Deadline: May 30th, 2023
Payment: 2 contributors’ copies
Theme: Sentient life in the multiverse

The Prompt:

When last did you look to the night sky and wonder what might loom in the far reaches of the universe? Did you imagine meeting someone among the stars?

These are the tales of sentient life in the multiverse… Of the strange and diverse sophonts, hive minds, anarcho-syndicalist collectives, and anyone—or anything—you can encounter among the star systems, galaxies, and universes that surround us. Some linger lovingly on the jagged edge of horror. Some offer immortality, others knowledge or hope or comfort beyond imagining. These tales dare to explore the endless diversity of intelligent life in the multiverse. Are you brave enough to come along for the ride?

Discover and experience first-hand as these tales answer the question: Is there life out there? Is it intelligent? Can we talk to them? What do these sophonts look like, feel like? How do they smell and taste? Very importantly, Do They Party? These twelve short stories offer fully immersive science fiction that bring us into space and push us beyond a pale definition of sentient life. From the organic to the artificial to something in between—from the fully embodied to the fully simulated—so many aliens, so little time!

Deadline

May 30th 2023 at Midnight EST

Publication

By End of 2023

Award

• 2 complimentary paper copies. US only.
• Access to buy author copies at a discounted rate.
• We retain first publication rights for the first 90 days of publication. After that feel free to sell and republish your entry as you wish. All entries will solely belong to you.
• Wide distribution.
• By sending in a submission, you are agreeing to the rights above and will receive confirmation to further information regarding contest.

Contest Guidelines

Here’s what we need from you to include:

• 12 pt font
• Calibri or Times New Roman
• Double-spaced throughout (without extra spaces between paragraphs)
• Indented for new paragraphs
• 1-inch margin all around
• Include a title page with pen name & author name
• Title of work
• Header with pen name, title, and page number in top right-hand corner.
• 2,500 – 5,000 words
• You must be 18+ to participate or we must receive permission from your parents or guardian.

Important Notes:

• If you do not follow the submission and formatting guidelines you will be rejected without feedback and should resubmit. We will not review submissions that fail to follow instructions nor answer the questions we need.
• You must have your first manuscript completed before submitting. You are only sending us the first 10K words, but it is important to know we can hit the ground running.
• This writing should be fully edited. We shouldn’t see simply grammatical errors and misspelled words that are being flagged with Word upon opening. Please submit polished and well edited writing.
• Do not submit more or less of the word count range or this will result in a automatic rejection.
• Only US authors are eligible for complimentary copies.

Via: 4 Horsemen Publications</a..