About - Lunar Awards

What do I get with a free subscription?

Freely submit your speculative short stories and first chapters for each award season. Read the submissions and find new indie authors.
Freely contribute to and read The Pitch, our monthly discussion thread where authors promote speculative fiction posted on Substack.
Freely participate in Prompt Quest, where authors on Substack write and share a story in response to a fantasy or science fiction prompt.
Access to read essays, reviews, and interviews, and participate in additional discussion threads.

Who created the Lunar Awards?

The Lunar Awards were created by Brian Reindel, a software architect and author of fantasy and science fiction. You can find him writing speculative short stories on

Future Thief

Who currently runs the Lunar Awards?

In late 2024, Brian Reindel handed over the reins to Winston Malone. Winston is a creative writer who has dedicated himself to supporting independent authors and publishers. His other publications include Storyletter XPress Publishing and Creative Wellness™, and he co-manages The Library with J. M. Elliott.

Subscribe to Lunar Awards

Recognizing and sharing the best fantasy, horror, and science fiction on Substack. Periodically posting essays, interviews, and reviews.

People

Brian Reindel 👾⚔️

@futurethief

A wayward journalism graduate who chose writing code over writing obituaries. Both can be deadly depending on who you ask. A husband, father, brother and fellow human. I'm making broad assumptions I've not yet gone interstellar.

Winston Malone

@winstonmalone

I write about the basics of indie publishing, the intersection of mental health and creative writing, and fictional worlds that shaped my childhood. I also publish fiction! Contact me at storyletter@proton.me. I can't wait to meet you!