Lunar Awards Season Two Starts Now!

Submit your short stories or first chapters and get recognized.

Greetings to all writers of fantasy and science fiction on Substack, and a warm welcome to those readers interested in discovering some of the most entertaining and out-of-this-world speculative fiction on the platform! Another adventure begins today. This season there will be two categories: Short Story and First Chapter.

Award Season Two Submission Launch:
Wednesday, May 10, 2023, 12am UTC

Award Season Two Submission Deadline:
Tuesday, May 31, 2023, 11:59am UTC

Award Season Two Judge:

Brian Reindel

Award Season Two Editorial Reader:

Meg Oolders

Before submitting, please read the FAQ. Ask in the comments if you have questions about the rules, and feel free to interact with other participants! This is a community we want to build and support. The judging period is 7-14 days after the deadline before a winner in either category is announced.

I’m pleased to announce that Meg Oolders, season one winner for her short story, will join me as an editorial reader for season two. Since Meg doesn’t qualify for an entry this season, we decided to put her to work! Thank you, Meg, for helping make this a success.

Short Stories

Post a link to your short story in the comments of this post and specify that it is a short story entry. The entry will be verified with a confirmed ✅ response comment. If it violates a rule, it will be considered temporarily declined until a correction is made.

First Chapter

Post a link to your first chapter in the comments of this post and specify that it is a first chapter entry. The entry will initially receive a pending ☑️ response comment. At the end of the submission window, the entrants will be randomly selected per the rules, and you will receive either a confirmed ✅ response comment or a ⛔ declined response comment, which means it was not selected, but it can be entered into the next season.

Don’t Write Alone!

Some of us will retire to our writing caves and emerge with a short story or first chapter. Some of us prefer the company of other writers and could use a prompt to get started on this journey. Now is your chance with the Fictionistas Great Substack Prompt Celebration on Thursday, May 11, 2023 at 6PM Eastern Time!

May 2023 The Great Substack Prompt Celebration

Let’s read some stories!

🚫SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED!