contest format

• Genre or Style: Satirical or speculative fiction with a darkly comedic or ironic tone

• Prompt: Write a 600–1,000 word story that uses sci-fi to comment on something real

• Word Count: 600–1,000 words

• Unique Rule: Your story must include one social system or rule that is exaggerated to absurdity

CONTEST details

Kurt Vonnegut wrote with a smirk and a sigh. His stories were weird, sharp, funny, and tragic — often all at once. This contest invites you to write a short, satirical sci-fi story that critiques society while keeping a sense of humor and humanity.

We’re looking for irony, absurdity, and emotional weight. A war fought over punctuation. A company that rents personalities. A planet that votes on feelings. Whatever your idea, it should feel ridiculous at first — and devastating by the end.

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• Start weird. Let the premise be bizarre — then reveal how close it is to real life.

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• Let humor carry the truth. A joke is a delivery system. Use it to land something painful.

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• Characters should feel real, even if the world doesn’t. Give us one moment of honest emotion — even in a world full of nonsense.

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• Name things with precision. Vonnegut’s genius was in naming: Ice-Nine, Chrono-Synclastic Infundibulum. Be bold and specific.

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• Don’t resolve the satire. Let it sting. Let the story end before the world gets better.