Write a sci-fi story set in a fictional utopian society. I admit I have lost track of what a majority of Americans envision as our ideal...

"Lifetime Subscription" by Guy Lingham is the editor's pick as the winning theme story for July/August.

Write a science fiction story in which the villain or antagonist is an artificial intelligence. This Halloween, there's a lot of scary...

"Cyborg Isle" by Maren N. Law is the editor's pick as the winning theme story for May/June.

Write a science fiction story that explores the nature and consequences of (im)mortality. The current US president is 81 years old, and...

Editors' Choice The Wittiest Man in France by Philip Apps is the editor's pick as the winning theme story for April/May. Congratulations...

Theme: Write a science fiction story that uses gothic settings and tropes. Gothic science fiction is the oldest kind. Mary Shelley's...

Editors' Choice Caring for Barbara by B. M. Gilb is the editor's pick as the winning theme story for March/April. This is a new author...

Theme: Write a science fiction story that refers to itself or breaks the fourth wall in some interesting way. Metafiction is a set of...

Editors' Choice Adrift by Randall Andrews is the editor's pick as the winning theme story for February/March. Last month's theme prompt,...

Theme: Write a story about the complex relationships between humans and artificial intelligence as this new form of "life" assimilates...

Fallstreak by Dale E. Lehman Editors' Choice The January theme prompt, Weather Warnings, ended on February 15, with the final accepted...

Theme: Write a story in which a special day plays an important role. A special day may be a holiday or a national observance of some sort...

Editors' Choice The December theme prompt, Treasures, Brightly Wrapped, ended on January 15 with the final accepted entry published on...

Theme: Your challenge this month is to write a story in which the weather or climate is an important plot element. Our monthly theme...

Editors' Choice The November theme prompt, Feasts with the Beasts, ended on December 15 with the final accepted entry published on...

Theme: Your challenge this month is to write a story where the main character discovers something surprising about themselves. Something...

Editors' Choice The October theme prompt, Machine in the Ghost, was an enormous success! We received a bunch of fascinating,...

Theme: This month we’re looking ahead and behind at the same time. Did you ever hear how aliens gave the ancient Egyptians the blueprints...

Theme: We challenge you to write a piece of flash sci-fi in which mechanical or AI contrivances imitate, replace, or become someone who...