Over at the UKSF Book News Ariel has details of a special short story competition which the BSFA’s Martin McGrath has been telling him about, part of a celebration of the British Science Fiction Association’s 50th anniversary year, which will include the prestigious BSFA awards at EasterCon (which will include a special ‘retro’ award for a book from half a century before), a birthday party in November and a science fiction short story competition, which seems to me to be highly appropriate since short fiction – often appearing in journals like Interzone – has long been the backbone of SF and the stepping stone for many writers towards novels and professional status:
“The competition is open to any writer resident in the UK or Ireland. The maximum length of stories is 8,000 words. The stories must be science fiction, but we’re willing to take a broad definition of what that means. All entries must be accompanied by a £10 entry fee.
The winner will receive a cash prize of £500, the shortlisted runners up will receive £50, and the winning and shortlisted entries will be published in a special issue of FOCUS the BSFA’s magazine for writers.
“The closing date for entries is midnight on Friday, September 5th 2008. The winner – to be decided by the panel of judges comprising British science fiction authors Justina Robson, Stephen Baxter and Alastair Reynolds – will be announced at the BSFA 50th Anniversary Birthday Party, on November 26th 2008.”
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