From the TAFF ballot form: The Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund was created in 1953 for the purpose of providing funds to bring well-known and popular [science fiction] fans familiar to those on both sides of the ocean across the Atlantic. Since that time TAFF has regularly brought North American fans to European conventions and European fans to North American conventions. TAFF exists solely through the support of fandom. The candidates are voted on by interested fans all over the world, and each vote is accompanied by a donation [...] These votes, and the continued generosity of fandom, are what make TAFF possible. (See past and present ballot forms for more.)
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Announcements & UpdatesSeptember 2014 Jim Mowatt announces that 2015 TAFF nominations will open on the first day of Novacon, 14 November 2014, with actual voting to begin in January. 26 August 2014 No longer TAFFtastic: the latest TAFF newsletter from Jim Mowatt, reporting on Loncon 3 activities, is TAFFWorld #1. 10 August 2014 Curt Phillips is in the UK. August 2014 There's an extra post-Loncon 3 fan gathering on Thursday 21 August in the pub venue of the London First Thursday meetings. TAFF delegate Curt Phillips hopes to be there. July 2014 Here's a teaser preview of stained-glass panels created by Bob Shaw and now destined for the fan funds auctions at Loncon 3 in August. 26 April 2014 All you need to know about the 2014 race in the last joint newsletter from administrators Jacq Monahan (soon to step down in favour of Curt Phillips) and Jim Mowatt: TAFFtastic #1:3. 25 April 2014 Here, sent by Jacq Monahan, is the official release with the voting breakdown and voter list for the 2014 race just completed. (Also in PDF format.) 24 April 2014 Curt Phillips has won the 2014 eastbound TAFF race by a clear first-round majority and will attend Loncon 3 as TAFF delegate. Congratulations to Curt; commiserations to the rival candidates Brad and Cindy Foster (standing jointly) and Randy Smith. Voting details to follow in an official TAFF newsletter from our hero administrators. March 2014 Early fan fund winner Jerome K. Jerome records that familiar feeling of trip report duties: "It would have been a very enjoyable ride altogether, that evening’s spin along the banks of the Rhine, if I had not been haunted at the time by the idea that I should have to write an account of it next day in my diary. As it was, I enjoyed it as a man enjoys a dinner when he has got to make a speech after it, or as a critic enjoys a play." (Diary of a Pilgrimage, 1891) March 2014 A further newsletter from administrators Jacq Monahan and Jim Mowatt: TAFFtastic #1:2 dated 1 March. In which the 2014 candidates explain themselves. 1 January 2014 The final line-up for the 2014 eastbound TAFF race consists of Brad and Cindy Foster (standing jointly), Curt Phillips, and Randy Smith. Good fans all. Jim Mowatt has set up a PayPal TAFF Voting page. This site now has an HTML page for the actual ballot with the candidates' platforms; there are also PDF and RTF versions. Voting continues to 22 April 2014. 21 November 2013 A couple of hats in the ring for the 2014 eastbound race: Brad and Cindy Foster (as announced at File 770) and Curt Phillips (likewise). There may yet be more. Nominations remain open until 31 December 2013. 16 November 2013 Jim Mowatt has sent me a button – that yellow thing to the left. Use it wisely, for with great power comes great irresponsibility. 5 November 2013 Just received from Jacq Monahan and uploaded to this site: her and Jim Mowatt's newsletter TAFFtastic #1:1 dated 1 November. Heed what they say. 7 October 2013 2014 TAFF nominations open, with nominations needed by 31 December 2013. 25 April 2013 Jim Mowatt has set up a website for his TAFF trip plans and progress. 22 April 2013 Voting breakdown and other details of the just concluded race in TAFFline #6. [Slightly corrected version 23 April.] 20 April 2013 Jim Mowatt wins TAFF 2013. Announcement here. February 2013 Both 2013 candidates are publishing campaign fanzines hosted at at eFanzines: see what Theresa Derwin and Jim Mowatt have to say for themselves. 11 January 2013 Here are the official 2013 race announcement and 2013 TAFF Ballot (also in RTF format). 8 January 2013 Before any official announcement from TAFF itself, the two 2013 candidates have declared themselves in public: Theresa Derwin and Jim Mowatt. 11 November 2012 Candidates sought for 2013 TAFF race; nomination deadline is 31 December. 29 August 2012 The latest newsletter: TAFFline #5 with news of the Worldcon Fan Fund Auction and 2013 TAFF race announcement. 11 May 2012 Jacq Monahan's TAFF report segment about Eastercon 2012 (File 770). 3 April 2012 The latest newsletter: TAFFline #4 with news of Jacq Monahan's triumphal progress through the UK, and of fan-fund events at Eastercon. 22 March 2012 Jacq Monahan's TAFF trip schedule, as posted at File 770. 9 January 2012 Dated 6 January, here's TAFFline #3 with a full report of the recently concluded race and, at last, the detailed voting breakdown for statistics buffs. 11 December 2011 Jacqueline Monahan wins TAFF. A close race, reportedly. 28 October 2011 A new page on this site offers higher-resolution versions of the TAFF Logo images. 24 October 2011 Podcast interviews with the 2010 candidates on Jim Mowatt's blog. 4 October 2011 The 2012 TAFF ballot is now available from this site in Word (.doc) , RTF and PDF formats. HTML, to match the archive of past ballots, will follow when Langford finds some of that copious spare time. 2 October 2011 Candidates in the 2012 eastbound TAFF race are Warren Buff, Kim Kofmel and Jacq Monahan. Official announcement and ballot to follow soon, with an expected voting deadline of mid-December. 1 September 2011 The 2012 race is announced, with the 2012 UK Eastercon as destination and a nominations deadline of 30 September. 27 April 2011 The voting deadline was midnight on the 26th, and John Coxon (to whom congratulations) is winner of a TAFF race in which the 20% rule played its most dramatic role yet. Se the voting figures here or in Steve Green's newsletter Taffline 2 [PDF]. Concern that the 20% rule could have a harsh effect on races with several candidates was noted on this site several years ago; this is the first race whose unusual voting patterns have brought the issue to life. 12 April 2011 Steve Green whips up a final 2011 voting frenzy with his newsletter Taffline 1 [PDF]. 8 March 2011 TAFF 2011 candidate interviews (Pips 5 PDF) – transcribing the podcast reported below (18 January). 29 January 2011 By popular demand, to allow campaigning and voting at Eastercon, the 2011 TAFF voting deadline has been extended to midnight GMT on 26 April 2011 (7pm EST; 4pm PST). Official press release here. The ballot form (all versions – see "TAFF Now" at left) has been suitably amended. Again. 24 January 2011 Ballot form (all versions – see "TAFF Now" at left) slightly amended to clarify PayPal and cheque payment details. 18 January 2011 Jim Mowatt's Pips 05 is a podcast (dread word) of interviews with all four 2011 TAFF candidates. No comment from your friendly TAFF webmaster, who is too deaf to cope with these things; but I'm sure it's all very wonderful. 3 January 2011 PayPal payments can be made to either administrator's e-address. See note under TAFF Now at the left. 20 December 2010 The 2001 TAFF ballot form has been released in Word and PDF format. Here is this site's traditional HTML version. 19 December 2010 Here, in Word as received and also converted to a web page for this site, is the official announcement of a 2011 race with four candidates: Graham Charnock, John Coxon, Liam Proven and Paul Treadaway. Ballot to follow soon. 15 December 2010 Last call for the needed second 2011 candidate. Later: we have a race. 1 December 2010 There is one declared candidate for TAFF 2011, John Coxon. Another is needed for there to be a race. 30 September 2010 There is now a LiveJournal page for TAFF 2011. 26 September 2010 Steve Green writes: "The 2011 TAFF race (Europe > North America) will open for nominations on 12 November (the first day of Novacon 40). The nomination process will be closed on 18 December and candidates announced no later than 20 December. The race itself will run until 12 March 2011, with the winner attending Renovation, the 69th World SF Convention, in Reno, Nevada, 17-21 August 2011. Anyone interested in standing should contact me via e-mail: stevegreen at livejournal dot com." September 2010 The Corflu Cobalt group photo of past and present TAFF winners. August 2010 An important addition to this site's historical record: Rob Hansen has scanned the inside back cover of Hyphen #4 (October 1953) – the very first printed announcement of TAFF. June 2010 The North American administrators were married on 22 May and are now Anne and Brian Gray. Note their new snailmail address: 2726 Sagebrush Cir #203, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48103, USA. March 2010 Brian Gray & Anne KG Murphy are posting their TAFF trip photos as they tour Britain. At Corflu Cobalt in Winchester, Mike Scott photographed them in this group of 15 TAFF winners from 13 races (1968-2010). Older bulletins on archive page |