2024 WSFA Small Press Award Taking Submissions

The Washington (DC) Science Fiction Association (WSFA) has opened the submission period for the 2024 WSFA Small Press Award. It will close on March 31, 2024.

The WSFA Small Press Award honors the efforts of small press publishers in providing a critical venue for short fiction in the area of speculative fiction. The award showcases the best original short fiction published by small presses in the previous year (2023). An unusual feature of the selection process is that all voting is done with the identity of the author (and publisher) hidden so that the final choice is based solely on the quality of the story.

The winner is chosen by the members of the Washington Science Fiction Association  and presented at their annual convention, Capclave, held on September 27–29, 2024 in Rockville, MD.

Submissions should be sent to [email protected]

See The Rules webpage for details.

Kritzer Wins 2023 WSFA Small Press Award

The Washington Science Fiction Association (WSFA) announced at Capclave on September 30 that Naomi Kritzer won the 2023 WSFA Small Press Award for best short fiction published by a small press in 2023.

Kritzer’s winning story is “The Dragon Project”, published in Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 186 (March 2022), edited by Neil Clarke.

The award was announced by Capclave Chair Aaron Pound.

The other finalists for the 2023 WSFA Small Press Award for Short Fiction were:

  • “Ashes of a Cinnamon Fire” by R. Z. Held, Shattering The Glass Slipper, ed. by Crystal Sarakas and Rhondi Salsitz, Zombies Need Brains, LLC (June 2022); and
  • “At the Lighthouse, Out by the Othersea” by Juliet Kemp, Uncanny Magazine, Issue 47 (July/August 2022) ed. by Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas; and 
  • “In the Belly of the Whale” by Angus McIntyre, Trenchcoats, Towers, and Trolls: Cyberpunk Fairy Tales, ed. by Rhonda Parrish, World Weaver Press (January 2022); and  
  • “Not the Youngest, Nor the Prettiest, But Someone Else” by Alyse Winters, Shattering The Glass Slipper, ed. by Crystal Sarakas and Rhondi Salsitz, Zombies Need Brains, LLC (June 2022); and
  • “Possession” by Taylor Jones, Reckoning, #6 (September 25, 2022), ed. by Aicha Martine Thiam and Gabriela Santiago; and 
  • “Simons, Far and Near” by Ana Gardner, Cast of Wonders, episode 485 (February 6, 2022) ed. by Katherine Inskip; and 
  • “This Living Hand” by Marie Brennan, Sunday Morning Transport, (February 13, 2022) ed. by Julian Yap and Fran Wilde.

The award honors the efforts of small press publishers in providing a critical venue for short fiction in the area of speculative fiction, and showcases the best original short fiction published by small presses in the previous year (2022). An unusual feature of the selection process is that the voting is done with the identity of the author and publisher hidden so that the final choice is based solely on the quality of the story.  The winner was chosen by the members of the Washington Science Fiction Association and was presented at their annual convention, Capclave, held at the Rockville Hilton, Rockville, MD.

2023 WSFA Small Press Award Taking Submissions

The Washington (DC) Science Fiction Association (WSFA) has opened the submission period for the 2023 WSFA Small Press Award. It will close on March 31, 2023.

The WSFA Small Press Award honors the efforts of small press publishers in providing a critical venue for short fiction in the area of speculative fiction. The award showcases the best original short fiction published by small presses in the previous year (2022). An unusual feature of the selection process is that all voting is done with the identity of the author (and publisher) hidden so that the final choice is based solely on the quality of the story.

The winner is chosen by the members of the Washington Science Fiction Association  and presented at their annual convention, Capclave, held on September 29 – October 1, 2023 in Rockville, MD.

Submissions should be sent to [email protected]

See The Rules webpage for details.

Steven Harper Wins 2022 WSFA Small Press Award

The Washington Science Fiction Association (WSFA) announced on October 1 that Steven Harper is the winner of the 2022 WSFA Small Press Award for best short fiction published by a small press in 2021. Harper’s honor was revealed during Capclave in Rockville, MD.

“Eight Mile and the City” by Steven Harper, from When Worlds Collide, ed. by S. C. Butler & Joshua Palmatier, Zombies Need Brains, LLC (July 2021), is the winning story.

The award was announced by Capclave Guest of Honor Ursula Vernon, the only 3-time winner of the WSFA Small Press Award.

The other finalists for the 2021 WSFA Small Press Award for Short Fiction were:

  • “The Birdsong Fossil” by DK Mok, Multispecies Cities: Solarpunk Urban Futures, (April 2021) World Weaver Press ed. by Christoph Rupprecht, Deborah Cleland, Norie Tamura, Rajat Chaudhuri, and Sarena Ulibarri;
  • “Dress of Ash” by Y. M. Pang, Seasons Between Us: Tales of Identities and Memories, ed. by Susan Forest and Lucas K. Law, Laksa Media Groups Inc. (2021);
  • “Fisherman’s Soup” by Kristina Ten, Mermaids Monthly, (May 26, 2022) ed. by Julia Rios, Meg Frank, and Ashley Deng;
  • “From the Ashes Flew the Ladybug” by Alexandra Seidel, The Deadlands, Issue 7 (November 2021) ed. by E. Catherine Tobler;
  • “Laughter Among the Trees” by Suzan Palumbo, The Dark Magazine, Issue 69 (February 2021) ed by Sean Wallace;
  • “Space Pirate Queen of the Ten Billion Utopias” by Elly Bangs, Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 138 (November 2021) ed. by John Joseph Adams;
  • “Standing Orders” by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, Derelicts, ed. by David B. Coe and Joshua Palmatier, Zombies Need Brains, LLC (July 2021); 
  • “A Stranger Goes Ashore” by Adam R. Shannon, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Issue 328 (April 22, 2021) ed. by Scott H. Andrews; and
  • “A Universe All to Himself” by Ryan Priest, Metaphorosis, (April 2021) ed. by B. Morris Allen.

2022 WSFA Small Press Award Finalists

 The Washington (DC) Science Fiction Association (WSFA) has announced the finalists for the 2022 WSFA Small Press Award for Short Fiction:

  • “The Birdsong Fossil” by DK Mok, Multispecies Cities: Solarpunk Urban Futures, (April 2021) World Weaver Press ed. by Christoph Rupprecht, Deborah Cleland, Norie Tamura, Rajat Chaudhuri, and Sarena Ulibarri;
  • “Dress of Ash” by Y. M. Pang, Seasons Between Us: Tales of Identities and Memories, ed. by Susan Forest and Lucas K. Law, Laksa Media Groups Inc. (2021);
  • “Eight Mile and the City” by Steven Harper, When Worlds Collide, ed. by  S. C. Butler & Joshua Palmatier, Zombies Need Brains, LLC (July 2021);
  • “Fisherman’s Soup” by Kristina Ten, Mermaids Monthly, (May 26, 2022) ed. by Julia Rios, Meg Frank, and Ashley Deng;
  • “From the Ashes Flew the Ladybug” by Alexandra Seidel, The Deadlands, Issue 7 (November 2021) ed. by E. Catherine Tobler;
  • “Laughter Among the Trees” by Suzan Palumbo, The Dark Magazine, Issue 69 (February 2021) ed. by Sean Wallace;
  • “Space Pirate Queen of the Ten Billion Utopias” by Elly Bangs, Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 138 (November 2021) ed. by John Joseph Adams;
  • “Standing Orders” by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, Derelicts, ed. by David B. Coe and Joshua Palmatier, Zombies Need Brains, LLC (July 2021); 
  • “A Stranger Goes Ashore” by Adam R. Shannon, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Issue 328 (April 22, 2021) ed. by Scott H. Andrews; and
  • “A Universe All to Himself” by Ryan Priest, Metaphorosis, (April 2021) ed. by B. Morris Allen;

The award honors the efforts of small press publishers in providing a critical venue for short fiction in the area of speculative fiction, and showcases the best original short fiction published by small presses in the previous year (2021). An unusual feature of the selection process is that all voting is done with the identity of the author (and publisher) hidden so that the final choice is based solely on the quality of the story.

The winner is chosen by the members of the Washington Science Fiction

Association (www.wsfa.org) and will be presented at their annual convention, Capclave (www.capclave.org), held this year on September 30 – October 2, 2022 at the Rockville Hilton & Executive Meeting Center in Rockville, Maryland 20852

2022 WSFA Small Press Award Taking Submissions

The Washington (DC) Science Fiction Association (WSFA) has announced that the submission period for the 2022 WSFA Small Press Award is now open and will close on March 31, 2022.

The WSFA Small Press Award honors the efforts of small press publishers in providing a critical venue for short fiction in the area of speculative fiction. The award showcases the best original short fiction published by small presses in the previous year (2021). An unusual feature of the selection process is that all voting is done with the identity of the author (and publisher) hidden so that the final choice is based solely on the quality of the story.

The winner is chosen by the members of the Washington Science Fiction Association and presented at their annual convention, Capclave, held on September 30 – October 2, 2022 in Rockville, MD.

Submissions should be sent to [email protected]

See The Rules webpage for details.

T. Kingfisher Wins 2021 WSFA Small Press Award

The Washington Science Fiction Association (WSFA) announced October 2 that T. Kingfisher has won the 2021 WSFA Small Press Award for best short fiction published by a small press in 2020.

“Metal Like Blood in the Dark” by T. Kingfisher, Uncanny Magazine, (September/October 2020) ed. by Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas, is the winning story.

The other finalists for the 2021 WSFA Small Press Award for Short Fiction were:

  • “Foster-Child of Silence and Slow Time” by Brian Hugenbruch, My Battery Is Low And It Is Getting Dark, ed. by Crystal Sarakas and Joshua Palmatier, Zombies Need Brains LLC (July 2020);
  • “Guest Athletes” by Jennifer R. Povey, The Phantom Games: Dimensions Unknown Vol. III ed. by John Paul Catton, Excalibur Books (October 10, 2020); 
  • “Heritage Hill” by Matthew R. Davis, Outback Horrors Down Under: An Anthology of Antipodean Terrors, ed. By Steve Dillon, Things in the Well, (October 2020);
  • “The Longest Season in the Garden of the Tea Fish” by Jo Miles, Strange Horizons (April 2020) ed. by Gautam Bhatia, Rasha Abdulhadi, et al.;
  • “Memories Taste Best When Marinated With Sadness” by Feng Gooi, Hexagon Magazine, Issue 2 (Fall 2020) ed. by J.W. Stebner;
  • “Myself” by Rebecca Enzor, DreamForge, Issue 7 (December 2020) ed. by Scot Noel;
  • “Open House on Haunted Hill” by John Wiswell, Diabolical Plots (June 15, 2020) ed. by David Steffen;
  • “Reformed” by Caias Ward, Mysterion, (March 23, 2020), ed. by Donald S. Crankshaw and Kristin Janz.

The award honors the efforts of small press publishers in providing a critical venue for short fiction in the area of speculative fiction.  The award showcases the best original short fiction published by small presses in the previous year (2020). An unusual feature of the selection process is that all voting is done with the identity of the author (and publisher) hidden so that the final choice is based solely on the quality of the story.

The winner was chosen by the members of the Washington Science Fiction Association and was presented at their annual convention, Capclave.

2021 WSFA Small Press Award Finalists

The Washington (DC) Science Fiction Association (WSFA) has announced the finalists for the 2021 WSFA Small Press Award for Short Fiction:

  • “Foster-Child of Silence and Slow Time” by Brian Hugenbruch, My Battery Is Low And It Is Getting Dark, ed. by Crystal Sarakas and Joshua Palmatier, Zombies Need Brains LLC (July 2020)
  • “Guest Athletes” by Jennifer R. Povey, The Phantom Games: Dimensions Unknown Vol. IIIed. by John Paul Catton, Excalibur Books (October 10, 2020) 
  • “Heritage Hill” by Matthew R. Davis, Outback Horrors Down Under: An Anthology of Antipodean Terrors, ed. By Steve Dillon, Things in the Well, (October 2020)
  • “The Longest Season in the Garden of the Tea Fish” by Jo Miles, Strange Horizons (April 2020) ed. by Gautam Bhatia, Rasha Abdulhadi, et al.
  • “Memories Taste Best When Marinated With Sadness” by Feng Gooi, Hexagon Magazine, Issue 2 (Fall 2020) ed. by J.W. Stebner
  • “Metal Like Blood in the Dark” by T. Kingfisher, Uncanny Magazine, (September/October 2020) ed. by Lynn M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas 
  • “Myself” by Rebecca Enzor, DreamForge, Issue 7 (December 2020) ed. by Scot Noel
  • “Open House on Haunted Hill” by John Wiswell, Diabolical Plots (June 15, 2020) ed. by David Steffen
  • “Reformed” by Caias Ward, Mysterion, (March 23, 2020), ed. by Donald S. Crankshaw and Kristin Janz

The award honors the efforts of small press publishers in providing a critical venue for short fiction in the area of speculative fiction.  The award showcases the best original short fiction published by small presses in the previous year (2020). An unusual feature of the selection process is that all voting is done with the identity of the author (and publisher) hidden so that the final choice is based solely on the quality of the story.

The winner is chosen by the members of the Washington Science Fiction

Association (www.wsfa.org) and will be presented at their annual convention, Capclave (www.capclave.org), held on October 1-3, 2021 at the Rockville Hilton, Rockville, MD.

2021 WSFA Small Press Award Taking Submissions

The Washington (DC) Science Fiction Association (WSFA) has announced that the submission period for the 2021 WSFA Small Press Award is open. Entries will be taken through March 31, 2021.

The WSFA Small Press Award honors the efforts of small press publishers in providing a critical venue for short fiction in the area of speculative fiction. The award showcases the best original short fiction published by small presses in the previous year (2020). An unusual feature of the selection process is that all voting is done with the identity of the author (and publisher) hidden so that the final choice is based solely on the quality of the story.

The winner is chosen by the members of the Washington Science Fiction Association and presented at their annual convention, Capclave, held on October 1-3, 2021.

Submissions should be sent to [email protected]

See The Rules webpage for details.

Honigman Wins 2020 WSFA Small Press Award

Charlotte Honigman has won the 2020 WSFA Small Press Award for best short fiction published by a small press in 2019. The Washington Science Fiction Association made the announcement October 17 during their annual convention, Capclave, held online this year.

The winning story appeared in a collection edited by Kate Wolford.

  • “The Partisan and the Witch” by Charlotte Honigman, Skull and Pestle: New Tales of Baba Yaga, ed. by Kate Wolford, World Weaver Press (January 2019)

The other finalists for the 2020 WSFA Small Press Award for Short Fiction were:

  • “The Blighted Godling of Company Town H” by Beth Cato, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Issue 268 (January 3, 2019) ed. by Scott H. Andrews
  • “Fairest of All” by Ada Hoffmann, The Future Fire, ed. by Djibril al-Ayad (August 2019)
  • “Give the Family My Love” by A. T. Greenblatt, Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 149 (February 2019) ed. by Neil Clarke
  • Painter of Trees by Suzanne Palmer, Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 153 (June 2019) ed. by Neil Clarke
  • “Somewhere Else, Nowhere Else” by Juliet Kemp, Portals ed. by Patricia Bray and S.C. Butler, Zombies Need Brains, LLC (June 2019)
  • “The Sound of Distant Stars” by Judi Fleming, Footprints in the Stars, ed. by Danielle Ackley-McPhail, eSpec Books (July 2019)
  • “The Weight of Mountains” by L. Deni Colter, DreamForge, Issue 2 (June 2019) ed. by Scot Noel

The WSFA Small Press Award honors the efforts of small press publishers in providing a critical venue for short fiction in the area of speculative fiction.  The award showcases the best original short fiction published by small  presses in the previous year (2018). An unusual feature of the selection process is that all voting is done with the identity of the author (and publisher) hidden so that the final choice is based solely on the quality of the story.