Lunar Awards S11 | Round 3 | Science Fiction
Submissions are open!
Welcome to Round 3 of the Lunar Awards: Science Fiction
The Lunar Awards is a yearlong event broken into six rounds focusing on three genres (Fantasy, Horror, and Science Fiction). In the following year, we’ll publish the winning stories in a physical book.
My name is Brian Reindel, science fiction author and founding father of the Lunar Awards, and I’m your Science Fiction Ambassador for 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 giving the Lunar Awards a chance. We wish you the best of luck! And please comment or DM us with any questions.
Your Judge: Scoot!
Author L. R. Scott, better known around these parts as Scoot, is a faithful member of the Substack Science Fiction community. Scoot’s work can be read primarily on Gibberish, where he publishes Sandbox Earth, a universe of short stories and flash fiction chronicling humanity’s first contact with aliens. Scoot runs Flash Fiction Friday (FFF), providing a growing community of authors with excellent prompts to kickstart their writing. You can also find him on the Tell Me a Mystery podcast, expounding on writing serials with Ann Kimbrough and Eric Falden.
And now a word from our judge:
Hi Everyone, Scoot here and I am looking forward to reading your submissions. I am a lifelong fan of Science Fiction and I enjoy nothing more than finding hidden gems from writers I may not have otherwise encountered. The Lunar Awards is a great opportunity to showcase your Sci-Fi talents for Substack.
My Sci-Fi education began with what I call the ABCH’s of Science Fiction: Asimov, Bradbury, Clarke, and Heinlein. I am especially fond of stories that highlight the human, the out-of-sight-out-of-mind, and stories that have weight and depth that feels lived-in and real. But Sci-Fi, like the sciences of our real life, is a BIG category, and there’s room for space opera alongside biology; interstellar intrigue alongside materials science. Beyond the tropes and treasures of Sci-Fi, I want to see your best storytelling. And if there’s one thing the Lunar Awards can be relied upon it’s to sift through your submissions to find the one that stands out from the crowd for its storytelling heart and its Sci-Fi imagination.
I can’t wait to see what you conjure up. Good luck everyone!
A warm welcome to Scoot, and we wish him happy reading of all of your Science Fiction short stories!
Season 11 | Round 3 Details
Please read the FAQ for complete season rules and word limits. If you have questions, ask in the comments.
Science Fiction includes any of its subgenres: Hard, Cyberpunk, Space Opera, Steampunk, Dystopian, First Contact, Climate Fiction, etc. Your story will be considered as long as it features Science Fiction elements that are necessary to the progression of the story.
Round 3 Schedule
May 20 - Open call for submissions
May 30 - Submissions closed | Judging begins
June 26 - Winner and runner-up announced
Prizes
The winner will receive a permanent link on the Past Winners page.
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 here:
Or copy/paste this link: https://forms.gle/J8Ao7Hzjodb9q7iQ6
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 Science Fiction.
Only one submission per writer 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.
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?
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.
Winning and runner-up writers will be offered a publishing contract to be included in the official Lunar Awards annual anthology.
Submit your story here:
Or copy/paste this link: https://forms.gle/J8Ao7Hzjodb9q7iQ6
I have a question which may seem a little odd but actually is probably quite a serious point. Which is simply, what if the judge is familiar with the entrant's work, even subscribes, and may even have read the story before on the entrant's Substack, etc. etc. (I noticed in the rules though that the story doesn't have to have been published on Substack, but just assuming it is/has been).
Fortunately this doesn't apply to me personally this round (of course I've heard of Scoot but we don't follow/subscribe to each other), but it has done in previous rounds and doubtless will again. My question really is about what sort of effect/influence this might have, even if we don't have identifying information on the story document submitted via the form.
Ready for Lunar Awards round three :) Best of luck everyone.