Matt McHugh of New Jersey has won the grand prize in the 2019 Jim Baen Memorial Award competition for his short story “Burners.” The Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Contest has been held annually since 2007 and is focused on stories of space exploration and discovery, with an optimistic spin on those activities for the human race.

GRAND PRIZE

• “Burners” by Mat McHugh of New Jersey

FIRST RUNNER-UP

• “Acid Test” by Gustavo Bondoni of Buenos Aires, Argentina

SECOND RUNNER-UP

• “Dangerous Orbit” by M. T. Reiten of Los Alamos, NM

Judges for the award were the editors of Baen Books. Stories were judged anonymously.

The Jim Baen Memorial Award will be presented June 8, 2019 in a ceremony at the annual International Space Development Conference held this year in Arlington, VA. The winner receives a distinctive award and professional publication of the story in June 2019 at the Baen.com web site.

“The National Space Society and Baen Books applaud the role that science fiction plays in advancing real science and have teamed up to sponsor this short fiction contest in memory of Jim Baen, the founder of Baen Books,” said William Ledbetter, contest administrator. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for the winner to meets scientists and space advocates from around the world.”

The contest occurs annually and looks for stories that demonstrate the positive aspects of space exploration and discovery.