The OddContest is an annual competition for speculative (science fiction, fantasy, or horror) stories or prose poems no longer than 500 words. The contest has been sponsored since 2008 by OdysseyCon, a science-fiction convention held each April in Madison, Wisconsin. The contest offers cash prizes of $500 for the Adult winner and $50 for the Youth winner, convention memberships, and books in both Adult and Youth divisions.
Our 2009 judge, Joe Haldeman, has selected the following winners:
YOUTH |
ADULT |
||
| 1st | "Equilibrium" Annelyse Gelman, Orinda, CA |
1st | "100 seconds from the Century of Martian Wars" Leonid Korogodski, Sharon, MA |
| 2nd | "Dream, Real" Kimberly Tsan, Coquitlam, BC, Canada |
2nd | "The Powers of Singing" Richard Roe, Madison, WI |
| 3rd | "The Melody of Life" Lin Wang, Coquitlam, BC, Canada |
3rd | "The Apple and the Tyrannosaur" Robert Borski, Stevens Point, WI |
See the judge's comments on the 2009 winners and read the winning stories. An awards ceremony and reading of the winning stories will be held at OdysseyCon on April 24 at the Radisson Hotel in Madison, and the stories will be published in the OddCon program.
The entry deadline is January 15 each year and results are announced by March 1. See the contest guidelines and our helpful definitions for more information.