will be able to pick up your badge during the convention when the Media Relations Room is opened.  The Media Relations Room is located Greenbriar Room of the Hyatt Regency Hotel (265 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, Georgia, 30303).  The room can be found on the bottom floor, “Motor Lobby Level”, of the Hyatt.  Our hours are:

• Thursday (Sept 1): 12PM – 8 PM
• Friday (Sept 2): 9AM – 8PM
• Saturday (Sept 3): 9 AM – 4PM
• Sunday (Sept 4): 10AM – 3 PM
• Monday (Sept 5): 9AM – 1PM

Those arriving while hotel badge checks are in process will need to alert the security personnel that you are a reporter coming to pick up your badge.  There may be a delay while an escort is found to walk you down to the Media Relations Room.

Guest list update

Dragon Con has been on a roll announcing guests! This is great news, but it is sometimes hard to keep up with the announcements.  In the past two weeks we have announced a number of guests from The Flash, Stargirl, Flash Gordon, Gotham and a handful of Star Trek guests including two captains! (That’s right, one of them is William Shatner!). The guest list is too long to list in an email, so we recommend you keep up to date online at our list of featured guests:

https://www.dragoncon.org/people-to-see-2/

A guest at Dragon Con is a celebrity or presenter who our attendees come to see. TV stars, writers, authors, artists, comic book creators, musicians and singers, scientists, and other creatives and experts who cover a broad array of interests.  To see the entire list of Dragon Con guests, follow this link!

https://www.dragoncon.org/people-to-see-2/guests/

Lots more after the fold!

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OKORAFOR, LAW SELECTED AS 2022 LITERARY AND ARTIST GUESTS OF HONOR

Dragon Con Selects Open Hand Atlanta as its Official 2022 Charity

ATLANTA – June 16, 2021 – Dragon Con, Atlanta’s internationally known pop culture, fantasy, sci-fi, and gaming convention, has named Nigerian-American science fiction writer Nnedimma “Nnedi” Okorafor and American fantasy artist Stephanie Law as its 2022 Literary and Artist Guests of Honor.

The convention also announced that Open Hand Atlanta has been selected as the convention’s 2022 official charity.

Dragon Con’s 2022 convention runs from Thursday, Sept. 1 to Monday, Sept. 5 with events and activities across five host hotels – Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Hilton Atlanta, Westin Peachtree, and Sheraton Atlanta – and AmericasMart Buildings #2 and #3.

Since 2013, the convention has consistently raised more than $100,000 for each of its annual official charities, including a dollar-for-dollar match from the convention up to an additional $100,000.  Funds are raised through convention-based auctions, special merchandise sales, special events, and the convention match.

Open Hand’s mission is to help underserved individuals prevent or better manage chronic disease through tailored nutrition interventions, which include a variety of therapeutic meal plans as well as nutrition counseling and coaching delivered by an experienced team of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists.  With the dedicated support of over 14,000 volunteers, they currently prepare, pack, and deliver over 5,500 meals per day in Metro Atlanta and rural Georgia.

“Dragon Con has partnered with Open Hand for years, dedicating one of our annual Superheroes community service projects to helping sort pantry items, pack meals, and even create Valentine cards for Open Hand’s clients,” said Rachel Reeves, convention co-chair.  “We are delighted to build an even stronger bond with Open Hand as our official charity this year.”

Beginning with its first convention in 1987, Dragon Con has recognized an author and an artist whose creative contributions to the realms of fantasy and science fiction are widely recognized as among the very best as Literary and Artist Guests of Honor. Both Okorafor and Law will be recognized throughout the event for their contributions to their individual fields, and will be on hand to meet fans and participate in panels to provide insight into their success and love of fandom.

Okorafor is an international award-winning New York Times bestselling novelist of science fiction and fantasy for children, young adults, and adults. Born in the United States to Nigerian immigrant parents, she describes her writing as Africanfuturism and draws from African cultures to create captivating stories with unforgettable characters and evocative settings. She has received the World Fantasy, Nebula, Eisner, and Lodestar Awards and multiple Hugo Awards, amongst others, for her books, which include Who Fears Death (in development at HBO into a TV series), the Binti novella trilogy (optioned and in development with Media Res), The Book of Phoenix, the Nsibidi Scripts Series, and Lagoon. Her debut novel Zahrah the Windseeker won the prestigious Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature. She has also written the Africanfuturist comic series LaGuardia as well as comics for Marvel, including Black Panther: Long Live the King and Wakanda Forever (featuring the Dora Milaje) and the Shuri series. https://nnedi.com/

Relying on the universal appeal of mythological concepts mingled with the movement of dance, Law’s images trace the boundary between dream and reality. She delves into the pictorial language of allegory, explores mythology in new contexts, chases tiny worlds of wonder from an insect’s viewpoint, and highlights the beauty of growth and decay found in nature. She interweaves texture, watercolor, gold and silver leaf, ink, and creates intricate layered pieces with resin and custom designed frames. In a meld of organic patterns and familiar archetypes, her paintings pose a question on the nature of perception and beauty, and it is against this backdrop that the ephemeral guides and strange creatures dance and beckon the viewer to follow through her various series. Early on, her career moved through the illustration and gaming world, but in recent decades she has focused more on her own body of work, gallery shows, and publications. https://www.shadowscapes.com/index.php

About Dragon Con

Dragon Con is the internationally known pop culture convention held each Labor Day Weekend (Sept. 1 -Sept. 5, 2022) in Atlanta. Organized for fans, Dragon Con features more than 3,500 hours of comics, film, television, costuming, art, music, and gaming over four days. For more information, please visit www.dragoncon.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

DRAGON AWARDS RECOGNIZE FANS’ FAVORITES IN FICTION, GAMES, AND OTHER ENTERTAINMENT

John Scalzi wins Best Science Fiction Novel, Siobhan Carroll receives Eugie Foster Memorial Award

ATLANTA – September 6, 2020 – Dragon Con, the internationally known pop culture, sci fi, fantasy, and gaming convention, announced the winners of its 5^th annual Dragon Awards, a fan’s choice awards program to recognize the best in books, comics, games, and filmed entertainment.

Leading this year’s Dragon Awards, The Last Emperox by John Scalzi was the fans’ choice in the Best Science Fiction Novel category. Scalzi was also the 2020 Literary Guest of Honor and was an active guest at Dragon Con Goes Virtual, giving interviews and keeping the beats bouncing as the DJ for one of the convention’s nighttime parties.

More than 8,000 fans cast ballots for Dragon Award winners, selected from among 93 properties in 15 categories covering the full range of fiction, comics, television, movies, video gaming, and tabletop gaming.  Winners were announced on Sept. 6 at Dragon Con Goes Virtual, a pandemic-inspired, five-day streamed convention featuring three channels of programming, bands, parties and the world-famous Dragon Con Parade.

“We are especially grateful to the Fulton, Gwinnett, and Cobb county library systems for their support this year,” said David Cody, Dragon Con Goes Virtual co-chair. “They made many of the nominated books available to their patrons through a variety of means. Along the way, they not only encouraged people to read the best new science fiction and fantasy, but they also encouraged them to participate as voters in the Dragon Awards.”

Fulton County Library System set up a digital collection of the titles it owns that will remain active beyond the end of the convention.  https://fulcolibrary.overdrive.com/collection/1107264

For He Can Creep, a dark fantasy novelette by Siobhan Carroll, was honored with the Eugie Foster Memorial Award for Short Fiction, established in the memory of the Nebula-award winning author and long-time Dragon Con volunteer director. A juried award, the “Eugie” celebrates the best in innovative fiction. Previous winners are Simone Heller (2019), Fran Wilde (2018), and N.K Jemisin (2017).

Because of the pandemic and this year’s virtual format, the Julie Award, given to an industry professional for universal achievement, and the Hank Reinhardt Fandom Award, given to an individual who has made significant contributions to fandom, were not awarded.  These recognitions will return in 2021.

The Dragon Awards were created in 2016 as part of Dragon Con’s 30^th anniversary celebration. All fans – not just Dragon Con members or attendees – were invited to nominate their favorite properties for the awards and then select Dragon Award winners by voting on the annual Dragon Awards ballot.

Final voting was held via the dedicated Dragon Awards website, and the voting period ran from August 10 to September 5. The ballot was selected in an open nomination process in which fans nominated their favorite properties. The nomination period ran from early April until July 17. The best and most popular of the nominated properties were elevated to the ballot.

And the Dragon Award winners are …

Best Science Fiction Novel

The Last Emperox by John Scalzi

Best Fantasy Novel (Including Paranormal)

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Best Young Adult / Middle Grade Novel

Finch Merlin and the Fount of Youth by Bella Forrest

Best Military Science Fiction or Fantasy Novel

Savage Wars by Jason Anspach & Nick Cole

Best Alternate History Novel

Witchy Kingdom by D. J. Butler

Best Media Tie-In Novel

Firefly – The Ghost Machine by James Lovegrove

Best Horror Novel

The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher

Best Comic Book

Avengers by Jason Aaron, Ed McGuinness

Best Graphic Novel

Battlestar Galactica Counterstrike by John Jackson Miller, Daniel HDR

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy TV Series

The Mandalorian, Disney+

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Movie

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker by J. J. Abrams

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy PC / Console Game

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Respawn Entertainment & Electronic Arts

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Mobile Game

Minecraft Earth, Mojang Studios & Xbox Game Studios

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Board Game

Tapestry, Stonemaier Games

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Miniatures / Collectible Card / Role-Playing Game

Magic: The Gathering: Throne of Eldraine, Wizards of the Coast

About Dragon Con

Dragon Con is the internationally known pop culture convention held each Labor Day in Atlanta. Organized for fans, Dragon Con features more than about 3,500 hours of comics, film, television, costuming, art, music, and gaming over five days. For more information, please visit www.dragoncon.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.