The 5 finalists for best Clarkesworld short story and cover art of 2018 are in listed in Neil Clarke’s February editorial.

Clarke had this to say about the first phase:

We held a two-day nomination period for the Clarkesworld Magazine Reader’s Poll in January. Similar to last year, the shortened nomination phase appears to have minimized the attempts at ballot-stuffing without any significant impact on the total number of participants. It was a tight race in both categories and the top five changed many times. In the end, there were enough ties that both ended with six finalists instead of the normal five.

Finalists for Best Story

1. “Dandelion” by Elly Bangs (September)
2. “The Anchorite Wakes” by R.S.A. Garcia (August)
3. “Umbernight” by Carolyn Ives Gilman (February)
4. “When We Were Starless” by Simone Heller (October)
5. “Octo-Heist in Progress” by Rich Larson (November)
6. “Sour Milk Girls” by Erin Roberts (January)

Finalists for Best Cover Art

1. Islamic Universe 2 by Luis Carlos Barragán (July)
2. Belt 71 by Pascal Blanché (December)
3. New Life by Helen Ilnytska (November)
4. The Storkfriars by Sean Murray (June)
5. Postcards from Asia: The Floodplain by Pat Presley (October)
6. Vukileyo! by Artur Sadlos (January)

Voting on the finalists is open until February 20 at 8 p.m. EST. The results will be announced in Clarkesworld’s March issue. Vote here.