Speculative Fiction Writers Association hosts four writing contests for its members. In order of rising importance, they are: The Speck of Fancy themed flash fiction contest; two Speckled Spectrum Awards, given in January and July each year; and the Spectacular Quill Awards, given in January to the best one or two (if any) stories of speculative fiction from the previous year’s Speckled Spectrum winners.
Listed below are the winners of our contests (which began in summer of 2025).
Speckled Spectrum Award—January 2026
Sci-Fi Short Stories
- First Place—“As Above, So Below” by L. S. Popovich
- Second Place—“Transmission” by Kenton Erwin
Short Stories (all other genres)
- First Place—“Golden Jack’s Second Chance” by Trinity Demask
- Second Place—“Familiarity” by Elle Price
Flash Fiction
- First Place—“Love Among Insects” by Marc Guillotte
Speck of Fancy Award—December 2025
- First Place—“Chronic Bilocation Syndrome” by Dana Cain
- Second Place—“Something Eternal” by Chris Graves
- Third Place—“Hollow Heaven” by FJ Slater
Speckled Spectrum Award—July 2025
- First Place—“The Egg” by Kenton Erwin
- Second Place—“Agent X” by Eric Hildeman
- Third Place—“Cold” by Fred Lanigan
- Fourth Place—“The Four Yorkshiremen at the End of Space and Time” by Paul Martz
- Runner-Up—“The Book of Lilith” by Elle Price
- Runner-Up—“The Rite to Vote” by Matthew Cushing
- Runner-Up—“Wrapped Up in Work” by Michael Strickland