FIRST PLACE Chris is a Welshman who has lived the last twenty years as an exile in rural England. He has worked in physics research, as an opto-electronic engineer, and most recently as a High School teacher. This story came together as an amalgam of two of his enthusiasms: science fiction and …
SECOND PLACE J.D. Moyer lives in Oakland, California, with his wife, daughter, and mystery-breed dog. He writes science fiction, produces electronic music in two groups (Jondi & Spesh and Momu), runs a record label (Loöq Records), and blogs at jdmoyer.com. His short stories have appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy …
HONORABLE MENTION K. S. Dearsley has an MA in Linguistics and Literature and has had numerous stories published on both sides of the Atlantic. She lives in Northampton, England, and when she is not writing, she lets her dogs take her for walks. Her fantasy novels are available on Amazon. Find …
HONORABLE MENTION Novelist, journalist, satirist, Bruce Golden’s short stories have been published more than a hundred times across a score of countries and 30 anthologies. Asimov’s Science Fiction described his second novel, “If Mickey Spillane had collaborated with both Frederik Pohl and Philip K. Dick, he might have produced Bruce …
2016 SFReader Story Contest 1st Place Gustavo Bondoni is an Argentine novelist and short story writer whose forthcoming novel, Outside, is slated for launch at Eastercon 2017. The final cover art has been released. He is also the author of Siege, an SF tale of galactic survival, launched in December, 2016. When it comes …
2016 SFReader Short Story Contest 2nd Place Joseph Cosentino is a young man from Georgia who currently works in payroll. He hasn’t been published before and can be found on Facebook and Twitter. His portfolio can be found here. Aeronaut 54 By Joseph Cosentino I The zeppelin flew through the …
2016 SFReader Story Contest 3rd Place C. L. Hernandez is a writer of horror, dark fiction, urban fantasy, and occasional poetry. She’is the author of the novel The Curious Case of the Tuscan Plague Doctor, and the series The Complicated Life of Deegie Tibbs. She also writes the self-published series …
The SFReader.com contest is an annual contest for writers of speculative fiction. The story contest is NOT currently open to submissions Read previous contest winners here! Make sure to read the guidelines below before you submit your story. The Rules No submission fee Story length: 1,000 to 5,000 words firm …
SFReader 2015 Story Contest First Place Winner Desmond Warzel is the author of a few dozen short stories in the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres. A full bibliography can be found at the Jobless Insomniacs Motorcycle Club, a blog that he updates about once per epoch. Apart from this here yarn, …
SFReader 2015 Story Contest Second Place Winner “Willie.” “…” “Willie. Wake up.” “…” “Willie, it’s time to wake up.” “…nn…” “Come on Willie. You’ve been asleep for three and a half years. Time to exercise that prefrontal cortex.” “… kay… jus few more mins…” “No NOW Willie!” Something metal jabbed itself …
SFReader 2015 Story Contest Third Place Winner Novelist, journalist, satirist, Bruce Golden’s short stories have been published more than a hundred times across 20 countries and a score of anthologies. Asimov’s Science Fiction described his second novel, “If Mickey Spillane had collaborated with both Frederik Pohl and Philip K. Dick, he might have produced …
SFReader 2014 Story Contest First Place Winner Stalking Azazel (Volume Tres of the Dos Cruces Trilogy), was released in 2013. Mangum’s short story, Fetus-in-Fetu, is based on characters from this novel. “If James Crumley and Soren Kierkegaard got into a bar fight, ‘Stalking Azazel’ might be the bloody, brainy result. With …
SFReader 2014 Story Contest Second Place Winner Gustavo Bondoni was born in Argentina, which, he believes, makes him one of the few – if not the only – Argentinean fiction writers writing primarily in English. He moved to the US at the age of three because his father worked for a …
SFReader 2014 Story Contest Third Place Winner Described as a well-mannered, sweet-natured, nihilistic punk, Samson Stormcrow Hayes claims that living in Los Angeles hasn’t made him cynical, just more enraged. He writes stories, screenplays, and comics including the critically acclaimed graphic novel Afterlife. He can be found in old parking lots, …
SFReader 2013 Story Contest First Place Winner People entertain certain expectations of female wizards. For one, we’re supposed to live either in a solitary hut atop a bald hill (and so always in view of the townspeople, to inspire continual gossip about us and those who seek our counsel), or in …
SFReader 2013 Story Contest Third Place Winner I logged off my work program and looked at my schedule – a two hour break. My options: Happy Family 27, Dream Boat 22 (it was a new program – one I hadn’t tried before), Conspiracy 10, one of the Adventure series, or an exercise program. I gritted my teeth. …
SFReader 2010 Story Contest First Place Winner Mike Barretta is a husband, father and retired Naval Aviator. He now works for a major defense contractor as a helicopter pilot. His first sale was to Black Ink Horror and his first professional sale was to Jim Baen’s Universe. He was the 2009 …
SFReader 2010 Story Contest Second Place Winner Fadzlishah is a Medical Officer in Neurosurgery, born and based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He messes around with brains for a living, though he’s never eaten one, even though work makes him feel like a zombie at times. Among his publication credits are COSMOS …
SFReader 2010 Story Contest Third Place Winner Margaret McGaffey Fisk developed a love for different cultures while wandering archaeological sites as a Foreign Service brat in the Middle East. A combined anthropology and creative writing degree continued that focus, but a healthy dose of science fiction and fantasy took her in …
SFReader 2009 Story Contest First Place Winner One Ted thought the idea of freezing yourself against the possibility of being revived in some future date was, at best, a romp, at worst, a shameless waste of resources and perhaps the most arrogant action anyone could take. Indeed, the thought that some …
