Contests

Contests News 

FutureBook Story Contest Shortlist

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Shortlisted stories for the inaugural FutureBook short fiction contest, in partnership with The Pigeonhole reading app, have been announced:

  • “Flying Lessons”, Fire Bird
  • “The Once and Future Book”, Ian Green
  • “The Paper Pages”, Jamie Groves
  • “Living Fiction”, Louise Harnby
  • “On Developments in Book Delivery Systems”, Ian Sansom

Finalists were chosen from 36 entries, judged by FutureBook associate editor Molly Flatt, The Pigeonhole founder Anna Jean Huges, and Arthur C. Clarke

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2018 BFS Short Story Competition

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Results for the British Fantasy Society’s (BFS) short story competition have been announced:

  • First place: “The Evaluation”, Mark Kilner
  • Second place: “The Age When Magic Begins”, Ying Ping Low
  • Third place: “Travesty”, Jasmine Brown

First prize is £100 and a year’s membership in the BFS. Second prize is £50 and a year’s membership. Third prize is £20. All three stories will be published in BFS Horizons. The contest was judged

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2019 Roswell Award and Tomorrow Prize Open for Submissions

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Light Bringer Project and Sci-Fest L.A. have opened submissions for the Roswell Award for short SF by adults living anywhere, and for the Tomorrow Prize for short SF by Los Angeles County high school students. Three special awards are included: the Women Hold Up Half the Sky award presented by Artemis Journal and the Hollywood Chapter of the National Organization for Women, the Best Translated Science Fiction Story Award, and ...Read More

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FutureBook Short Story Contest Open

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FutureBook and The Pigeonhole reading app are launching a short story contest to be judged by FutureBook associate editor Molly Flatt, The Pigeonhole founder Anna Jean Huges, and Arthur C. Clarke award director Tom Hunter. The contest will focus on stories that “explore the future of reading, writing, publishing and bookselling.” The winning author receives a full set of novels from the 2018 Clarke Award shortlist and will be invited ...Read More

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2018 BAME Short Story Prize Shortlist

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The Guardian announced the shortlist for the third annual Guardian and 4th Estate BAME short story prize, which offers “a chance to win £1,000, an exclusive one‑day publishing workshop and a taste of online publication.” The six authors shortlisted are Savannah Burney, Jason Deelchand, Kit Fan, Gurnaik Johal, Yiming Ma, and Varaidzo, and include short stories of genre interest.

“The prize is open to all black, Asian, minority ethnic writers ...Read More

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Commonwealth Short Story Prize Winners

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Regional winners for the 2018 Commonwealth Short Story Prize have been announced, including several titles of genre interest: “Ghillie’s Mum” by Lynda Clark is the winner for the Canada and Europe region; “The Divine Pregnancy in a Twelve-Year-Old Woman” by Sagnik Datta is the winner for the Asia region; and “Passage” by Kevin Hosein is the winner for the Caribbean region.

The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is awarded for the ...Read More

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No Nobel for Literature This Year

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The Swedish Academy, the body that awards the No­bel Prize in Literature, has announced that there will be no winner announced in 2018, with two laureates to be selected in 2019 instead. The delay is due to “the currently diminished Academy and reduced public confidence in the Academy.” The prize committee has been rocked by a series of allegations in recent months, with eight members of the committee resigning, including ...Read More

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ServiceScape Short Story Contest Open

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The ServiceScape Short Story Award contest is open to submissions of original stories or non-fiction in any genre up to 5,000 words. The winning work will receive $1,000 and publication on the ServiceScape blog. The deadline for submissions is November 29, 2018. For more information, including complete rules, see the ServiceScape site.

 

While you are here, please take a moment to support Locus with a one-time or recurring donation. ...Read More

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2018 NESFA Short Story Contest

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The New England Science Fiction Association (NESFA) SF/F short story contest is now open to entries from amateur and semi-professional writers. Winners will be selected by a panel of judges and announced at Boskone 56, to be held at the Westin Waterfront Hotel in Boston MA, February 16-18, 2019. Prizes include certificates of achievement, books from NESFA Press, and free membership to future Boskone conventions.

Deadline for submissions is 11:59P.M. ...Read More

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Pullman Independent Bookstore Competitions

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Author Philip Pullman and Penguin Books Limited are offering UK independent bookstores two contests. In one, three winning bookstores will be visited by Pullman and receive £300 to fund the author event. In the other, three hundred stores will receive a “Philip Pullman Collection” of seven titles: Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass, La Belle Sauvage, Daemon Voices, Clockwork, and The Firework-Maker’s Daughter.

An independent book shop is ...Read More

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Pullman Judges China-themed Contest

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The University of Liverpool announced the China Stories Writing Competition with Philip Pullman as the judge.

The University of Liverpool is an official partner of the China Dream season, which will see a host of events across the city, including the China’s First Emperor and the Terracotta Warriors exhibition at the World Museum.

The competition has three categories: primary school students, secondary school students, and University of Liverpool students. Deadline ...Read More

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Roswell Award and Tomorrow Prize Open

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Light Bringer Project and Sci-Fest L.A. have opened submissions for the Roswell Award for short SF by adults living anywhere, and for the Tomorrow Prize for short SF by Los Angeles County high school students. Two special awards are included: the Women Hold Up Half the Sky award presented by Artemis Journal and the Hollywood Chapter of the National Organization for Women, and the Green Feather Award presented by Los ...Read More

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Ellis Wins Joan Aiken Prize

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Harklights by Tim Ellis is the winner of the Joan Aiken Future Classics Prize for “a standout new voice in middle grade children’s fiction.” The competition was judged by agent Julia Churchill and Lizza Aiken, curator of the Aiken estate. Ellis will receive £1,000 and a set of The Wolves Chronicles by Joan Aiken.

Ellis’ entry was originally listed in the contest shortlist under the title The Awful Orphanage. ...Read More

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Into the Black Short Story Contest

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The Economic Security Project has launched the Into the Black short story contest to explore the impact of basic income on future society. The grand prize winner will have their story published on io9 and will receive a $12,000 “basic income” for 2018. Additionally, short list winners will each receive $1,000 and have their story published on the Economic Security Project website or io9. Deadline for submissions is November 1, ...Read More

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Joan Aiken Prize Shortlist

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The shortlist for the Joan Aiken Future Classics Prize for “a standout new voice in middle grade children’s fiction” has been announced:

  • Snow Foal, Susan Bailey-Sillick
  • The Awful Orphanage, Tim Ellis
  • The Thief of Serendib, Nizrana Farook
  • Hartboy, Sophie Kirtley
  • The Truth about Chickens, Caroline Murphy
  • Return to the Wild, Nicola Penfold

Entrants can be “contemporary or magical, it could have the makings of a series, or be one crystalline ...Read More

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XPRIZE Short Fiction Contest

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XPRIZE, “the global leader in designing and implementing innovative competition models to solve the world’s grandest challenges,” has announced a short science fiction contest with the aim of “envisioning a world transformed by exponential technologies and a global community of innovators.”

The contest offers a $10,000 prize package that includes round-trip airfare to Tokyo for the winner and a guest, four nights in a 4-star hotel, $1,500 in spending money, ...Read More

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Joan Aiken Future Classics Prize

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The A.M. Heath literary agency and Joan Aiken’s estate are holding a competition for new middle-grade fiction. The competition will be judged by agent Julia Churchill and Lizza Aiken, curator of the Aiken estate. The winner will receive £1,000 and a set of Joan Aiken’s The Wolves Chronicles. Deadline for entries is July 31, 2017. A shortlist will be announced on August 28 and the final winner will be announced ...Read More

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2017 Futurescapes Writing Contest

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The annual Futurescapes short story contest is now open to submissions from amateur and semi-professional writers. This year’s theme is “Blue Sky Cities” and the judges are “seeking stories set in a near-future city where significant strides have been made toward improving air quality, climate adaptation, or even net positive impacts on climate and air quality.”

There is a $2,000 prize for first place and $500 each for five runners-up. ...Read More

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2017 NESFA Short Story Contest

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The New England Science Fiction Association (NESFA) SF/F short story contest is now open to entries from amateur and semi-professional writers. Winners will be selected by a panel of judges and announced at Boskone 55, to be held at the Boston Waterfront Hotel in Boston MA, February 16-18, 2018. Prizes include certificates of achievement, books from NESFA Press, and free membership to future Boskone conventions.

Deadline for submissions is 11:59PM ...Read More

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2017 Writers & Illustrators of the Future Awards

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The 2017 Writers of the Future Golden Pen Award went to Jake Marley for his story “Acquisition”. The Illustrators of the Future Golden Brush Award went to Michael Michera for his illustration of C.L. Kagmi’s story “The Drake Equation”.

They were honored, along with the other 2016 quarterly contest winners, at a ceremony held April 2, 2017 in Los Angeles CA at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre. All winners received trophies, ...Read More

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2017 Baen Memorial Contest Winner

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Baen Books has announced the winner of the 2017 Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award:

  • Grand Prize: “Feldspar”, Philip A. Kramer
  • First runner-up: “Bullet Catch”, Stephen Lawson
  • Second runner-up: “An Economy of Air”, M.T. Reiten

Other finalists include:

  • Stewart C. Baker
  • S.B. Divya
  • Susan Forest
  • C. Stuart Hardwick
  • Bart Kemper
  • Harry Lang
  • Angus McIntyre

The winning story will be featured on the Baen website. The author will be given a ...Read More

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2016 NEA Fellowships Announced

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Several authors of genre interest are recipients of 2016 Literature Fellowships awarded by The National Endowment for the Arts.

Diane Cook, Lucy Corin, and Aaron Their are among the writers who received grants of $25,000 each. The grants are meant to give “writers the time and space to create, revise, conduct research, and connect with readers.” A total of 37 grants were given, for a total $925,000. Writing fellowships alternate ...Read More

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World Fantasy Award Trophy Submissions Update

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The World Fantasy Awards administration has updated their call for new trophy designs, which was originally announced in November 2015, adding compensation for the winning design: two complimentary memberships to World Fantasy Conventions for ten years; two banquet tickets for the 2016 World Fantasy Convention and complimentary space in the Columbus art room; and discounted art space for ten years after 2016.

They said:

Between now and September 30, 2016 ...Read More

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Awards Contests 

2016 Jim Baen Memorial Award Finalists

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Baen Books has released the list of ten finalists for the 2016 Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award:

  • Jennifer Brozek
  • J. Lily Corbie
  • Ron Ferguson
  • C. Stuart Hardwick
  • Bart Kemper
  • Steve Last
  • Thomas A. Mays
  • Aimee Ogden
  • Al Onia
  • Eric Picholle

The winning story will be featured on the Baen website. The author will be given a trophy, paid “normal paying rates for professional story submittals,” and receive free admission ...Read More

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Stephen King’s Short Story Finalists

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The six finalists for Stephen King’s short story competition were announced on January 21, 2016:

  • “The Spots”, Paul Bassett Davies
  • “The Unpicking”, Michael Button
  • “Wild Swimming”, Elodie Harper
  • “The Bear Trap”, Neil Hudson
  • “La Mort De L’Amant”, Stuart Johnstone
  • “Eau de Eric”, Manuela Saragosa

With more than 800 entries into the competition, the six finalists were eventually selected from a longlist of 20 by judges Claire Armitstead (Books Editor at ...Read More

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Masters Review Fall Fiction Contest Winners

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The Masters Review  announced the winners of their Fall Fiction contest on December 1, 2015.

  • Winner: “Linger Longer”, Vincent Masterson
  • Second Place: “Pool People”, Jen Neale
  • Third Place: “Animalizing”, Marisela Navarro

“The Lion and the Beauty Queen” by Brenda Peynado and “Linnet’s Gifts” by Zoe Gilbert received honorable mentions, placing 4th and 5th respectively.

Winning stories will be published on the site this winter, and the top three authors will ...Read More

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Manchester Writing Competition Shortlist

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SF writer Richard W. Strachan’s “Zero Moment Point” is one of five shortlisted stories for the 2015 Manchester Writing Competition.

The competition, “designed to encourage new work and seek out the best creative writing from across the world,” includes £10,000 prizes and has both poetry and fiction categories. The winners will be honored in a ceremony on November 27, 2015 in Manchester. For the full shortlist, and to read the ...Read More

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Tomorrow Prize Winner

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“Freedom” by Ashley Anderson from Port of Los Angeles High School won the inaugural Tomorrow Prize for Short Fiction. Anna Maria Horsford read the story aloud and Anderson will receive a prize of $250. The ceremony was held May 25, 2015 at Sci-Fest LA, the Los Angeles Science Fiction One-Act Play Festival.

For more: www.sci-fest.com ...Read More

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Roswell Award Winner

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“Grandma’s Sex Robot” by William Hawkins won the inaugural Roswell Award short story writing contest. Gates McFadden read the story aloud and Hawkins will receive a prize of $1,000. The ceremony was held May 25, 2015 at Sci-Fest LA, the Los Angeles Science Fiction One-Act Play Festival.

For more: www.sci-fest.com

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WNDB Short Story Contest

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We Need Diverse Books (WNDB), an organization that addresses “the lack of diverse, non-majority narratives in children’s literature,” has announced a short story contest for “a previously unpublished diverse author.” The winning story will appear in forthcoming middle-grade anthology Stories for All of Us  (Crown), edited by WNDB president Ellen Oh. The winner will receive a $1,000 payment.

The organization “recognizes all diverse experiences, including (but not limited to) LGBTQIA, ...Read More

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Baen Memorial Contest Opens

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Baen Books has opened the 2015 Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award contest. Co-sponsored by the National Space Society, the contest focuses on stories of near-future space exploration. The deadline for submissions is February 1, 2015.

The grand prize includes publication on the Baen website at professional rates, an engraved award, an assortment of Baen books, free admission to the 2015 International Space Development Conference, a year’s membership in the ...Read More

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