John Coon's introdction really captures why science fiction resonates so deeply. The idea that the genre serves as a mirror for humanity's strenghts and weaknesses is spot on. Looking forward to seeing what creative takes emerge from this final round, especially with such a broad range of subgenres to explore.
The way you've structured this final round with John Coon as judge is really exciting. His background with Samak Press and experence in both alien narratives and horror gives him a unique perspective for evaluating sci-fi submissions. I apreciate how you're fostering community around short form speculative fiction, the timelin from submission to announcement seems well paced. Its encouraging to see platforms like this giving writers a tangible goal and potential publication opportunity in a physical anthology.
Hey Evelyn, not if you've chosen us to publish your previous story (which I'll be emailing you the contract today for consideration). Sorry for the delay, btw. Been a crazy few weeks!
Manchester, UK is (in)famous as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, but what if near-future consumer technology were about to kick off a whole new cycle of social evolution…
Hey Peter, unfortunately the word count for this submission exceeds the 7500-word limit. It may seem arbitrary, but we have to enforce the limit to ensure fairness and because our judges read a lot of stories. You may edit the submission to meet the limit, but don't feel pressured to alter your story to fit our guidelines. Instead, if you have another submission that fits, we'll accept it as long as you get it to us by mid-December to allow the judge time to read your story. Judging ends on Dec 20th. Or you may opt out of this round. I look forward to hearing back from you. Sorry for the inconvenience. https://www.lunarawards.com/p/frequently-asked-questions
Oh, right, I should have looked more closely at the FAQs. Sorry about that. If I ever manage to come up with something short enough, I'll give it another go. Best.
Hey Gerard, sorry to inform you that submissions for this round closed on Nov 30th. We're in the judging stage now. A new round will begin in January 2026.
Hi! Posting my disgruntled space station sanitation worker solar flare story for consideration:
https://open.substack.com/pub/synthesizedsunsets/p/the-waters-of-lethe?r=rvz6b&utm_medium=ios
Confirmed. Thank you for entering the Lunar Awards!
My Best Friend Andy - A kid in the near future has to write an essay about his rich friend Andy. He’s a totally not a NPC
https://open.substack.com/pub/nickafternormal/p/my-rich-friend-andy?r=mruzz&utm_medium=ios
Confirmed. Thank you for entering the Lunar Awards!
A novel way of treating juvenile delinquents- with kindness and work suited to their skills: https://davidperlmutter.substack.com/p/fine-mendelian-stuff
Confirmed. Thank you for entering the Lunar Awards!
John Coon's introdction really captures why science fiction resonates so deeply. The idea that the genre serves as a mirror for humanity's strenghts and weaknesses is spot on. Looking forward to seeing what creative takes emerge from this final round, especially with such a broad range of subgenres to explore.
When we’re all Mozart, who’ll be the audience?
https://open.substack.com/pub/hammyj/p/the-reactor
Confirmed. Thank you for entering the Lunar Awards!
The way you've structured this final round with John Coon as judge is really exciting. His background with Samak Press and experence in both alien narratives and horror gives him a unique perspective for evaluating sci-fi submissions. I apreciate how you're fostering community around short form speculative fiction, the timelin from submission to announcement seems well paced. Its encouraging to see platforms like this giving writers a tangible goal and potential publication opportunity in a physical anthology.
Some inventions make the world worse. The way to deal with them may be worse yet.
"Illegible", a tale of murder and crypto.
https://gallagherstories.substack.com/p/illegible
Confirmed. Thank you for entering the Lunar Awards!
You Cannot Spell Paradise without Lies; Enter the Realm of the Punished
https://open.substack.com/pub/zacharyroush/p/scrape?r=5bis7&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Confirmed. Thank you for entering the Lunar Awards!
Thrilled to participate in the Lunar Awards again with my sci-fi tale of alien contact - "To Quell a Phoenix". https://nicholassamuelstember.substack.com/p/to-quell-a-phoenix-bfc
Confirmed. Thank you for entering the Lunar Awards!
I would love for my story "Dust" to be considered: https://judithashcraft.substack.com/p/dust
In the empty spaces between Mars and Earth, the question every day is: "Would you like to open the door?"
Confirmed. Thank you for entering the Lunar Awards!
I'm not allowed to enter this round am I? Well, just want to wish everyone the best of luck!
Hey Evelyn, not if you've chosen us to publish your previous story (which I'll be emailing you the contract today for consideration). Sorry for the delay, btw. Been a crazy few weeks!
I'll wait for your email, but I think I can say it's like a 99.9% probability of a yes I'd be totally chuffed! Thank you!
No worries about the delay - I have far too many things going on in my own head myself.
Please consider my story of two strangers locked in a dark room. Who put them there? Why?
https://sharronbassano.substack.com/p/the-room
Confirmed. Thank you for entering the Lunar Awards!
Manchester, UK is (in)famous as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, but what if near-future consumer technology were about to kick off a whole new cycle of social evolution…
https://open.substack.com/pub/peterjjones/p/twins?r=3tyzq4&utm_medium=ios
I liked it, nonetheless, even without a name-drop of Orphan Black.
Hey Peter, unfortunately the word count for this submission exceeds the 7500-word limit. It may seem arbitrary, but we have to enforce the limit to ensure fairness and because our judges read a lot of stories. You may edit the submission to meet the limit, but don't feel pressured to alter your story to fit our guidelines. Instead, if you have another submission that fits, we'll accept it as long as you get it to us by mid-December to allow the judge time to read your story. Judging ends on Dec 20th. Or you may opt out of this round. I look forward to hearing back from you. Sorry for the inconvenience. https://www.lunarawards.com/p/frequently-asked-questions
Oh, right, I should have looked more closely at the FAQs. Sorry about that. If I ever manage to come up with something short enough, I'll give it another go. Best.
Looking forward to it! Some guidelines might change as we move into 2026. Hope to see more from you in the future.
Just Visiting
Three young country boys meet an eccentric woman on the roadway. She seems nice enough, but the boys's dog knows that she's not human...
https://jeannine85f.substack.com/p/just-visiting
Confirmed. Thank you for entering the Lunar Awards!
Thanks for the opportunity. Here is a dystopian story set in the near future where surveillance is part and parcel of everyday life.
https://douglasmcclenaghan.substack.com/p/eyes-and-ears
Confirmed. Thank you for entering the Lunar Awards!
Thanks!
My submission to S10/R6, "The Flicker," based on the sudden loss of something we take for granted.
https://gmdileo.substack.com/p/the-flicker
Hey Gerard, sorry to inform you that submissions for this round closed on Nov 30th. We're in the judging stage now. A new round will begin in January 2026.
Yeah, I saw that when I rechecked the FAQ. I'll be submitting it again when the timeis right. Thanks.