Lunar Awards Season 11 Is On The Horizon

Introducing our new ambassadors and rule changes for 2026

Photo by Mike Newbry on Unsplash

A new season of the Lunar Awards is about to begin. We’d like to welcome new and returning writers to our growing indie community, where we highlight the best emerging fiction on Substack.

There are significant changes this year, along with some big announcements. We’ll always be open to feedback and new ways to improve your experience with the awards. Please refer to our FAQ for the most up-to-date information on submissions.

This year, I’m delegating authority to several genre ambassadors. Each ambassador will host their respective rounds for continuity and quality control. Ambassadors aren’t judges. Instead, they will facilitate submissions, judging, questions, and announcements related to their respective genre and rounds. I’ll continue to assist with each round, while also working on publishing Season 10’s anthology.

Your 2026 Genre Ambassadors Are:

Zachary Roush for Fantasy

Zach is a professional writer and copywriter, and the author of the YA novel Kursed Kreatures. His Substack, Realms, features science fiction and fantasy short stories and reviews; basically, all things speculative fiction. Zach also co-started and manages a writing group and is now supporting the Lunar Awards as our Fantasy Ambassador.

Shaina Read for Horror

Shaina is the writer and creator of Kindling, where she publishes and reviews dark, speculative fiction. Her subversive horror story, Mountain Talk, was featured in Take Me There: A Speculative Anthology of Travel. As the co-manager of Macabre Monday, Shaina is the perfect choice as our Horror Ambassador.

Brian Reindel for Science Fiction

Brian is the creator of the Lunar Awards and an avid writer and reader of science fiction and fantasy stories. Brian is the author of two short story collections: Voices From The Deep and The Stars Will Fall. His sci-fi story, Distant Shores, was published in Take Me There: A Speculative Anthology of Travel, and his first-contact story, Foreign Exchange, was published in Ripples in Space by Samak Press. A pillar of the community, Brian is a welcome addition and well-suited to serve as our Science Fiction Ambassador.

Upcoming Changes For Season 11

• Submissions will be collected through an external submission form, with manuscripts pre-formatted in a downloadable file. Announcement posts for each round will be released like last season, with further details on how to submit. The submission form will enable the ambassador to efficiently distribute non-attributable participating stories to the round’s judge and reinforce the submission rules.

• Submission windows have been shortened to 10 days.

• Word count limit increased to 10,000 words.

As the Lunar Awards grow, these types of changes will continue to evolve to accommodate our capabilities and limitations. We appreciate your understanding and welcome your feedback.

Schedule for Season 11

Round 1 - Fantasy - Hosted by Zachary Roush

• January 20 - Open call for submissions

• January 30 - Submissions closed | Judging begins

• February 26 - Winner and runner-up announced

Round 2 - Horror - Hosted by Shaina Read

• March 20 - Open call for submissions

• March 30 - Submissions closed | Judging begins

• April 26 - Winner and runner-up announced

Round 3 - Science Fiction - Hosted by Brian Reindel

• May 20 - Open call for submissions

• May 30 - Submissions closed | Judging begins

• June 26 - Winner and runner-up announced

Round 4 - Fantasy - Hosted by Zachary Roush

• July 20 - Open call for submissions

• July 30 - Submissions closed | Judging begins

• August 26 - Winner and runner-up announced

Round 5 - Horror - Hosted by Shaina Read

• September 20 - Open call for submissions

• September 30 - Submissions closed | Judging begins

• October 26 - Winner and runner-up announced

Round 6 - Science Fiction - Hosted by Brian Reindel

• November 20 - Open call for submissions

• November 30 - Submissions closed | Judging begins

• December 26 - Winner and runner-up announced

Season 11 Concludes

• December 30 - Celebration of Season 11’s results, writers, and judges

Another Year of Celebrating Indie Writing

I’m so excited to start this new Lunar Awards season, celebrating the top speculative short stories on Substack. We can’t wait to read what you submit this year. If it’s anything like last season, it’s bound to be incredible. Thanks for tuning in, and we hope to see you for our first round soon!

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” ~ Norman Vincent Peale

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