Lunar Awards Season 10 | Round One is Now Closed | Fantasy
Submit your best Fantasy story | Hosted by Daniel W. Davison
Welcome to the Lunar Awards! [Submissions closed]
I’m excited that the award season is finally underway. I hope the changes aren’t too jarring for those who have long submitted to the Lunar Awards in the past. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments.
I’m delighted that Daniel has joined as the first host of the Lunar Awards S10. I’ve worked with him previously on a contest for my small press, and I know he’ll be a considerate, open-minded judge welcoming writers into this sometimes tricky process. He’s been an encouraging figure in the Substack fiction community, so I’m confident he’ll be a great judge.
Please read this post in its entirety before submitting a story. Any entries that do not follow the guidelines will not be accepted. If you’re looking for news about the prompt quest, it’s included at the end of this post.
Thanks for participating and making the Lunar Awards a wonderful place for all things genre fiction. I wish you all the best! ~ WM
Introduction by Daniel W. Davison
I wanted to thank Winston for granting me the opportunity to participate as a guest panelist in this round of the Lunar Awards. I’ve been a huge fan of fantasy fiction since 1978 when I read The Hobbit; and then a few years later (after boosting my vocabulary) tackled The Lord of the Rings.
Some of my favorite writers in the genre include Ursula K. Le Guin, Lord Dunsany, Michael Moorcock, Anne McCaffrey, and David Eddings (whose Belgariad series is one of my all-time favorites). In recent years, I’ve had a lot of fun reading and writing tales of magical realism inspired by the works of Orhan Pamuk, Jorge Luis Borges, Milorad Pavić, and Gabriel García Márquez.
What I like most about the genre is its ability to accommodate a wide variety of themes, subject matters, styles, and perspectives. For example, in The Stowaway by Julian Barnes, we’re told the story of Noah’s Ark from the point of view of a worm hiding in the rotting planks of one of the vessels, since Noah and his sons (according to the narrator) didn’t have only one ship but a flotilla of eight.
I’ve asked that all the submissions sent to me be anonymous to keep things fair. I promise to read each one thoroughly and look forward to reading them all. I wish everyone the best of luck!
Leave your submission as a link in the comments. Thank you!
Season 10 | Round One Details
The first round is Fantasy. That 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.
Please read the FAQ, which contains complete rules and word limits. Ask in the comments if you have questions. The winner and runner-up will be revealed on February 26.
For the complete schedule of Part One, check out the post below:
Submission Period:
Submissions will be closed on January 31. There’s a total of 16 days to enter.
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 official 2025 anthology.
The winner and runner-up will receive a 3-month trial to Storyletter XPress Publishing.
Featured authors in the anthology will receive a copy of the book after publication.
Entry
Post a link to your short story in the comments of this post. The entry will be verified with a “confirmed” comment. It will be temporarily declined if it violates a rule until a correction is made.
[Optional] Prompt Quest Returns!
The rules are simple. Winston and our guest judge will provide two prompts, and the writer won’t know who provided which prompt. The prompt quest will not have any weighted benefits other than completing an original story that fits the genre and potentially submitting a story the judge might enjoy.
Write a short story over the next two weeks using either prompt. You can choose to submit it for award consideration or not. We’ll host a gathering to celebrate what’s been accomplished and to highlight your stories at the end of the two weeks.
Prompt #1 - Many Moons
The world features magical moons fundamental to the planet’s inhabitants. The moons affect the society, magic, or land where people live. Devise a plot where the protagonist must harness the power of these moons to overcome the conflict.
Prompt #2 - Lost City
The current people of your world discover or utilize the structures of a lost culture or civilization. The ruins of this city can either be restored or decayed, but must play a key role in the plot. Does this lost city hold the power to aid or destroy its latest denizens?
DOUBLE PLUS EXCITE.
can I ask
1. what does (ON HOLD) first chapter... mean... does it mean you cannot submit a first chapter as the entry?
2 are the prompts seperate or does the submission have to be based off the prompts and can you do two submissions ... one for awards and one for the prompts?
If it's not too late, I'd like to submit Prince Rostflugelfee, which is a historical fairy tale.
https://apward.substack.com/p/prince-rostflugelfee-rust-wing-fairy