We are seeking stories of 2,500 words or fewer on the theme of Speculative Fiction (tales of science fiction and fantasy, broadly interpreted). The winners receive cash and publication, with the first-place winner being considered for our upcoming anthology, Illusive Worlds: Sweet, Funny and Strange Tales of Science Fiction and Fantasy, forthcoming in 2026.
Winners receive cash awards and offers of publication. (See below for details.)
Our 2026 Guest Judge: Susan Kay Quinn
Susan Kaye Quinn has designed aircraft engines and studied global warming, getting a PhD in environmental engineering along the way, but now she invents cool stuff in books. She’s been writing across multiple genres for 15 years, with her latest works focusing on hopepunk, solarpunk, and the new stories we need to build a more just and sustainable world. Her short fiction can be found in Grist, Solarpunk Magazine, Reckoning, and all her novels and short stories can be found on her website: SusanKayeQuinn.com. She is the host of the Bright Green Futures podcast.
Read BWG’s interview of Susan here.
Winners will receive an offer of publication, either in our upcoming anthology, Illusive Worlds: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Tales of Science Fiction and Fantasy, or in Bethlehem Writers Roundtable.
In addition, each of our top three winners will receive a cash award:
First Place: $250
Second Place: $100
Third Place: $50
2026 Competition Rules
Entry Requirements:
- Stories must be submitted using the information below.
- Entries must be no more than 2,500 words, not including title. (No identifying information may be included in the story document.)
- All entries must be previously unpublished, and adhere to our Terms and Conditions set out below.
- We welcome excellent writing from diverse voices and experiences regardless of race, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, nationality, ethnicity, religion, disability, or age (except that authors must be 18 years of age or older). In keeping with our standards of inclusivity, we reserve the right to refuse to publish work that might be harmful to any member of a marginalized group.
- Submissions opened 12:01 a.m. (ET) Jan. 1, 2026.
Entry Fee:
- $15 per story.
Prizes:
- Each of the first three (3) winners will be given consideration for inclusion of their winning story in the upcoming BWG print anthology, Illusive Worlds: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Tales of Science Fiction and Fantasy. If it is not accepted for publication in the print anthology, it will be featured in an upcoming online edition of the Bethlehem Writers Roundtable. (While there is no guarantee of print publication, all previous first-place winners have been accepted to be published in print.) In addition to publication, each of the top three (3) winners will receive a cash award as follows:
- First prize: $250
- Second prize: $100
- Third prize: $50
- Honorable Mentions: Stories may be selected for Honorable Mention and offered publication in the Bethlehem Writers Roundtable.
Our first anthology, A Christmas Sampler: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Holiday Tales (2009), won two Next Generation Indie Book Awards: Best Anthology and Best Short Fiction.
Our second anthology, Once Around the Sun: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Tales for All Seasons, came out in 2013, and was a Finalist for Best Anthology in the 2014 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. It contains stories from our 2012 and 2013 contest winners, David Chesney and Katherine Fast respectively.
Our third anthology, A Readable Feast: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Tales for Every Taste (2015), was a Finalist in the 2016 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. It contains stories from our 2014 and 2015 contest winners, Tracy Falenwolfe and C. A. Rowland, respectively.
And, Once Upon a Time: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Tales for All Ages, contains a story from our 2016 contest winner, Eleanor Ingbretson.
Our 2023-2024 winners’ stories by Sally Milliken and Rhonda Zangwill respectively, and our 2nd and 3rd place stories in 2024 by Bettie Nebergall and Mary Adler respectively, are in our latest anthology, Season’s Readings: More Sweet, Funny, and Strange Holiday Tales.
Our 2021-2022 winners’ stories by Trey Dowell and Eleanor Ingbretson respectively are in our latest anthology: An Element of Mystery: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Tales of Intrigue.
Our 2019-2020 winners’ stories by Angela Albertson and Brett Wolff respectively are in our anthology: Fur, Feathers, and Scales: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Animal Tales which won two 2021 Next Generation Indie Book Awards.
Our 2017 and 2018 winners’ stories by Suzanne Purvis and Christine Eskilson respectively are in our anthology: Untethered: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Tales of the Paranormal, which was a finalist for the 2019 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award.
Your story could be next!
Judging:
Contest winners will be announced on the Bethlehem Writers Roundtable website and on the Bethlehem Writers Group website by July 1, 2026.
Initial blind judging will be done by members of the Bethlehem Writers Group, LLC. Finalists will be notified by June 15, 2026.
Final selection of winners will be done by best-selling author Susan Kaye Quinn.
Terms and Conditions for 2026 contest
1. Each story must include an element of science fiction or fantasy.
2. All submissions must be made during the contest open period.
3. Each story must be the original and unpublished work of the author. The use of generative artificial intelligence is strictly prohibited and will result in disqualification of the work. Work is considered published if it has appeared in whole or in part anywhere in print, audio, video, or online, including on any blog, vlog, podcast, website, or social media.
4. Authors must be 18 years of age or older. Proof of eligibility will be required for all prize winners.
5. All entries must be in the English language.
6. Submissions are limited to 2,500 words or fewer, not including title. Submissions of over 2,500 words will be disqualified and entry fees will not be refunded. No personally identifying information may be included in the submission file.
7. Each story must be uploaded via the attached form. (See the link below.)
8. Stories are judged anonymously. The author’s name must not appear anywhere on the manuscript(s). Please include your story’s title and word count in the subject line of the submission form. Your legal name, your preferred pen name if any, full mailing address (including street or PO box address, city, state or province, zip or postal code, and country), your phone number (including country code if outside the US) , and email address must appear in the appropriate blocks on the submission form. You may include your preferred pronouns if you choose.
9. An entry fee of $15 is required for each entry. This fee is payable using the PayPal link below. Your name and email address must be included with your payment to ensure proper credit. You do not need a PayPal account to use PayPal for this purpose. Payment must be received by midnight (EDT) on April 1, 2026. Payments received after the deadline will be returned minus PayPal fees and the story will not be considered.
10. Multiple submissions by the same author are permitted, but each story must be submitted separately. There is a separate $15 fee required for each story. If we receive fewer PayPal payments than story submissions from the same author, we will apply the payment(s) received in the order the story or stories are received.
11. All entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. (EDT) on March 31, 2026. Submissions received after the deadline will not be opened. We reserve the right to extend this deadline if an insufficient number of entries are received by the original deadline.
12. Simultaneous submissions are permitted, but immediate notification to Bethlehem Writers Roundtable is required if your work is accepted elsewhere for publication. Entry fees are not refundable.
13. Authors may submit a revised story from a previous contest so long as it fits the current contest theme. Please do not submit a story to more than two BWR Short Story Award competitions.
14. By entering this competition, the author agrees to abide by these Terms and Conditions. Any violation of these rules will result in disqualification.
15. Members of the Bethlehem Writers Group, the guest judge, and members of any of their immediate families (in the same household) are not eligible to enter.
16. By submitting to the Short Story Award competition, you certify that the work is solely your own, original work, is unpublished in any electronic, print, audio, or video format, does not encroach on any trademark or copyright, and does not libel or defame any entity living or dead. You will indemnify and hold Bethlehem Writers Group, LLC, harmless from any costs including attorneys’ fees, claims, causes of action, damages, or judgments arising out of our publishing your submission.
17. Awards are as follows: Each of the first three (3) winners will be offered publication either in the upcoming anthology listed above or in Bethlehem Writers Roundtable. In addition, each will receive a cash award as follows: FIRST PLACE AWARD: $250 USD; SECOND PLACE AWARD: $100 USD; THIRD PLACE AWARD: $50 USD.
18. Award winners, including Honorable Mentions if any, grant the Bethlehem Writers Group, LLC, first world serial publication rights to the winning work. The copyright of the work remains the property of the author, who, one year following publication of the work in a print anthology or ebook, or six (6) months following publication in a literary journal by the Bethlehem Writers Group, LLC, is free to publish the work elsewhere. Upon any subsequent publication, the author will ensure that work is accompanied by a statement indicating that the work was originally published by the Bethlehem Writers Roundtable or by the Bethlehem Writers Group, LLC, along with the date of such publication. If it was originally published in a print anthology, the name of the anthology will also appear in said statement.
19. Award winners will be notified at the email address provided with the entry. Within ten (10) days of the date of sending the notification, winners must respond and provide the proper certification of eligibility and/or sign the proffered contract to be eligible for publication. Failure to respond to the email notification may cause the author to lose their place in the contest and the prize may be offered to the next highest scoring submission. Please note that the email you use for this submission should, therefore, be one that you check regularly to avoid missing such a notification.
20. BWG reserves the right to cancel this contest if there are insufficient entries (in which case, entry fees minus PayPal fees will be refunded), or an insufficient number of entries deemed worthy of awarding a prize and/or publication (in which case, no refunds will be issued).
21. The decisions of the judges are final.
22. This offer is void where prohibited by law.
Submission
Step one: Click on the PayPal button below to pay the entry fee of $15.
If your PayPal name and/or email address does not match those you are using on your story submission form below, be sure we know how to connect the payment with your submission.