lol. lmao, even.

Apparently the Hugos were hosted in China in 2023 and apparently the Chinese government let it be known that certain authors had offended them, and apparently the Hugo committee complied by declaring certain books and authors ineligible to be voted on. There were other shenanigans and frauds and blah blah blah, and while watching Larry Correia say “Told you so”, is fun, and observing John Scalzi spending paragraphs saying he’s Super Mad You Guys creates a schadenfreude rich and piquant (especially when he refuses to acknowledge that political censorship of Hugos is bad when it benefits him), ultimately, it’s a case of “Oh, Right. The Hugos. Still a dumpster fire? All righty then…”

Awards of any kind, to the extent that they confer prestige upon recipients/nominees, become prizes to be fought over. Institutions that give awards therefore become nodes of power within the world of art. Notes of power are subject to capture, by cabals and industry insiders and people who drink with industry insiders, and before you know it, your “award” denotes industry connection first, artistic merit second, if at all.

The true measure of artistic merit is not awards but lasting impact. You won’t know what it is, until decades have passed. The cream rises to the top. Until then, you’re winning so long as you have an audience.