Omega Sci-Fi Awards has announced the 2021 finalists and honorable mentions for both The Roswell Award and The Tomorrow Prize. They also have revealed the winner of the Women Hold Up Half the Sky Award, their feminist themed prize, and the winner of the Green Feather Award, their eco-themed prize.

THE ROSWELL AWARD for original short science fiction from writers worldwide

FINALISTS

• “The Rite to Vote” by Matthew Cushing (Connecticut, USA)
• “Imagine Dandelions” by Andrea Goyan (California, USA)
• “Autonomous” by Ben Hennesy (USA/Tanzania)
• “Run” by Tenzin Phillips (South Africa)
• “Biomimicry” by Ven Pillay (South Africa)
• “Realtiger” by Susan Wachowski (Illinois, USA)

HONORABLE MENTIONS

• “When The Books Were on Paper” by Evgeniy Bondarev (Russia)
• “Logistics” by Christian Dark (United Kingdom)
• “Buddy and I” by Bryan Leong Jing Ern (Malaysia)
• “Opt-In” by Susan Harper (California, USA)
• “Way Out” by Larry Herbst (California, USA)
• “Starchild” by Mayor Prosper Ihechi (Nigeria)
• “Eclosion” by Alice Laciny (Austria)
• “Rate Me!” by Lexus Ndiwe (United Kingdom)
• “Mittens Aurelius: Meowditations” by Mark Thomas (Canada)

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THE WOMEN HOLD UP HALF THE SKY AWARD for original short feminist themed science fiction

WINNER

• “Never Turn Your Back on the Water” by Courtney Watson (Virginia, USA)

FINALISTS

• “Yes” by Marie Cartier (California, USA)
• “Unfrozen” by Libby Marshall (Illinois, USA)
• “Fish Hunting Fish” by Archie Nicholson (Canada)
• “Virgintillion” by Anna O’Brien (Maryland, USA)
• “The Shadows of the Baobabs Fall Long” by Bailey Sweatman (Texas, USA)

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THE TOMORROW PRIZE for original short science fiction by Los Angeles County high school students

FINALISTS

• “EP-1M Contamination” by Britney Cruz (Susan Miller Dorsey High School)
• “Äerd” by Tessa Kennedy (John Marshall High School)
• “Star Sailor” by Gwendolyn Lopez (Pasadena High School)
• “Returning Home” by Sofia Orduno (Mt. SAC Early College Academy)
• “The Plague” by Flora White (Geffen Academy at UCLA)

HONORABLE MENTIONS

• “Cold Ashes” by Ethan Kim (Crescenta Valley High School)
• “The Gorm” by Jakob Wedel (Wedel Academy Independent Homeschool)

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THE GREEN FEATHER AWARD for original short eco-themed science fiction by Los Angeles County high school students

WINNER

• “Corn” by Sienna Koizumi (Culver City High School)

HONORABLE MENTION

• “The Great Forgotten” by Jonah Guardino (High Tech LA)

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On May 22 and 23 there will be Virtual Celebrity Readings & Awards events hosted in partnership with actress and stunt person Patricia Tallman’s (Babylon 5, Star Trek) B5 Events.

These events are free to attend with registration. Registration and more info is available here.

• Saturday, May 22 at 11am PDT: The Roswell Award and Women Hold Up Half the Sky Virtual Celebrity Readings and Awards. Register here.
• Sunday, May 23 at 5pm PDT: The Tomorrow Prize and Green Feather Award Virtual Celebrity Readings and Awards. Register here.

The Roswell Award and Women Hold Up Half the Sky Virtual Celebrity Readings & Awards will honor the best emerging science fiction writers from across the United States and worldwide. The Women Hold Up Half the Sky Award, a special feminist-themed award, is co-presented by the feminist publication Artemis Journal and KPFK’s Feminist Magazine radio show. The first place winner will also be presented with a free online course from the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program.

Featured celebrity guests for The Roswell Award Virtual Celebrity Readings & Awards on May 22 include: LaMonica Garrett (Arrow, Dc’s Legends Of Tomorrow), Ruth Connell (SUPERNATURAL), Nana Visitor (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Phil Lamarr (Samurai Jack, Futurama), Tiffany Lonsdale-Hands (Siren), Kari Wahlgren (Rick And Morty), and David Blue (Stargate Universe).

Finalist judges for The Roswell Award include: Author Steven Barnes (Lion’s Blood, The New Twilight Zone), paleontologist Alyssa Bell (Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Dinosaur Institute), author Wesley Chu (The Lives Of Tao, The Walking Dead: Typhoon), author and engineer S.B. Divya (Runtime, Escape Pod), author Rebecca Moesta (Star Wars: Young Jedi Knights, Star Wars: Junior Jedi Knights), writer and director Philippe Mora (Communion, Continuity), author Larry Niven (Ringworld, The Integral Trees).

The Tomorrow Prize and Green Feather Award Virtual Celebrity Readings & Awards is co-presented by L.A. Parent Magazine. These include five all-female Finalists for The Tomorrow Prize original short sci-fi competition, this year’s Honorable Mentions, and the Winner of the Green Feather Award, a special ecology-themed award co-presented by the Los Angeles Audubon Society.

Featured celebrity guests for The Tomorrow Prize Virtual Celebrity Readings & Awards on May 23 include: Joanna Cassidy (Blade Runner, Who Framed Roger Rabbit), Rico E. Anderson (The Orville), Kirsten Vangsness (Criminal Minds), Duane Henry (Captain Marvel), and more.

Finalist judges for The Tomorrow Prize include: volcanologist, explorer, and author Jess Phoenix (Ms. Adventure), and author Charles Yu (How To Live Safely In A Science Fictional Universe, Interior Chinatown), author Jennifer Brody (The 13th Continuum, 200), American Flight engineer Bobak Ferdowsi.

This will be Omega Sci-Fi Awards’ sixth year hosting celebrity guests to read finalists’ stories. Gary Phillips, sci-fi and mystery writer and Omega Sci-Fi Awards board member says, “I was thrilled to read the entries for this year’s awards and am looking forward to hearing the Finalists’ stories read aloud by this stellar line-up.”

Their 6th annual Virtual Celebrity Readings & Awards events, with dramatic readings of the finalists’ stories followed by the prize announcements, will be on:

The Omega Sci-Fi Awards is a nonprofit program founded in 2014 by Sci-Fest L.A. that aims to recognize and encourage emerging sci-fi writers, and Light Bringer Project, a Pasadena-based nonprofit arts and education organization. The awards ceremony is hosted in conjunction with LitFest Pasadena 2021, a series of literary panel discussions that will be held on May 15-16 from noon to 6:00 p.m. Pacific.

[Based on a press release.]