The joint winners of the 2023 Salam Award for Imaginative Fiction, which recognizes emerging speculative fiction writers of Pakistani origin or residence, are “The Shoe Shop Djinn” by Sakina Hassan and “Earth 747” by Saud Ahmed. Read the winning stories here.

The winners receive:

• A cash prize of Rs 50,000
• Stories will be published on the Salam Award website
• Review by an established literary agent for market guidance and possible representation
• An editorial review by a professional editor for critique and potential publication in a multi-award winning science fiction magazine

The authors of the other top two stories receive Rs 30,000 and Rs 20,000.

The award judges were Samit Basu, Arley Sorg, and Mohammed Hanif.

FINALIST

• “Softly Unalone” by Ayesha Malik

HONORABLE MENTIONS

• “Solarpunk” by Maaz Ismail
• “A Hidden Haven” by Radiyah Nauman
• “An Act of Substitution” by Rana Saadullah Khan

The Salam Award for Imaginative Fiction is named for Dr. Albus Salam, one of the pioneers of science in Pakistan.