We are confident that this theme will give us not only a strong program but one that will stimulate debate and leave people still excited and full of enthusiasm when they finally have to head home. Of course we love the heartlands of the genre, and they will not be ignored - but it is frequently at the edges of any field where the magic happens. Unexplored borderlands are mapped for the first time, unexpected directions are uncovered, and new voices are heard.

Within our overall theme, we will have more specific topics. Some of these include:

• Fictional Frontiers - exploring the boundaries of the field and its response to the realities of the 21st Century, as well as celebrating fiction of exploration and first contact.

• The High Frontier - new discoveries and developments in space and astronomy, as we ask "where next" after Hubble and the Shuttle.

• Frontiers 2011 - a dynamic, interconnected world demands an equally wide-ranging response, and we turn our minds to the wide open ranges: from social networks to eBooks, from the urgent issue of energy depletion (Peak Oil) to the exciting scientific advances possible with the Large Hadron Collider. [Black holes swallowing the earth are covered under Acts of God contract clauses.]

Why Not Start Now?

We don't just want to tell you about our theme - we want to get you thinking about it right here and now. So over the next few months we're going to publish some articles that we think typify what we have in mind. Some are being commissioned specially for this website; others have been reprinted by agreement, but we think they all have something to say. So please have a read of the following - but check back regularly, as we will continue to add more pieces from now until the vote in Montréal.

• Shaping the Future - reflections on some under-considered side effects of technologies, by Charles Stross

• Space Futures - what do the next 40 years hold for mankind as we seek to explore and use the resources of our solar system? by Stephen Baxter

• Publishing Today - how will writers and readers be affected as the old simple world of big publishing houses is replaced by Amazon, Oprah and the Blogolanch? by Mary Rosenblum

• At the Twenty-Fifth Annual Meeting of Uncle Teco's Homebrew Gravitics Club - a short story by David D Levine.

• Will Space Stay a New Frontier? - thoughts on the future from Professor David Southwood, Director of Science and Robotic Exploration at the European Space Agency.

Featured Artist

We're delighted to be featuring the work of John Picacio throughout the articles in this section. Multiple Hugo nominee, and winner of the Chesley, World Fantasy, and International Horror Guild Awards, John's work is stunning, original, and instantly recognisable.