Short Story Writing Contest
BayCon 2027 / Westercon 79 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 $100 and free day badges to accept their prizes.
Story submissions will be accepted until 15 March 2027. Winners will be announced during Opening Ceremonies!
Stories must draw inspiration from this year’s theme: Night City Rising.
The Short Story Writing Contest is separate from the Writers Workshops which will be conducted at BayCon 2027. However, you may submit the same story if it meets the criteria for both.
Prizes
Prizes will include the following:
Full Weekend Badge to BayCon 2027 / Westercon 79
100USD
Additional prizes may be announced.
Eligibility
- Must be a standalone, short fiction story inspired by our Theme.
- Word count minimum is 2,000 words. Maximum word count for all stories is 4,000 words (hard limit).
- Authors may not have previous paid fiction publications ($.08 per word or more).
Manuscripts
- Format: Rich Text Format (RTF) or Word-compatible Document (DOC/DOCX).
- Font: 12-point (Times New Roman, Cambria, or other common serif font only).
- Margins: 1 inch all sides.
- Lines: Double-spaced. Do not place extra lines between paragraphs.
- Filename Format: [Story Title] by [Author Name] (example: "Night City on Fire by Ayma Runner.docx")
- 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
In July 2027... Night City rises again. BayCon will bring you to the beating heart of the cyberpunk genre to explore speculative futures in the digital age.
In this year's contest, we invite you to explore stories of digital identity, augmented bodies, and street-level resistance against corporate propaganda and control.
Cyberpunk has never been only chrome and rain. It is a lens for asking who profits when the future arrives unevenly, and who fights back when it does.
WRITE THE FUTURE. MAKE IT YOUR OWN.
Questions?
Please email writing.contest@societysf.org should you have any questions or concerns about this contest.