Dragon Con Media Relations

DRAGON CON’S DRAGON AWARDS PUBLISHES FIFTH ANNUAL 2020 BALLOT

Aug• 11•20

Fans’ Choice Awards Recognizes Excellence in Fifteen Categories of Fiction,

Comics, Gaming, and Filmed Entertainment

New Partnership with Fulton County Library System Will Promote Voting and Encourage Reading

2020 Dragon Awards ballot PDF

ATLANTA – August 10, 2020 – Dragon Con’s Dragon Awards, a fan-chosen awards program to recognize outstanding achievement in science fiction and fantasy literature, comics, gaming, and filmed entertainment, has published its 2020 ballot.

The Dragon Awards are decidedly a “fans’ choice” award. All fans – not just Dragon Con members or attendees – are invited to select the Dragon Award winners by voting – for free – on the fifth annual Dragon Awards ballot. The full ballot can be found here.

This year, the Dragon Awards forged a partnership with the Fulton County Library System to promote the ballot and registration through their social media and other programs at the system’s 35 locations.

“The Dragon Awards are fast becoming the industry’s leading awards program where fans – the people who not only read, watch, and play, but also love, science fiction and fantasy – get to decide the best and most beloved,” said Pat Henry, president of Dragon Con, Inc. “We are delighted to be working with Fulton County libraries to help spread the word and encourage more people to explore the best works of fiction in the galaxy.”

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

Fans have until Friday, September 4^th at 11:59 p.m., Eastern, to register. Voting ends 24-hours later on Saturday, September 5^th at 11:59 p.m., also Eastern.

Winners will be announced on Sunday, Sept. 6^th as part of Dragon Con Goes Virtual. In response to the pandemic, Dragon Con shifted its traditional convention to a virtual four-day program, September 4 – 7, which will be streamed and available for free to fans anywhere in the universe.

The Dragon Awards were introduced in 2016 as part of the 30^th Anniversary of Dragon Con, Atlanta’s internationally known pop culture, fantasy, sci-fi, and gaming convention. Nearly 38,000 fans have voted for their favorite works in the past four years, including more than 10,000 people who voted in 2019.

To accommodate as many creative genres as possible, awards will be given in each of 15 categories covering the full range of fiction, comics, television, movies, video gaming, and tabletop gaming.

The ballot was selected in an open nomination process. 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 early April until July 20. The best and most popular of the nominated properties were elevated to the ballot.

Further details are available on the awards website awards.dragoncon.org. 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 in Atlanta. Organized for fans, Dragon Con features more than about 3,000 hours of comics, film, television programming, costuming, art, music, and gaming over four days. For more information, please visit www.dragoncon.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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DRAGON CON CANCELS 2020 CONVENTION AMID PANDEMIC

Jul• 06•20

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Dan Carroll, Director, Media Engagement
Phone: 404 692 1958
Email: dancarroll@dragoncon.org
URL: www.dragoncon.org

DRAGON CON CANCELS 2020 CONVENTION AMID PANDEMIC

In Its Place, Organizers Launch a Virtual Convention That Will Be Free to The Universe

ATLANTA – July 6, 2020 – For the first time in 34 years, Dragon Con, the internationally known science fiction, fantasy, and pop culture convention, will not be held, a decision made in response to the ongoing pandemic facing the United States and the world.

In its place, Dragon Con will hold a live-streamed convention free to the universe and featuring classic panels and original programming for 2020. Details will be announced in the upcoming weeks.

Dragon Con will return in 2021 with an epic – and much deserved – five-day event from Thursday, Sept. 2 through Monday, Sept. 6.

This year’s convention, scheduled for Sept. 3 to Sept. 7, was originally projected to attract some 90,000 people to downtown Atlanta.

“After an exhaustive attempt to organize a much smaller, more focused, and socially distanced convention, it became apparent that we could not, in good faith, move forward with our 2020 event,” convention co-chair Rachel Reeves said. “We are heartbroken and did not make this decision lightly. Above all else, we want to thank our fans, our hotel partners, the ACVB, and the City of Atlanta for their support over these past few months.”

Fans who already purchased memberships for the 2020 convention will be able to exchange them for a 2021 membership or seek a refund. Both options are available at www.dragoncon.org.

The Dragon Awards, a fan’s choice awards program to recognize the very best in science fiction and fantasy literature, comics, gaming, and filmed entertainment, will continue as planned. To nominate a property and register for a 2020 ballot, please visit https://www.dragoncon.org/awards/.

About Dragon Con

Dragon Con is the internationally known pop culture convention held each Labor Day Weekend (September 2 – September 6, 2021) in Atlanta. Organized for fans, Dragon Con features more than 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.

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2020 Media Access Applications are OPEN

Apr• 01•20

Media Access Applications for Dragon Con 2020 are now open!

Dragon Con is a fan-run convention that invites reporters to come, explore, and report on this fascinating and inclusive event. Because we are a fan event and not a media event, Dragon Con has a limited number of media badges each year. We personally check each application to ensure that the reporter or photojournalist:

Works for an established outlet;
Currently is engaged with that outlet;
Maintains an adequate distribution;
Creates editorial content that could be considered reporting by Dragon Con Media Relations standards; and
Has provided details of 2019 coverage, if the reporter is returning.

Each year we receive hundreds of applications for Media Access. As Dragon Con grows, so do we! While we would love to grant media access to all who apply, unfortunately it is not possible. Our decisions for approving media access takes into account distribution, reputation, and quality of existing work.

Some things to consider before applying as online media:

We do not routinely provide media access to outlets that distribute only through social media (Facebook, Twitter), unless they have a massive distribution. We will consider outlets that have over 100K followers or subscribers.
We do not provide media access to “Influencers” or outlets that distribute only through Instagram.
If you have a medium to small sized organization, it is possible that not all members of your reporting team will be approved.
Each reporter needs a unique email address. Please do not use the same email addresses for all reporters from your outlet.
We do not provide media access to outlets that focus on creating controversial satire and comedy.
We will not judge the results of your reporting in most cases, but will not support abusive or mocking coverage of our attendees, guests, volunteers, or leadership. Dragon Con prides itself as a safe place for our attendees and asks reporters to respect that.
If you are turned down for media access, you are still free to attend Dragon Con and create your own content, provided you do not block or interrupt the flow of traffic or attempt to interview Dragon Con guests.
If you have been declined in the past, we can still consider you if you can provide evidence of expanded growth.
If you represent a specific genre (gaming, Star Wars, etc), we will likely ask for input from the experts in that field including Dragon Con track directors for name recognition and reputation for quality.
We encourage costuming and cosplay focused media to apply early. Due to the popularity of our costuming, we usually do not approve cosplay media after mid-July.

The Application for 2020 Media Access is available by clicking on MEDIA ACCESS above.

We’re looking forward to seeing you at Dragon Con 2020!

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UPDATE: Dragon Con Media Access Application Opens April 1

Mar• 14•20

Dragon Con Media Relations is asking for patience as we update our systems to accept media applications for Dragon Con 2020. A technical issue was identified during testing for the application. Our technical team is working to resolve the issue and ensure smooth registration for all reporters.

We anticipate all will be well by April 1, 2020. If we are able to open earlier, we will. Otherwise, we are moving the date for accepting media applications to the first day of April. This is not an April Fool’s joke.

Thank you for your patience in this matter. If you have any specific questions, please send them to mediarelations@dragoncon.org.

Dan and Samm

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February Dragon Con Media Relations Update

Feb• 27•20

Dragon Con Media Relations Podcast Resumes with First Podcast of 2020

Dragon Con TV interviewer Chris Lloyd joins Dragon Con Engagement Director Dan Carroll to discuss a wide range of topics including his role as Dragon Con TV’s official interviewer, what Dragon Con TV is, the 2020 Dragon Con Charity – Big Brothers Big Sisters, Dragon Con Superheroes, and what makes a good interview.

We also talk about reporting from Dragon Con. With Media Access applications opening March 15, now is the time to get ready!

If you have topics you would like for us to discuss in depth, feel free to reach out to Dan Carroll (Dancarroll@dragoncon.org) or Samm Douglas (mediarelations@dragoncon.org). We are always happy to discuss anything Dragon Con on the DCMR Podcast.

DCMR Podcast 1-2020: Chris “Crispy” Lloyd – DCTV, Dragon Con Charities, and Kicking-off 2020

Parade Registration Opens and Closes

One of the most talked about events at Dragon Con is always the Dragon Con Parade. Since 2002, the Dragon Con parade has filled Peachtree Street in Atlanta with costumed superheroes, aliens, hobbits and elves, Kirks and Spocks, Stormtroopers and a wide range of characters. As the parade has grown, the excitement to be part of the parade has grown with it.

Saturday, February 15, 2020, registration for the Dragon Con Parade opened and closed online in a matter of two hours. Completing full registration for all 3500 marching positions. Last year’s registration closed as full after only 4hours.

Dragon Con reporters will be able to view the parade from the Dragon Con Parade Media Corral, located at the corner of Peachtree Street and Baker in front of the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Of course, with six months to go before the convention, this is subject to change, but anticipate this will be your viewing location again in 2020. Reporters will need Dragon Con media access badges to enter the corral, but those with valid media access will be allowed to walk through the parade for extraordinary access for photography and videography.

More details about the parade will be shared throughout the year. For more information about the Dragon Con Parade Contact Dan Carroll.

Dragon Con Superheroes/Charity

Dragon Con Superheroes spent their snow day in Atlanta a little differently than most fans in the area. Launching into their first Dragon Con Superhero event of 2020, 140 Superheroes spent the day at Open Hand Atlanta cooking, creating, delivering, and caring for Atlanta area clients with delicious meals and surprise valentine cards. DCTV Captured it in video!

The Dragon Con Superheroes is a community service project team for our members, volunteers, and staff to give back to our local community. Since 2014, Dragon Con Superheroes have contributed more than 3,100 hours to Atlanta-area non-profits. But, Dragon Con’s Spirit of Giving doesn’t end with The Dragon Con Superheroes.

At Dragon Con, we raise money for our designated charity throughout the convention via auctions and other events Organizations selected in the past have represented a wide range of community services, including support for families facing lupus, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and heart disease, assistance for the homeless, community food banks, education, and libraries. The 2020 Charity is Big Brothers, Big Sisters, an organization that is dear to the Dragon Con Media Relations Team.

And, Dragon Con has a blood drive! In 2019, LifeSouth, which has organized the convention’s annual Robert A. Heinlein “Pay It Forward” collected more than 10,000 units of blood and blood products from 3,600 donors

https://www.dragoncon.org/mediarelations/2020/02/21/dragoncon-2020-official-charity/ (Press Release about BBBS)

Registration Notes

Media Access Applications Open March 15, 2020. Media access is opened to reporters and photo journalists over the age of 17 who are on assignment from an established outlet. Media Access closes August 10 (15?) and onsite registration as media is limited to local broadcast and print and media with significant distribution. We do not provide media access to social media influencers unless invited by a Dragon Con director.

As we get ready for Dragon Con Media Access to open we are updating our qualifications and considerations page so you can better prepare your application. Look for a link to updated qualifications and considerations in early March, 2020.

Dragon Con 2020 Notes – Dragon Con Guests

The process for bringing guests to Dragon Con begins before the previous year’s convention and continues up to the first day of Dragon Con. Our guest committee works with individual guests and agents to ensure the greatest fan experience each year. We recommend that all guests apply to Dragon Con using the guest application form. This form is also used for attending professionals to apply.

Looking at a variety of factors, Dragon Con brings 400 guests each year! The breakdown for the guests on average is over 100 celebrity guests in the Walk of Fame, over 120 Comics and Pop Art alley guests, and the rest of the guests distributed through literature, film, music, and the reality tracks.

The guest list is updated all year round and new guests are announced through Social Media and the Dragon Con webpage. Dragon Con Media will do our best to share the major guest announcements and will update the guest list on both our website and our podcast, but Dragon Con itself is the best place to track guest announcements.

In late spring and early summer, we often field concerns that our guest list is not strong this year. You can include any year because this is a common concern before June. The reason for this is that Dragon Con tends to make major guest announcements in the summer. By mid-august the feedback that fans and reporters give to us is that “This year you have the best guest list ever!”

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DCMR Podcast 1-2020: Chris “Crispy” Lloyd – DCTV, Dragon Con Charities, and Kicking-off 2020

Feb• 25•20

We also talk about reporting from Dragon Con. With Media Access applications opening March 15, now is the time to get ready!

Links:

DCTV:

Charity:

https://www.dragoncon.org/mediarelations/2020/02/21/dragoncon-2020-official-charity/ (Press Release about BBBS)
Big Brothers Big Sisters Atlanta
Dragon Con Superheroes

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DRAGON CON SELECTS BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS AS 2020 OFFICIAL CHARITY

Feb• 21•20

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact:
Phone:

Email:
URL:

Dan Carroll, Director, Media Engagement
404 692 1958

dancarroll@dragoncon.org
www.dragoncon.org

DRAGON CON SELECTS BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF METRO ATLANTA AS 2020 OFFICIAL CHARITY

Dragon Con Continues Its Tradition of Giving Back With Fundraisers and Hands-on Service Projects

2020 Official Charity Release (PDF Version)

ATLANTA – February 21, 2020 – Dragon Con, Atlanta’s internationally-known pop culture, sci-fi, fantasy, and gaming convention, has selected Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta as its official charity for 2020.

Inspired by the Big Brothers Big Sisters’ mission of creating and supporting one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth, Dragon Con challenges its fans to support the charity and get involved.

The convention has raised more than $566,000 over the past five years for its annual official charities through convention-based auctions, special merchandise sales, special events, and Dragon Con’s dollar-for-dollar match up to $100,000. Last year’s charity, The American Heart Association, received more than $142,000, including funds from the convention match.

Nearly half a million children in Metro Atlanta live in communities with low or very low child well-being. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta matches children facing adversity with adult volunteers – known as “Bigs” – who serve as mentors to help the children – known as “Littles” – achieve their full potential.

“We have already been at work brainstorming ideas on fundraising,” said Reeves, “as well as supporting their mission to solicit ‘Bigs’ into their program so that more ‘Littles’ can be matched and then mentored.”

Dragon Con also announced its plans for “Superheroes” community service project for 2020. Each year, the convention invites its members and fans in the Atlanta area to participate in a series of projects reaching different aspects of the metro area’s non-profit community.

“Working in the community is also an important way of giving back,” Reeves said. “Through volunteerism, we are able to help some great organizations achieve their mission, and it also helps the great big Dragon Con family give back to a city that means so much to all of us.”

Since the Superheroes program began in 2013, Dragon Con’s members and fans have donated nearly 4,000 hours to various community projects.

In 2020, Dragon Con will organize four Superhero projects, called episodes. In the first episode, which was held on Feb. 8, 140 Superheroes spent a snowy day at Open Hand Atlanta cooking, packaging, creating, delivering, and caring for Atlanta area clients with delicious meals and surprise valentine cards.

In the next episode, Dragon Con volunteers will assemble at Atlanta Mission on April 11 to give the shelters a good spring cleaning and help sort donations. Two additional episodes, which have not yet been scheduled, will support needs identified by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta.

For additional information on the Superheroes program, including how to get involved, please visit www.dragoncon.org/?q=superheroes.

In addition to its fundraising and community service projects, Dragon Con holds the largest convention-based blood drive in the nation. At the 2019 convention, LifeSouth, which has organized the convention’s annual Robert A. Heinlein “Pay It Forward” blood drive since 2002, collected more than 10,000 units of blood and blood products from more than 3,600 donors. The annual drive benefits LifeSouth, which serves more than 40 hospitals in the Atlanta area and 110 hospitals in the Southeast.

About Dragon Con

Dragon Con is the internationally known pop culture convention held each Labor Day in Atlanta (Sept. 3 – Sept. 7, 2020). 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.

About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta’s mission is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. For more information, please visit https://www.bbbsatl.org.

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Dragon Con Superheroes at Open Hand Atlanta

Feb• 12•20

You don’t have to wear a cape to be a superhero… but you do have to wear a hairnet. 🦸 Check out the latest Dragon Con Superheroes service project at Open Hand Atlanta!

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Dragon Con Superheroes Supporting Project Open Hand Feb 8th

Jan• 17•20

The Dragon Con Superheroes program, now in its seventh year, has contributed more than 3,500 hours in community service to Atlanta-based non-profits. Dragon Con is excited to announce that registration for the first Superheroes project of the year – February 8th at Open Hand Atlanta – is now OPEN. This is expected to be the largest Dragon Con Superheroes event to date.

According to Dragon Con Co-Chair Rachel Reeves, volunteering for Dragon Con Superheroes s is open to anyone. “This is our largest event EVER so please spread the word and invite your friends, family, and volunteers to join us,” said Reeves.

When: February 8th
When: 9a – 12n / Check In Begins at 845a
Where: Open Hand Atlanta, 181 Armour Drive, NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30324

Open Hand helps people prevent or better manage chronic disease through Comprehensive Nutrition Care, which combines home-delivered meals and nutrition education as a means to reinforce the connection between informed food choices and improved quality of life. The Superheroes will prepare and package meals, as well as pack market baskets, deliver meals, and make valentines for the week’s delivery.

Reeves said last year Dragon Con Superheroes made a strong impact at Open Hand Atlanta, “Thanks to all our amazing superheroes who came out to volunteer for last year’s event with Open Hand, we were able to pack 1429 meals and 155 pantry bags, vegetable bags, and fruit bags.”

” We look forward to exceeding these numbers this year!” Reeves said.

In celebration of our Superheroes’ contributions to the community, Dragon Con will again host an exclusive celebration during the 2020 convention. Additionally, all Dragon Con Superheroes participating in projects will receive a free Superheroes t-shirt.

To Register: https://www.dragoncon.org/participate/superheroes/#appform.

Links:

Open Hand Atlanta: https://openhandatlanta.org/
Dragon Con: http://www.dragoncon.org

About Dragon Con

Dragon Con is the internationally known pop culture convention held each Labor Day in Atlanta (Aug. 27th – August. 31, 2020). 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.

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DCMR 2019 Podcast 10: Thank you!

Dec• 30•19

This podcast we thank you for your coverage of Dragon Con 2019 and talk a little about next year.

Links:

https://www.dragoncon.org/travel/hotels

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