The winner of the 2018 Dell Magazines Award for Undergraduate Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing was announced on January 31.

• Winner: Arthur Davis of Swarthmore College for the story, “Happy? Sad?”
• First Runner-up: Claire Spaulding of Columbia University for the story, “Four Days to Opening Night.”
• Second Runner-up: Rebecca Kuang of Georgetown University for the story, “The Corpse Return.”
• Third Runner-up: Brittney Hubley of the University of Alberta for the story, “Shitbucket.”
• Honorable Mention: Garrison Kammer of Bellevule College for the story, “Venus Return.”
• Honorable Mention: Alexandra Barr of the University of Alberta for the story, “Flood Daughter.”
• Honorable Mention: Charlotte McGill of North Carolina State University for the story, “Sapphire, Dagger, Hall.”

The $500 award goes to the best unpublished and unsold science fiction or fantasy short story submitted by a full-time undergraduate college student. The winner is invited to the IAFA annual Conference on the Fantastic, and the winning story gets considered for publication in Asimov’s. (The Dell Award was formerly known as the Isaac Asimov Award.)

The award was started in 1992 by Asimov’s Science Fiction magazine editor Sheila Williams and science fiction writer and journalism professor Rick Wilber who are the co-judges.

[Via Locus Online.]

Taimur Ahmad in 2012

Taimur Ahmad has won the 2017 Dell Magazine Award with his story “Noor.”

The Dell Magazines Award for Undergraduate Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing is given to the best unpublished and unsold science fiction or fantasy short story submitted by a full-time undergraduate college student.

The winner receives a $500 prize and is invited, all expenses paid, to the Conference on the Fantastic. The winning story will be published in print or online by Asimov’s Science Fiction.

In addition to winning, Ahmad received honorable mention for another entry in this year’s contest. He received an honorable mention in last year’s contest as well. A promising writer, Ahmad is a past recipient of the Lunarians’ Donald A. & Elsie B. Wollheim Memorial Scholarship to attend Clarion West.

Winner: “Noor,” by Taimur Ahmad of Princeton University

First Runner-up: “The Food of Love,” by Claire Spaulding, Columbia University

Second Runner-up: “Questions for Oretta,” by Alexandra Barr, University of Alberta

Third Runner-up: “Braidwood Rings,” by Pearl Lorentzen, University of Alberta

Honorable Mention: “Everyone is Split,” by Taimur Ahmad, Princeton University

Honorable Mention: “Everything, in Both Hands,” by Alina Sichevaya, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Honorable Mention: “Protagonist,” by Gian-Paul Bergeron, Yale University

Honorable Mention: “Storm & Splinter,” by Marcella Haddad, Arcadia University

Honorable Mention: “Ravenous Things,” by Sarah Goldman, Bryn Mawr College

Rani Banjarian

Rani Banjarian, of Vanderbilt University, won the 2016 Dell Magazine Award for Undergraduate Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy for his story “Lullabies in Arabic.”

He received an award of $500 dollars and was invited, all expenses paid, to the Conference on the Fantastic held in March. His winning story will be published by Asimov’s Science Fiction.

An excerpt of the story appears at Islam and Science Fiction.

The winner, runners-up, and honorable mentions were announced around the beginning of the year. But these things are always news to someone….

Winner

Rani Banjarian
Vanderbilt University
“Lullabies in Arabic”

First Runner-up

Eleanor Griggs
Grinnell College
“Nostos”

Second Runner-up

Laura Davia
Vanderbilt University
“Get Out of Here”

Third Runner-up

Eleanor Griggs
Grinnell College
“Wags”

Honorable Mention

Taimur Ahmad
Princeton University
“Green Tunnels”

Honorable Mention

Caighlan Smith
Memorial University of Newfoundland
“A Pest Most Fiendish”

Honorable Mention

Karen Aston
Kenyon College
“Thieves Gold”

Honorable Mention

Courtney Gilmore
Columbia College Chicago
“The Numbers Queen of Harlem