A press release from Marcy Lyn-Waitsman, Chairman of the ISFiC Writers Contest:
Mary Mascari is winner of the 2011 ISFiC Writers Contest for her short story, “The Pod.” The award, which has been presented since 1986, is accompanied by a cash prize of $300, membership and room at Windycon, and publication of the winning story in the Windycon program book. The award was announced Friday evening at Windycon, the Chicago area’s longest running science fiction convention.
Mascari previously won the award in 2010 for her short story “Lost and Found.” She is the third author to have won the award twice, joining Richard Chwedyk (1986 & 1988) and C.T. Fluhr (1993 & 1996).
Honorable mentions were award to Michael Unger for “Dawn Must Come” and Jeff Byrne for “The Un-usual Suspects.” Each honorable mention winner received a silver coin.
Marcy Lyn-Waitsman announced the winners and honorable mentions at Windycon’s Opening Ceremonies on the evening of November 11.
The ISFiC Writers Contest is open to beginning writers of science fiction and fantasy. Entrants must not have been paid for any previous works of fiction and must have attended the previous year’s Windycon, registered for the current Windycon, or be a resident of Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, or Wisconsin.
The judges for the 2011 Award were Bill Fawcett, Roland Green, and Elizabeth Anne Hull.
To be eligible for 2012 ISFiC Writers Contest, an author must have attended Windycon 38, register for Windycon 39, or reside in Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, or Wisconsin. The entrants must not have any paid fiction publications. Complete rules for the 2012 contest will be posted on the ISFiC Website in 2012.
The ISFiC Writers Contest is sponsored by Illinois Science Fiction in Chicago. (ISFiC), a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. ISFiC is the parent corporation of Windycon, Picnicon, and ISFiC Press.