The 34th edition of Congrès Boréal, is taking place between 5-7 May 2017, in Québec City, Québec province, Canada.
The Guests of Honor are the french SFF writers Jean-Claude Dunyach, Lionel Davoust and Laurence Suhner, the british SFF writer Jo Walton and the francophone canadian SFF authors &artists Claude Lalumière, Patrick Senécal, Yves Meynard, Catherine Mavrikakis, Héloïse Côté, Marie Bilodeau, Véronique Drouin, Ariane Gélinas, Geneviève Blouin, Frédérick Durand, Éric Gauthier, Jonathan Brassard, Philippe-Aubert Côté, Michèle Laframboise, Claudie Arseneault and Carnior.
The Congrès Boréal is the main francophone SF&F convention in the Americas.
This is the rendezvous of readers, professional authors, amateurs, and publishers.
The Boréal Convention is Americas first and foremost francophone convention on speculative fiction in literature.
Publishers, readers, professional and aspiring authors alike meet up at the convention, where they can attend many activities – panels, lectures, seminars, screenings, reading sessions of all sorts and autograph sessions – in which will participate known personalities and experts in the speculative fiction and/or the literary fields. If you like to cosplay as one of your favourite characters, the Boréal Convention is also an event for you.
Congrès Boréal is an annual French-language science fiction and fantasy convention in Canada, held in a number of different cities since its founding in 1979, though all of them, save Ottawa in 1989, were located in the province of Quebec.
Major events of the convention include the panel discussions, the Guest of Honour presentations, the dealer’s room, and the awards ceremony. Other events on the convention program typically include a writing contest, readings and videos, as well as book, magazine, and fanzine launches.
Awards
Since 1980, Boréal has been the main venue for the Prix Boréal awards ceremony.
The Prix Boréal/Prizes are awarded in a number of categories to science fiction and fantasy authors, artists, and fans working in French in Canada. The awards have been given out every year, except in 1985. Starting in 2011, the Prix Boréal have been twinned with the Prix Aurora Awards in five categories. Boréal has also hosted on several occasions the awarding of the Grand Prix de la Science-Fiction et du Fantastique québécois, now known as the Prix Jacques-Brossard.
History
Boréal first ran in 1979 and was held each following year until 1989. From 1981 onwards (with the sole exception of Boréal 11 in 1989), it has been organized by a non-profit society incorporated in the province of Quebec, SFSF Boréal Inc. In 1990, Boréal went on hiatus until 1995 when it restarted as a con hosted first by CAN-CON (convention) in Ottawa and then, from 1996 to 1999, by Con-Cept in Montreal. However, smaller events were held in the interval, in Laval in 1990 and 1991, in Rimouski in 1991, and in Montreal in 1992, 1993, and 1994 in order to announce the winners of the Prix Boréal. Starting in 2000, Boréal has once again been held annually as a standalone convention, most often in Montreal.
The convention has occasionally served as host for other conventions.
Canvention 24 was held as part of Boréal 21, in 2004, and the 24th French National Convention was organized in conjunction with Boréal 24 in 2007.
Boréal was also a partner of the 67th World Science Fiction Convention held in Montréal in 2009.
In previous years, guests have included prominent writers as Élisabeth Vonarburg, Nalo Hopkinson, Patrick Senécal, Geoff Ryman, Guy Gavriel Kay, Yves Meynard, William Gibson, Peter Watts, Karl Schroeder, etc., as well as internationally renowned authors including Samuel Delany, Ted Chiang, Michael Swanwick, Jean-Claude Dunyach, James Morrow, Valerio Evangelisti, Laurent Genefort, and others.
Boréal is focused on literary science fiction and fantasy, but remains open to other art forms, including film, bande dessinée, and media.
OFFICIAL SITE:
2017.congresboreal.ca
Friday the 5th of May
At the La Maison de la littérature/The House of Literature (formerly the first neogothic church - Wesley Temple - to be erected in Québec City.Wesley Temple was built in 1848 according to plans by architect Edward Stavely as a place of worship for the Methodist community. The church was closed in 1931.)
40, rue Saint-Stanislas/St.Stanislas Street, Québec City, Québec, Canada
maisondelalitterature.qc.ca
Saturday 6th of May and Sunday the 7th of May
At the Hôtel Monastère des Augustines /Monastery of the Augustines Hotel
77 rue des Remparts/Remparts Street, Québec City, Québec, Canada
Monastery.ca
WHAT?
A shovelful of SF Prizes!
The Prix Aurora Boréal was created through an agreement between SFSF Boréal Inc. and the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association (CSFFA) in November of 2010.
The two parties agreed to combining the French-language Prix Boréal and the French-language Prix Aurora into a single Award, named the Prix Aurora-Boréal.
A list of eligible works can be found here: