From a destructive memory drive to a disappearing city, from a world behind screens to a mutant on the run, your entries for our Science Fiction Competition offered distorted realities and new visions. Thank you for plumbing the depths of your imaginations to take us out of this world!
Below, See Guest Judge Amie Kaufman’s winning picks, as well as the finalists!
WINNERS AND FINALISTS:
Winner: Flower (verb) by Can’t Catch Me (Australia)
I was absolutely intrigued from the first moments of this story—at one point I realised I was so absorbed that I had leaned in closer to my computer screen as I read. It has a fantastic premise and a fresh take on first contact. The worldbuilding worked well, and I found my footing in the story quickly. The language and imagery in this work are used so effectively—the narrative feels more conversational at first, and then becomes more evocative and sophisticated as we encounter the flower. Writing in second person is really hard to pull off, and the author does it very well in this piece. Congratulations!
Runner up: Sleepswim by Sarah Feng (US)
What an absolutely gorgeous vignette, with a beautiful, wistful tone to it—by the time the narrator was asking me how I felt about nostalgia, I was knee-deep in it! The writer has clearly thought through their worldbuilding in great detail, and considered the way one change to our world would expand into every aspect of life, which is such a key part of science fiction. I really appreciated the human touches as well—the use of individuals like the narrator’s grandmother and Mr Qin—to bring home the emotional impact of the story.
Finalists:
The Last Mutant by cuppanoodo (US)
After Fallout by Arosebooks (Australia)
She Brings My Downfall by lucida (Malaysia)
What If People Didn’t Start Influencing Their Fate? by Adela Smith (Czechia)
PEER REVIEW WINNER AND FINALISTS:
Best Peer Review: eloise ;)’s (Australia) review of The String of Destiny
Editing really well is such a rare skill—there are so many things you need to do at once. First and foremost, you need to pick out what could be tweaked or improved to strengthen the whole piece, but that’s far from the end of the job. It’s also an editor’s job to find all the parts of the story that already sing, not just to encourage the writer, but so they have a way to set their compass—they know what they’re moving toward, as well as what they’re moving away from. This review does all of these things so well, I’d have thought it was written by one of my own professional editors. The reviewer finds lots of really specific things to praise, but doesn’t hold back on giving clear feedback where it’s helpful—and finishes up by putting power back into the writer’s hands in regard to all these decisions. Well done!
Peer Review Finalists:
jyotsna.r.n’s (India) review of Narnia
SunV’s (India) review of Edict VI: Silence
Stone of Jade’s (US) review of Luck of the Draw