Dragon Con is Atlanta’s five day pop culture, fantasy, sci-fi and gaming convention, and this year’s convention broke a new attendance record by attracting 85,000 people for its 2019 celebration. Spanning five hotels, the event bills itself as being the biggest one of its kind “in the universe”. While this is really just marketing hyperbole (San Diego Comic Con stops counting at 120,000), there’s no denying the profound influence of the annual celebration of everything geeks love.

The turnout is a bump from 2018, which saw approximately 80,000 attendees — about the same as 2017’s record gathering. Between that and the Chik-fil-A kickoff game at Mercedez-Benz Stadium that drew 72,000 fans, downtown Atlanta was basically standing room only.

The event also raised more than $110,000 for Dragon Con’s 2019 charity, American Heart Association’s Georgia affiliate.

Dragon Con officials also announced the time and place of the 34th annual convention: a return to downtown Atlanta for the five-day Labor Day weekend, Sept. 3 to Sept. 7.

Among the notable featured guests at the 2019 convention were George Takei, Sulu from the Star Trek franchise; The original Incredible Hulk, Lou Ferrigno; and Ralph Macchio, known for The Karate Kid and Georgia-filmed Cobra Kai.

The Dragon Awards

The Dragon Awards, given out each year at Dragon Con, have only been around since 2016. Despite this, they are becoming one of the more influential and relevant fandom awards for creative works of science fiction and fantasy. Some of the winners this year are truly noteworthy.

The 2019 Dragon Awards ceremony was held September 1 – here are the winners.

Best Science Fiction Novel

• A Star-Wheeled Sky by Brad R. Torgersen

Best Fantasy Novel (Including Paranormal)

• House of Assassins by Larry Correia

Best Young Adult / Middle Grade Novel

• Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard

Best Military Science Fiction or Fantasy Novel

• Uncompromising Honor by David Weber

Best Alternate History Novel

• Black Chamber by S.M. Stirling

Best Media Tie-In Novel

• Thrawn: Alliances by Timothy Zahn

Best Horror Novel

• Little Darlings by Melanie Golding

Best Comic Book

• Saga by Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples

Best Graphic Novel

• X-Men: Grand Design – Second Genesis by Ed Piskor

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy TV Series

• Good Omens, Amazon Prime

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Movie

• Avengers: Endgame by Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy PC / Console Game

• Red Dead Redemption 2 by Rockstar Games

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Mobile Game

• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite by Niantic, WB Games San Francisco

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Board Game

• Betrayal Legacy by Avalon Hill Games

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Miniatures / Collectible Card / Role-Playing Game

• Call of Cthulhu: Masks of Nyarlathotep Slipcase Set by Chaosium Inc.

OTHER AWARDS

These other awards were also announced during the ceremony.

EUGIE FOSTER AWARD

• “When We Were Starless” by Simone Heller (Clarkesworld)

THE HANK REINHARDT FANDOM AWARD

• Edward deGruy

The Hank Reinhardt Georgia Fandom Award is presented for outstanding contributions to the genre by a Georgia writer, artist, or fan.

THE JULIE AWARD

• George Perez

In 1998, Dragon Con established the Julie Award presented annually in tribute to the legendary Julie Schwartz. The Julie Award is bestowed for universal achievement spanning multiple genres, selected each year by our esteemed panel of industry professionals.

-30-