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Since its early days, science fiction has played a unique role in human
civilization. It removes the limits of what "is" and shows us a boundless vista
of what "might be." Its fearless heroes, spectacular technologies and wondrous
futures have inspired many people to make science, technology and space flight a
real part of their lives and in doing so, have often transformed these fictions
into reality. The
National Space Society and
Baen Books applaud the role that science
fiction plays in advancing real science and have teamed up to sponsor this short
fiction contest in memory of Jim Baen.
CONTEST RULES:
-Write a short story of no more than 8,000 words, that shows the near future (no
more than about 50-60 years out) of manned space exploration.
-No entry fee. But please only submit one story...your best one!
-No reprints.
-All entries must be original works in English. Plagiarism, poetry, song lyrics,
or characters from another person’s works will not be considered.
-E-mail submissions only. Send entries as .RTF attachments to: baen.nss.contest@gmail.com
-Please put the word SUBMISSION in the subject line when sending a contest entry
and QUESTION in the subject line for questions to the contest administrator.
-Please include the following in the body of your email: The title of the work,
the author's name, address and telephone number, and an approximate word-count.
The manuscript should be a RTF attachment, in standard manuscript format and
should be titled and numbered on every page, but the author's name MUST BE
DELETED to facilitate fair judging.
-Employees of Baen Books, NSS and previous Grand Prize Winner are not eligible. Previous Second and Third place winners are eligible.
-Contest opens for submissions on October 1,
2013
(entries sent before that date will be
deleted unread)
-Deadline - February 1 (12:59pm), 2014.
WHAT WE DO WANT TO SEE:
Moon bases, Mars colonies, orbital habitats, space elevators, asteroid mining,
artificial intelligence, nano-technology, realistic spacecraft, heroics,
sacrifice, adventure.
WHAT WE DON'T WANT TO SEE:
Stories that show technology or space travel as evil
or
bad, galactic empires, paranormal elements, UFO abductions, zombie stories,
thinly
veiled copies of previous winners, novel segments, screen plays..
JUDGES:
Judging will be by Baen Books editors Hank Davis, Jim Minz, Tony Daniel and best selling Baen author David Drake.
PRIZES:
- The GRAND PRIZE winner will be published as the featured story on the Baen Books
main website and paid at the normal paying rates for professional story
submittals. The author will also receive an engraved award, free entry into the
2014 International Space Development Conference,
a year's membership in the National Space Society and a prize package containing various Baen
Books and National Space Society merchandise.
- SECOND and THIRD place winners will receive a year's membership in the
National Space Society and a prize package containing various Baen Books and National Space Society merchandise.
- Winners will be announced and notified no later than March 15, 2014. (only the
winners will be notified) The winners will be honored at the
2014 International
Space Development Conference in
Los Angeles, CA, May 14-19, 2014. (we would prefer the winner attend
the conference, but it is not required.)
( * Note: Publication details will be worked out
between winner and Baen Books. In the unlikely event that none of the stories qualify
for professional publication, a cash prize, of an amount determined by contest
organizers, may be substituted in lieu of publication.)
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2013 WINNERS
GRAND PRIZE
"The Lamplighter Legacy" by Patrick
O'Sullivan
SECOND PLACE
"Intent to
Occupy"
by Ronald D. Feruson
THIRD PLACE
"Improvising at Branson Six"
by Sean Monaghan
2012 WINNERS
GRAND PRIZE
"Taking the High Road"
by R.P.L.
Johnson
SECOND PLACE
"Scramble"
by Martin L. Shoemaker
THIRD PLACE
"One Cog"
by James Wymore
2011 WINNERS
GRAND PRIZE
"That Undiscovered Country"
by Nancy
Fulda
SECOND PLACE
"Gemini XVII"
by Brad Torgersen
THIRD PLACE
"Natural Selection"
by Michael Simon
2010 WINNERS
GRAND PRIZE
"Space Hero"
by Patrick Lundrigan
SECOND PLACE:
"Citizen-Astronaut"
by David D. Levine
THIRD PLACE
"High Ground"
by Stuart D. Gibbon
2009 WINNERS
GRAND PRIZE "Cathedral"
by Michael Barretta
SECOND PLACE:
"Burst Mode"
by Patrick Lundrigan
THIRD
PLACE
"All The Way"
by Graham Storrs
GRAND
PRIZE:
"Letting Go"
by
David Walton
SECOND PLACE:
"Skipping Stones"
by Darwin Garrison
THIRD PLACE:
"Self Defence"
by Charlie Allery
GRAND PRIZE: "A Better Sense of
Direction" by Mike Wood
SECOND PLACE:
"Anniversary"
by
Robert Billing
THIRD PLACE:
"Acclimatization"
by
Michael A. McPherson
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