The sixth annual Baen Fantasy Adventure Award contest opens this month. Entries will be accepted from January 21 to April 30.

We’re looking for compelling storytelling with heroes you want to root for and villains you love to hate. Whether your heroes win the day with swords or sorcery, fireballs or flamethrowers—or even by their wits alone—all are welcome. Modern, medieval, and otherworldly settings are all acceptable, as long as you tell a rip-roaring good tale with a fantastical element!

“I can hardly believe it’s been more than five years since we first created the Baen Fantasy Adventure Award. And we’re very excited to announce that this year, we’ll be presenting the winners at SpikeCon in Layton, Utah,” said Baen executive editor Jim Minz. “Not only is SpikeCon this year’s Westercon, it’s also the NASFiC, not to mention the 1632 minicon. It’s the perfect event to showcase the award.”

The contest opens for submissions January 21, 2019 and all entries must be received by midnight on April 30, 2019.  Each entry is limited to an original short story in the English language of no more than 8,000 words, and only one entry per author. Complete guidelines here. Entries will be judged by Baen editors and the award will be presented at the  SpikeCon, which will be held July 4-7, 2019, in Layton, UT.

• The GRAND PRIZE winner will be published as the featured story on the Baen Books main website and paid at industry-standard rates for professional story submittals. The author will also receive an engraved award and a prize package containing $500 of free Baen Books.
• SECOND place winner will receive a prize package containing $500 of free Baen Books.
• THIRD place winner will receive a prize package containing $300 of free Baen Books.

Finalists will be announced no later than June 14, 2019

Winners will be notified no later than June 17, 2019.

Since its beginning the contest has received thousands of entries of fantasy stories from all over the globe.