Amazing Stories’ Steve Davidson has announced the finalists in the publication’s inaugural Gernsback Writing Contest.

The top three finalists are:

• Stuart Barton – Lost Phoenixes
• Matthew Downer – Size of the Fight
• Sean Monaghan – Penny of Tharsis Montes

These stories and the following seven finalists will be published on the Amazing Stories website and in the first Amazing Stories Bi-Annual anthology.

• James Harper – A Clean Start
• Vince Liberato – Parental Guidance Recommended
• Jeremy Lichtman – Bob the Hipster Knight
• Stephen Power – The Sounding Cataract
• Alex Shvartsman – How Gaia and the Guardian Saved the World
• Karen Skovmand – The Mesmerist
• Trent Walters – Awake the Snorting Citizens With the Bell

The 73 contest entries were initially screened by Karen Anderson, Stephen Bianchini, R. Graeme Cameron, M. Christian, Judith K. Dial, Dianne Lynne Gardner, David Hardy, Jack Hillman, Michaele Jordan and Ann Stolinsky. Then the finalists were picked from the 18 entries they approved by Cat Rambo (SFWA President), Dave Creek, and Jack Clemons.

In addition to “certificates suitable for framing,” the top three finalists will receive 6 cents per word prize money (up to $120.00 each), and when the anthology is released, all ten finalists will be paid 6 cents per word.

Amazing Stories will begin taking submissions to the Gernsback Science Fiction Short Story Writing Contest on July 1.

Stories must be written on the theme of “What will our solar system look like 250 years from now – exploration, colonization, exploitation?” and must have a positive outlook. (Conflict welcome, resolution positive.)

All stories must be original, previously unpublished short stories, between 1,000 and 2,000 words in length.

The contest’s final round will be judged by SFWA President Cat Rambo and SFWA members Dave Creek and Jack Clemons.

Three stories (1st, 2nd and 3rd) will receive 6 cents per word (up to $120.00) each in prize money.  The authors of those stories will also be eligible for SFWA affiliate membership.

The top 10 stories will be published on the Amazing Stories website and will also be published in a follow-on anthology (electronic and/or print), which will also be paid at 6 cents per word.

Submittable will be used to receive submissions and all submissions should follow standard short story manuscript format.

The contest opens July 1 and will remain open until either 100 submissions have been received or July 31, whichever comes first.

For further information, visit Amazing Stories or email [email protected]