Lightspeed is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF—and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales.
Launched in 2010, Lightspeed is a two-time winner of the Hugo Award, and stories from the magazine have been nominated for major genre awards dozens of times, including the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, the World Fantasy Award, and the Theodore Sturgeon Award. Our editor, John Joseph Adams, has been nominated for the Hugo Award twelve times and the World Fantasy Award eight times, and in addition to editing Lightspeed he’s also edited more than thirty anthologies (including Wastelands and The Living Dead) and serves as series editor of Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy.
FAQ
If you are curious how writing competitions work, or it's your first time entering one, we recommend reading our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page first.
Sudowrite
We’re keen to encourage quality, so we recommend writers refine their stories before submitting using Sudowrite - a creative writing tool designed to help you rewrite, expand, and enhance your prose with ease. Whether you need help overcoming writer’s block, finding the perfect phrase, or strengthening your story, Sudowrite offers tools that support your creative flow. Visit their website to explore Sudowrite — free trials are available.
Salamander is a literary organization that publishes a biannual magazine of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and works in translation. It was founded in 1992 and aims to publish work by writers deserving of a wider audience at any stage in their careers as well as to focus intentionally on inclusivity and… Find out more
Kweli’s mission is to nurture emerging writers of color and create opportunities for their voices to be recognized and valued. By creating a community of Black, Indigenous and POC artists and programming based on artistic excellence and rigor, Kweli empowers writers to share stories that engage and impact our communities.… Find out more
The purpose of The First Line is to jump start the imagination--to help writers break through the block that is the blank page. Each issue contains short stories that stem from a common first line; it also provides a forum for discussing favorite first lines in literature. The First Line is an exercise in… Find out more
