Lunar Awards S11 | Round 1 | Fantasy
Submissions are open!
Welcome to Round 1 of the Lunar Awards: Fantasy
The Lunar Awards is a yearlong event broken into nine rounds focusing on three genres (Fantasy, Horror, and Science Fiction). At the end of the year, we’ll publish the winning stories in a physical book.
My name is Zachary Roush, author of Realms. and I’m your ambassador for the Fantasy rounds of the Lunar Awards.
Please read this post in its entirety before submitting a story. Any entries that do not follow the guidelines will not be accepted.
Your participation and stories make this event possible. Thanks for stopping by to give the Lunar Awards a chance. We wish you the best of luck! And please comment or DM us with any questions.
Let’s Escape to Fantastic Worlds
Fantasy is one of my favorite genres. How else could we leave behind our little worlds for ones with epic stakes, magic, and more? From The Name of the Wind to The Devils, there are all kinds of fantastical stories to escape to, fulfilling not only the desires of our imaginations, but also the desires of the heart. Finding new families, riding dragons, falling in love with a true Fae specimen, you can experience anything you want.
Where fantasy truly shines, however, is when the story transcends the very realm it takes place in and becomes something more.
We’ve teamed up with Nathan, writer of speculative fiction and the publication SLAKE to judge this round’s selection of stories.
Nathan writes across a number of genres, including fantasy, science fiction, magical realism, and wherever the wind happens to take him in any given week.
Welcome your Judge: Nathan Slake
Hello. Thank you for this opportunity to act as judge for this round of the Lunar Awards. I’m looking forward to reading all of the pieces of fantasy that’ll be submitted for consideration.
In preparing my introduction here, Zach asked me to include a note on what the Fantasy genre means to me. I’ve sat here pondering this for some time and realised that a simple answer remains elusive.
Fantasy has been a favourite genre for as long as I can remember. In fact, my first recollection of being wholly absorbed by any kind of book was as a child of perhaps 10, about to commence a month-long camping trip with my parents and brother, when I happened to pick up Martin the Warrior on a bookstore shelf. So beguiled was I by the cover of a mouse wielding a sword and presiding over an army of other anthropomorphic animals (a mysterious and probably-not-yet-in-my-vocabulary abbey looming in the background), my mother happily purchased the book and I read it every day of that holiday, commencing a brief but brilliant obsession with all things Redwall and hooking me forever into the Fantasy genre writ large.
As I’ve grown older and read across multiple genres and countless authors, my tastes and desires have inevitably shifted, and what I look for in fantasy has shifted too. The spectacle of swords and creatures – wondrous as they are – matter far less than the work those elements are doing to ground realism within the imaginary, to make coherent the otherworldly, to normalise the impossible. These days, you’ll find me at my most content sat in an armchair, book in my lap and pencil in hand, scribbling notes in the margin and highlighting the entrancing prose of literary masters such as Le Guin and Wolfe.
~ Nathan Slake
Season 11 | Round 1 Details
Please read the FAQ, which contains complete rules and word limits. If you have questions, ask in the comments.
“Fantasy” includes any of its subgenres: High Fantasy, Low Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, Mythic Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Portal Fantasy, Steampunk Fantasy, Fairytale Fantasy, Paranormal Fantasy, Science Fantasy, Magical Realism, Grimdark Fantasy, among others. Your story will be considered as long as it is tangentially part of Fantasy.
Round 4 Schedule
January 20 - Open call for submissions
January 29 - Submissions close, judging begins
February 26 - Winner and runner-up announced
Prizes
The winner will receive a permanent link on the Past Winners page and a high-resolution badge to display on their Substack.
The winner and runner-up will be offered a publication contract to be featured in the Lunar Awards next anthology.
Featured authors in the anthology will receive a copy of the book after publication.
For entry:
Submit your story to the Google form:
Or copy/paste this link: https://forms.gle/9JeUfNPFD46pNTnW8
Submission details are as follows:
How do the awards work?
A writer subscribes to the Lunar Awards and is notified via a post when a new round starts.
The writer reads the rules, selects a story that fits the genre or theme, removes any attributable information (e.g., author name, website, Substack links), and submits the story via the round’s form.
A round lasts roughly 37 days (10 days for submissions and 27 days for judging). When it ends, subscribers receive a post identifying the winner and the runner-up.
What are the general award entry rules?
It must be written in English.
It must be a .docx or .pdf file format.
It must be speculative (Science Fiction, Fantasy, or Horror).
Only one submission per writer per round is allowed.
A submission will only be considered once. Do not resubmit the same short story over multiple rounds, even if it has been edited.
A comment on the round’s post does not have to accompany your form submission during the submission period. But you may add one if you desire.
The previous round winner of any genre is not eligible to participate in the following rounds for that season.
What are the Short Story category award entry rules?
It must be between 1000–10,000 words. Word count limitations are necessary to maintain fairness.
It must be a short story. Micro fiction, flash fiction, novellas, novelettes, novels, or serials will not be accepted.
Choose-your-own-adventure or interactive fiction will not be eligible.
You must own the rights to your story.
It can be published on Substack on any date. It doesn’t have to be published during the submission timeframe for the round.
It must be standalone (no serials or parts), but it can be a part of an anthology or a shared universe.
It must match the current round’s genre.
What is a Short Story?
A great short story makes a promise at the start and makes good on that promise by the end. Don’t leave the reader hanging. You can use an even balance of character, plot, and setting, or you can lean heavily into any of those. Avoid familiar tropes, but don’t be afraid to explore common themes from a fresh perspective. It should be polished to the best of your ability. Editorial control over the entire piece is essential – you know what to leave and what to cut. However, it will not be rejected for a few spelling mistakes.
Images are not allowed.
What is Speculative Fiction?
Speculative is the broad range of genres encompassing Science Fiction and Fantasy, including hard science fiction, fables, sword and sorcery, creature features, space opera, time travel, low fantasy, magic realism, etc. There are too many sub-genres to name them all. Dark speculative is allowed, which may cross over into Horror.
The subject matter is left to the author’s imagination.
Do I have to subscribe to the Lunar Awards to be considered?
Yes. The winner will be announced here before an author is contacted directly. This will also be the central location to announce future seasons, essays, reviews, and interviews.
Is there a reading or award entry fee?
Never!
Are AI submissions allowed?
Absolutely not. If you have to ask how much or how little AI can be used to write the story, you should not submit it for consideration.
What are the judging criteria?
In short, the Lunar Awards look at:
Genre suitability
Mastery of storytelling
Originality
Editorial control
Discrimination Policy:
The Lunar Awards doesn’t discriminate or give preferential treatment. Decisions are made purely on the merits outlined in the judging criteria. Personal bios of any kind should not be included in the comments or submissions. Anyone who wants to know more about you can visit your Substack. Credentials are not necessary. The number of publication subscribers, comments, and likes on a short story doesn’t matter. The goal is to find and award the absolute best speculative fiction on Substack.
Why only a 10-day round for each genre?
This is very important. It limits the number of entries, and having only one genre per round allows writers to compete against their peers.
Is there an actual award?
The winning submission will be permanently linked on the Past Winners page. The submission and author will also be featured in a spotlight post. First place will receive a custom, high-resolution image badge for the award season category, which can be displayed proudly on Substack or used in merchandising at their discretion.
Winning and runner-up writers will be offered a publishing contract to be included in the official Lunar Awards annual anthology.
Submit your story to the Google form:
Or copy/paste this link: https://forms.gle/9JeUfNPFD46pNTnW8
I wish the participants of this round the best of luck. If a link isn't working or the guidelines are unclear, let us know and we'll do our best to address it. Thank you for being here!
Thrilled to join in this first round of 2026. I just submitted a fantasy short story.
Best of luck to us all!