The 2018 Tomorrow Prize is accepting entries from students attending high school in Los Angeles County. The deadline to submit is February 26, 2018.

Contest entries must be original short science fiction stories, not fan fiction, of 1,500 words or less.

Sci-Fest L.A. and Light Bringer Project seek to nurture imagination, creativity and excellence in writing amongst Los Angeles high school students. Science fiction writing provides a unique opportunity for students to develop the ideas and narratives that will shape the future of humanity from how we address pressing scientific, social, philosophical, and environmental issues to inspiring us to develop new technologies and explore outer space. We are seeking narratives that are imaginative, original, thoughtful, well told, and well written.

Five finalists’ stories will be dramatically read on stage by sci-fi celebrities during LitFest Pasadena on Sunday, May 20, 2018, followed by an awards presentation.

The Grand Prize Winner will receive $250, with second and third place winners each receiving $150 and $100, respectively.

The Tomorrow Prize for short science fiction was created by Sci-Fest LA in 2014 “to identify and encourage the next generation of science fiction writing talent.”

Entrants may also choose to be considered for the “Green Feather Award” presented by Los Angeles Audobon.

[The “Green Feather”] award recognizes an outstanding science fiction short story by a teen author [or team of authors] that centers on overcoming today’s environmental challenges. Strong entries will highlight the importance of ecology and biodiversity in some way, and we would be especially excited to see the local ecology, geography, culture, and environmental concerns of Southern California emphasized. We also recognize that issues of social and environmental justice strongly overlap with those concerning wildlife conservation, sea level rise, water conservation, climate change, and energy. Keeping that in mind, a story about a single neighborhood or school overcoming an environmental challenge would be just as valid as a story that tackles a much broader scale.

The “Green Feather” winner will receive a $250 cash prize and a one year Los Angeles Audubon membership.

Stories are eligible for only one prize but stories submitted for The Green Feather Award will be considered for other prizes if they are not a Green Feather Award winner.

Rules and submission guidelines are on the The Lightbringer Project’s Tomorrow Prize/Roswell Award information page.