Undergo the 2025 Dream Foundry Rising Writers Contest
The Dream Foundry Rising Writers Contest is again for its 2025 version, providing speculative fiction writers firstly of their careers an opportunity to win money prizes and achieve trade publicity—with no submission charges.
This annual contest goals to find and uplift recent voices in science fiction, fantasy, and different speculative genres. Winners not solely obtain substantial money prizes but additionally get acknowledged throughout Flights of Foundry, a world speculative arts conference. Whether or not you’re an aspiring author experimenting with worldbuilding or crafting surreal tales, that is your likelihood to interrupt into the sector.
Eligibility for the Dream Foundry Rising Writers Contest
To keep up its give attention to new voices, the Dream Foundry Rising Writers Contest has the next eligibility standards:
- You’ve got printed fewer than 4,000 phrases of paid speculative fiction in English.
- You’ve earned lower than $320 USD from these publications.
- You’ve by no means been nominated for a significant speculative fiction award.
- You’re not a earlier winner of this contest.
- You haven’t used AI or machine studying instruments to generate or write your story, apart from fundamental grammar or spellcheck.
Entrants are anticipated to self-assess their eligibility actually, although the Dream Foundry reserves the precise to disqualify entries that don’t align with the competition’s targets.
Submission Necessities for the Dream Foundry Rising Writers Contest
- Submit one full, polished story (as much as 10,000 phrases) of authentic speculative fiction.
- The manuscript should be in commonplace manuscript format, with no writer identify included within the file.
- Submissions should be beforehand unpublished on the time of submission.
- Simultaneous submissions are allowed, however no a number of entries—one story per author.
- All entries should be authentic prose in English. No poetry, screenplays, nonfiction, or fanfiction.
- Content material should be speculative in nature—science fiction, fantasy, bizarre fiction, and so forth.
Do Not Ship:
- Mainstream, romance, or historic fiction with no speculative components
- Erotica or gratuitous violence
- Novels, excerpts, or kids’s literature
Advantages of Getting into the Dream Foundry Rising Writers Contest
Winners of the Dream Foundry Rising Writers Contest will obtain:
- First Place: $1,500
- Second Place: $750
- Third Place: $400
As well as, all winners will probably be featured on the Flights of Foundry conference, providing unparalleled publicity to brokers, editors, and seasoned professionals throughout speculative arts.
Deadline for the 2025 Dream Foundry Rising Writers Contest
- Submissions open: April 7, 2025
- Submissions shut: June 2, 2025 (All time zones included)
The submission portal is on their web site.
Submission Tips
- Story Size: As much as 10,000 phrases
- File Format: Normal manuscript format, writer identify eliminated
- Eligibility: New/rising speculative writers
- Deadline: June 2, 2025
- Electronic mail for questions: writing.contest@dreamfoundry.org
- No entry charge.
Meet the Judges
- C.S.E. Cooney – World Fantasy Award-winner, writer, narrator, and recreation designer.
- Carlos Hernandez – NYT bestselling writer of Sal and Gabi, and Marvel Comics author.
Contest Coordinator:
- Julia Rios (they/them), Hugo-winning editor and narrator, bringing considerate imaginative and prescient and group spirit to the competition.
Sharpen Your Craft Earlier than You Submit
Wish to polish your story earlier than submitting to the Dream Foundry Rising Writers Contest? Listed below are two guides to assist:
Undergo the Dream Foundry Rising Writers Contest by June 2, 2025.