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ArmadilloCon is a science fiction convention held annually in Austin, with several hundred attendees. The primary focus of ArmadilloCon is literary science fiction, but that's not all we do -- we also pay attention to art, animation, science, media, and gaming. Every year, dozens of professional writers, artists and editors attend the convention. Sometimes they come to make deals, but more often they come to have fun!

Frequently Asked Questions

Basic Information

Who runs ArmadilloCon?
ArmadilloCon is sponsored by The Fandom Association of Central Texas, Inc. (FACT), a nonprofit literary organization based in Austin. Each of ArmadilloCon's chairs or co-chairs is required to be a member of FACT. Many of the other people who work on the convention are members of FACT, but that is not a requirement. Most of the convention workers live in the greater Austin area, but there are also several workers from San Antonio, Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, El Paso, and sometimes even from out of state.

Is ArmadilloCon a "for-profit" convention?
No. When an ArmadilloCon takes in more money than it cost to run the convention, this money is put into a fund to run future ArmadilloCons. No individual or organization gains material benefit from ArmadilloCon.

Attending ArmadilloCon

Do I need to join FACT to attend ArmadilloCon?
No.

Do I have to be preregistered to attend ArmadilloCon?
No. Memberships may be purchased at the door, although the cost is higher.

May I buy a 1-day or 2-day membership at the door?
Certainly. See our membership information page for prices.

Maybe I pre-register for a 1-day or 2-day membership?
No. Only full-con memberships are available in advance. The advance cost of a 3-day membership is less than the cost of a 2-day at the door membership, and if bought before April it's the same price as a 1-day at-the-door membership.

I just want to attend one event at the convention. Do I still have to pay?
Yes.

Is there a lower "dealers room only" membership rate?
No.

Is there a lower "gaming room only" membership rate?
No.

Is there a lower membership rate for people who are submitting art to the art show?
No.

Is there anyway way to get a lower membership rate?
Volunteer for 8 hours.

But what if I don't want to volunteer during the show?
We have a limited amount of opportunities where you can volunteer outside of the show to gain your 8 hours (mailouts, loading the U-Haul, etc.). All of these opportunities would take place in the Austin area and some of them would not be near the time of the Con. If interested, please visit Volunteering.

Etiquette

I'm a writer and I'd like to be on programming (panels, readings, autographings, etc.) at ArmadilloCon. How do I go about it?
Send us a letter stating your qualifications and how you'd like to be involved in programming. We'll only use writers on programming if they've published something in a professional market. If your greatest achievement is having a story or book under consideration at a publisher or magazine, you aren't ready to be on programming at ArmadilloCon.

When may I approach an author about getting a book signed?
It's easiest during a scheduled autographing, but most authors will also sign books after they're on a program item such as a reading or panel. It's inappropriate to corner an author at a meal or in the bathroom.

Maybe I distribute flyers for another con here?
Certainly.

Should I bathe every day?
God, yes. Please brush your teeth/chew gum/have a mint as well. There is nothing more uncomfortable for a guest when they are giving you an autograph and trying to guess what you had for lunch at the same time.

Guests

Why do you only have new and relatively obscure authors as Guest of Honor at ArmadilloCon?
Since its inception, ArmadilloCon has bestowed the Guest of Honor position on innovative authors of cutting edge SF. We try to be the first to notice the rising stars of tomorrow. Our record has been fairly successful, since several past Guests of Honor have gone on to become popular and respected writers.

Who has been Guest of Honor at ArmadilloCon?
Catherine Asaro, Neal Barrett Jr., Pat Cadigan, Bradley Denton, Gardner Dozois, George Alec Effinger, William Gibson, Alexander Jablokov, K. W. Jeter, Gwyneth Jones, J. Gregory Keyes, Jonathan Lethem, George R. R. Martin, Elizabeth Moon, Chad Oliver, Mary Rosenblum, Lewis Shiner, Dan Simmons, John Sladek, Bruce Sterling, Sean Stewart, John Varley, Howard Waldrop, and Martha Wells

History

When and where was the first ArmadilloCon?
Spring of 1979 at the Villa Capri hotel. The Guest of Honor was John Varley.

Who started ArmadilloCon?
Willie Siros and Robert Taylor

Where has ArmadilloCon been held?
It's been held in the following hotels, many of which have since changed names or no longer exist: the Villa Capri, the Ramada Riverside, the Driskell, the Wyndham Southpark, the Red Lion, the Omni Southpark, and the Hilton North.

What have been the guest lineups and chairs for all ArmadilloCons to date?

Websites for ArmadilloCons 25 - 16 are listed at http://fact.org/dillo.htm. Other guests have included:

ArmadilloCon 1 (1979)
Chair: Willie Siros
Guest of Honor: John Varley
Fan Guest: Jeanne Gomoll
Toastmaster: Howard Waldrop

ArmadilloCon 2 (1980)
Chair: Willie Siros
Guest of Honor: Gardner Dozois
Fan Guest: Harry O. Morris
Toastmaster: Chad Oliver

ArmadilloCon 3 (1981)
Chair: Willie Siros
Guest of Honor: Chad Oliver
Fan Guest: Bob Wayne
Toastmaster: Ed Bryant

ArmadilloCon 4 (1982)
Chair: Ed Scarborough
Guests of Honor: George Alec Effinger and George R. R. Martin
Fan Guest: Joe Pumilia
Toastmaster: Ed Bryant

ArmadilloCon 5 (1983)
Chair: Ed Scarborough
Guest of Honor: Howard Waldrop
Fan Guest: Becky Matthews
Toastmaster: Neal Barrett, Jr.

ArmadilloCon 6 (1984)
Chair: Ed Scarborough
Guest of Honor: John Sladek
Fan Guests: James Corrick and Gay Miller Corrick
Toastmaster: Joe R. Lansdale
Special Guest: Ellen Datlow

ArmadilloCon 7 (1985)
(relaxacon)

ArmadilloCon 8 (1986)
Chair: Robert Taylor
Guest of Honor: William Gibson
Editor Guest: Ellen Datlow
Fan Guest: Debbie Notkin
Toastmaster: Lewis Shiner

ArmadilloCon 9 (1987)
Chair: Fred Duarte, Jr.
Guest of Honor: Bruce Sterling
Artist Guest: J. R. Daniels
Editor Guest: Beth Meacham
Fan Guest: Mark Olson
Toastmaster: Pat Cadigan

ArmadilloCon 10 (1988)
Chairs: Fred Duarte, Jr. and Karen Meschke
Guest of Honor: K. W. Jeter
Artist Guest: Brad W. Foster
Editor Guest: Ginjer Buchanan
Fan Guests: Jane Dennis and Scott Dennis
Toastmaster: Lewis Shiner

ArmadilloCon 11 (1989)
Chair: Karen Meschke
Guest of Honor: Lewis Shiner
Artist Guest: Don Ivan Punchatz
Editor Guest: Pat LoBrutto
Fan Guest: Mike Glyer
Toastmaster: Connie Willis
Special Guests: William Gibson and Tom Maddox (sponsored by MCC)

ArmadilloCon 12 (1990)
Chair: Ed Graham
Guest of Honor: Pat Cadigan
Artist Guest: Jean Elizabeth Martin
Editor Guest: Susan Allison
Fan Guest: Debbie Hodgkinson
Toastmaster: Melinda M. Snodgrass
Special Guests: Vernor Vinge and Mark Stiegler (sponsored by MCC)

ArmadilloCon 13 (1991)
Chair: Casey Hamilton
Guest of Honor: Dan Simmons
Artist Guest: Dell Harris
Editor Guest: Amy Stout
Fan Guest: Pat Mueller
Toastmistress: Emma Bull

ArmadilloCon 14 (1992)
Chairs: Lori Wolf and Fred Duarte, Jr.
Guest of Honor: Neal Barrett, Jr.
Artist Guest: Darrell K. Sweet
Editor Guest: Gardner Dozois
Fan Guest: Al Jackson
Toastmaster: Kim Stanley Robinson

ArmadilloCon 15 (1993)
Chairs: Willie Siros and Lori Wolf
Guest of Honor: Gwyneth Jones
Artist Guest: Harry O. Morris
Editor Guest: John Douglas
Toastmaster: Michael Bishop

ArmadilloCon 16 (1994)
Chairs: Ed Graham and Casey Hamilton
Guest of Honor: Elizabeth Moon
Artist Guest: David Cherry
Editor Guest: Gordon Van Gelder
Fan Guest: Gregory Benford
Toastmaster: Bradley Denton
Special Guest: Guy Gavriel Kay

ArmadilloCon 17 (1995)
Chairs: Fred Duarte, Jr. and Dan Tolliver
Guest of Honor: Alexander Jablokov
Artist Guest: Vincent Di Fate
Editor Guest: John Silbersack
Fan Guests: Dick Smith and Leah Zeldes Smith
Toastmaster: Terry Bisson

ArmadilloCon 18 (1996)
Chair: Dan Tolliver
Guest of Honor: Jonathan Lethem
Artist Guest: Bob Eggleton
Editor Guest: Patrick Nielsen Hayden
Fan Guests: Spike Parsons and Tom Becker
Toastmaster: Mike Resnick

ArmadilloCon 19 (1997)
Chair: John Gibbons
Guest of Honor: Mary Rosenblum

ArmadilloCon 20 (1998)
Chairs: A. T. Campbell, III and Lori Wolf
Guest of Honor: Bradley Denton
Artist Guest: Mitchell Bentley
Editor Guest: David Hartwell
Fan Guest: Peggy Ranson
Toastmaster: Steven Gould
Special Guest: Peter F. Hamilton (sponsored by ALAMO)

ArmadilloCon 21 (1999)
Chairs: Mona Gamboa and John Gibbons
Guest of Honor: Sean Stewart
Artist Guest: Wayne Barlowe
Editor Guest: Shawna McCarthy
Fan Guest: Harry Stubbs
Toastmaster: William Browning Spencer
Special Guest: Neil Gaiman (sponsored by ALAMO)

ArmadilloCon 22 (2000)
Chairs: John Gibbons and Dan Tolliver
Guest of Honor: Catherine Asaro
Artist Guest: Adam "Mojo" Lebowitz
Editor Guest: Betsy Mitchell
Fan Guest: Robert Taylor
Toastmaster: Mary Doria Russell
Special Guest: Kathleen Ann Goonan (sponsored by ALAMO)

ArmadilloCon 23 (2001)
Chairs: Renee Babcock and Lori Wolf
Guest of Honor: J. Gregory Keyes
Artist Guest: John Jude Palencar
Editor Guest: Toni Weisskopf
Fan Guest: Teddy Harvia
Toastmaster: Walter Jon Williams
Special Guest: Esther Friesner (sponsored by ALAMO)

ArmadilloCon 24 (2002)
Chairs: Renee Babcock and Charles Siros
Guest of Honor: Martha Wells
Artist Guests: Frank Cho and Scott Kurtz
Editor Guest: Tom Doherty
Fan Guests: Kurt Baty and Scott Bobo
Toastmaster: Joe R. Lansdale
Special Guest: Robin Hobb (sponsored by ALAMO)

ArmadilloCon 25 (2003)
Chair: John Gibbons
Guest of Honor: Kage Baker
Fan Guest: Willie Siros
Toastmaster: Aaron Allston
Editor Guest: Anne Groell
Artist Guest: John Picacio
Special Guest: Vernor Vinge

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