| Soonercon | |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Multigenre |
| Venue | Embassy Suites by Hilton Norman Hotel & Convention Center |
| Location(s) | Norman, Oklahoma |
| Country | United States |
| Inaugurated | 1986 |
| Organized by | Leonard Bishop |
| Website | http://www.soonercon.com |
Soonercon is a fan-run multi-genre convention held annually in Central Oklahoma, founded in Oklahoma City proper before being held in Midwest City from 2013 until 2018 and then Norman, Oklahoma in June 2019 at the vastly larger Embassy Suites Hotel & Convention Center.
Soonercon was founded in 1986 by Mike Hodge and Tamara Hodge, but went dormant after the 1997 event. In 2005, a group of fans headed by con chair Jerry Wall re-established Soonercon and worked to a 2007 relaunch event. While originally created as a traditional sci-fi/fantasy "litcon" embracing art, TV/film, costuming, gaming, folksinging, comics and real-space advocacy, Soonercon now crosses over to even more aspects of fandom including anime, miniature modeling, and film production.
As with both the state nickname and the mascot of the University of Oklahoma athletic teams (located in Norman), Soonercon takes its name from the doubly unique angle of Oklahoma Territory's opening-settler "Land Runs" and the Sooners who crossed into the target areas early in several of the runs, illegally ahead of the opening hour.