The Nova Short Story Competition is our annual competition for budding writers of science fiction and fantasy short stories. Usually contested in two categories, General and South African, the competition is open for entry from April until 30 September annually. Winning entries and finalists are published in Probe.

• 2011 Winners
• Results from previous years' short story competitions

If you are writing a South African science fiction story then we suggest you read the listed guide for useful tips. Even if you are not writing a South African themed story there are still many useful tips contained within the document and we suggest you read it as well.

For more information, please email us.

2012

The Nova Short Story Competition for 2012 will open for entries around April, and close on 30 September. Please start thinking about your stories, thinking about writing the stories, and writing the stories. September is a lot closer than you think

The South African section of the competition is sponsored by Arthur Goldstuck of WorldWideWorx

Please note that we reserve the right to determine if a story meets our criteria for a South African story. If we judge that a story is not South African, we will judge it as a General section story.

2011

Winners

The General section was judged by Alan Swerdlow, who placed the top 3 stories in the following order

The South African section was judged by Arthur Goldstuck, who placed the top 3 stories in the following order

Finalists

These stories, in alphabetic order, were the Highly Recommended for the General Category:

These stories, in alphabetic order, were the Highly Recommended for the South African Category:

General Section Judge: Alan Swerdlow

I approached the judging as I would any new piece of writing submitted for critical evaluation - an assessment of the quality of the writing, originality of narrative, construction and how often I thought about the work subsequent to my initial reading.  In other words, did it stay with me, alter my perceptions, make me think anew and appreciate the crafting of the submission?  That was the initial reading.  When I re-read each short story, I began to apply the filters of our expectations of science-fiction and the demands of the classic short story.
 
I can't say that I was completely bowled over by the ten finalists, but I was impressed by the huge rise in standard since the last time I was asked to judge this competition.  Sadly, science-fiction lends itself to repetition, mimicry and the dispiriting murk of clich?.  The tropes of the genre are almost obligatory and all too familiar.  Then there is the easy temptation of (quite obviously) blinding the reader with science, even when it is science of one's own invention!  Unfortunately, too, a more pervasive disappointment is that for many the appreciation of the genre seems to have frozen some time around the arrival of Buck Rogers or Dan Dare.  For almost everyone who made a submission, though, the alternate, future or possible state of being is inevitably a dystopia.  Why is that?  Does it simply reflect our present times and circumstances?  Is science-fiction inherently pessimistic about the human race, or is the interaction between humankind and scientific development doomed to inevitable human fallibility?
 
That marriage between imaginative possibility and understanding that is the hallmark of good science-fiction writing doesn't always come along in quantity, but thankfully it does come along.  What disturbs me is how very seriously we take the genre: why is it that both within this competition and the great big realm of science-fiction writing out there and on the bookshelves, there is almost a complete absence of humour and wit?  Since wit is something born of a rigorous intellectual approach rather than the emotional, it seems to me that it is an almost essential component in this field. Yes, there was a fair sprinkling of irony in these submissions, but that's not quite the same thing.  Perhaps the previously mentioned intimations of doom and failure don't allow room for wit to grow.
 
However, the moments in which we sit up in surprise and delight while reading and say "Now that's interesting" are when it all comes alive.  I'm pleased to say that I had enough moments like that whilst reading these entries to have made the whole exercise worthwhile.  On occasion, a very promising notion was let down by woolly writing and artificial dialogue.  Conversely, some clean, dynamic writing and an obvious ear for the way in which people communicate looked vainly for an idea to support.  Fortunately, since science-fiction is an elastic and welcoming structure, we did have some attempts at fantasy and the mythical, and that's to be encouraged.
 
Congratulations to all, and may SFSA grow from strength to strength.  May all our futures be possible!
 
 

South African Section Judge: Arthur Goldstuck

1.  Chatoyancy - A well-rounded, well-told story drawing on an old theme: that the San are in touch with higher powers. An unusually humorous and clever epilogue, despite a fairly predictable climax, clinched first place. Stylistic flaws include the lead character lecturing her partner on the purpose of their trip AFTER their arrival; and a cliched view of the scientific establishment.

2.  The Day the Galaxy Came - A very rigid scientific culture attributed to the aliens is inconsistent with their ability to cross the stars; however, this is more than balanced by the consistently maddening response of the sangoma to the visitors, and a fun twist on the power of muti.

3.  A New Jerusalem - Beautifully researched insight into South African history, and a great twist in the end, but pedestrian as a story. The characters don't come to life, and it barely has a plot.

4.  Twister - A conventional time travel theme with a conventional approach to explaining a historical disaster in the context of time travel gone wrong. The reason it goes wrong saves the story, but the stereotyped characters kept it from the top three.

5.  Gate 31 - Conventional and predictable horror story, with poor sequential structure, but with a superb climax.

• Results from previous years' short story competitions

For more details, you are welcome to email the convenor of the Short Story Competition.