Short Story Writing Contest
BayCon 2025 / Westercon 77 is excited to announce the Society for the Promotion of Speculative Fiction’s short story writing contest. The winners will be announced at the convention and will receive $100 and free day memberships to accept their prizes.
Story submissions will be accepted from 1 April to 30 April, 2025. Winners will be announced during Opening Ceremonies!
Stories must draw inspiration from this year’s theme: A Convenient Parallel Dimension.
Prizes
Prizes will include the following:
Day Badge for BayCon 2025 / Westercon 77
100USD
Additional prizes are TBA.
Eligibility
- All stories must be a standalone, short fiction story inspired by Our Theme.
- Word count minimum is 2,000 words. Maximum word count for all stories is 4,000 words (hard limit).
- Authors must be previously unpublished.
Manuscripts
- Format: Rich Text Format (RTF) or Word-compatible Document (DOC/DOCX).
- Font: 12-point (Times New Roman, Cambria, or Palatino only).
- Margins: 1 inch all sides.
- Lines: Double-spaced. Do not place extra lines between paragraphs.
- Filename Format: [Story Title] by [Author Name] (example: “Spooky Spooky by Adna Jackson.rtf”)
- Additional Info: Modern Manuscript Format
Categories
Submissions will be accepted based on the age of the submitting author:
- Under 25 years old: Young Adult/New Adult
- 25 years and older: Adult
Our Theme
The theme for this year’s Baycon and Westercon, “A Convenient Parallel Dimension”, invites you to step into a realm where the eerie and extraordinary merge. Drawing inspiration from cult classic films like Ghostbusters (1984), this theme celebrates the spookier side of speculative fiction—a dimension where paranormal, supernatural, and horror narratives converge with our own reality. The convention will spotlight ghost stories, chilling supernatural encounters, and cross-genre offerings such as paranormal romance and spooky alternate histories, all designed to captivate and inspire creative storytelling. With this in mind, we are looking for stories reflecting the diverse and inclusive legacy, influences, and perspectives of speculative fiction.
Questions?
Please email writing.contest@societysf.org should you have any questions or concerns about this contest.