The Self-Published Science Fiction Competition

We're looking for volunteers to help us judge the sixth Self-Published Science Fiction Competition. spsfc.space/2026/10/26/j... If you're not entering a novel in the contest when that opens on Nov. 1, we'd love you to join one of our judging teams. #SPSFC

For our next contest that begins taking books on Nov. 1, the Self-Published Science Fiction Competition is adding a rule. #SPSFC spsfc.space/2026/10/23/s...

!!! My endless thanks to the incredible teams of SPSFC judges, to my readers, and to everyone else who helped my strange debut novel find its place. This is beyond surreal. Thank you, thank you, thank you. 💟

The winner of the fifth Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC) is Our Simulated Selves by @nikkinull.bsky.social. “[T]his book could legitimately help a lot of people understand themselves.” — SPSFC 4 winner Wick Welker spsfc.space/2026/10/08/t...

The runner-up in the fifth Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC) is ab initio by Jacob Terracina. Is AI legally human? “This was that book that I was reading on train, waiting at bank, at the cafe, and got annoyed every time I was interrupted.” spsfc.space/2026/10/08/t...

Third place in the fifth Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC) goes to Generations by @noamj.bsky.social. A "slow-burn conspiracy theory space opera" on a generation ship 80 percent of the way to a new home. spsfc.space/2026/10/08/t...

Fourth place in the fifth Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC) goes to Artificial Selection by Marianne Pickles. A cozy mystery in a hopeful climate apocalypse starring a benevolent AI and the Head of Awkward Questions. spsfc.space/2026/10/08/t...

Fifth place in the fifth Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC) goes to FrostByte by N.S. Chaudhury. A Desi cyberpunk novel of illegal resurrection. Judge: "Ngl, I adored this book." spsfc.space/2026/10/08/t...

Sixth place in the fifth Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC) goes to Time Traitors by @elidonovanwriter.bsky.social. Judges called it a romp with a "cast of scientific and seedy characters all trying to avoid becoming dinner." spsfc.space/2026/10/08/t...

The winner announcement for SPSFC 5 is coming today and being written as we speak. Hold all calls. Clear your calendars.

The final finalist is Generations by @noamj.bsky.social, an epic about a colony ship that carries the last hope of humanity and a centuries-old conspiracy. www.amazon.com/Generations-...

The fifth finalist is Our Simulated Selves by @nikkinull.bsky.social, a quantum thriller of romance, recreated realities and who we're truly meant to be. www.amazon.com/dp/B0FCVK8RP7

The fourth finalist is FrostByte by N.S. Chaudhury, a South Asian cyberpunk novel about illegal resurrection and solving your own murder. www.amazon.com/dp/B0F5N4VHYR

The third finalist is Artificial Selection by Marianne Pickles, a post-apocalyptic mystery full of awkward questions and hope. www.amazon.com/Artificial-S...

The second finalist is ab initio by Jacob Terracina, an artificial intelligence courtroom thriller about what it means to be human. www.amazon.com/dp/B0FM6H956S

The first finalist is Time Traitors by @elidonovanwriter.bsky.social, a tale of dinosaurs, poachers and a broken time machine. www.amazon.com/dp/B0BSL63L7S

Six books have advanced to the finals of the fifth Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC). We'll announce them in random order in the next six posts.

SPSFC 5 judging teams have announced the 10 novels advancing to the semifinals. spsfc.space/2026/06/17/t... The finals are coming on Aug. 1. #sciencefiction

Judging teams for SPSFC 5 are beginning to decide which books will advance to a full read for consideration as semifinalists. Here's a status board with the book allocations to teams. spsfc.space/2026/02/10/s...

If you have Kindle Unlimited, 63 of the books entered into #SPSFC are available there. Look for (KU) on the list: spsfc.space/books-receiv...

SPSFC 5 judge @aealexander.bsky.social has an informative post up about the contest that includes all of the past winners and finalists. #SPSFC www.aealexander.com/blog/spsfc

The fifth #SPSFC is about to close for entries and we're looking for a few more judges: spsfc.space/2025/11/07/l... Come for the free books. Stay for the Discord community full of self-published authors and avid science fiction readers.

The fifth Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (#SPSFC) has begun taking entries from authors. Details and the entry link here: spsfc.space/2025/10/13/h... If you're not entering a book join us as a judge! spsfc.space/2025/09/19/j...

With the fifth Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC) taking book entries next month, we're looking for a few good volunteers to join us as judges: spsfc.space/2025/09/19/j... More than a few, actually. #SPSFC

Congratulations to the top recognized and all who submitted works for consideration! I’ll link my personal favorites below. There were several excellent books that I’d read previously which didn’t advance in other groups. I enjoyed being a judge, thank you again! spsfc.space/2025/08/07/a...

Big congratulations to @wickwelker.bsky.social, well done!

Here's more on the #SPSFC 4 winner Saint Elspeth by @wickwelker.bsky.social and the top 6 books. spsfc.space/2025/08/07/a... Carve out some quality time for yourself this evening and read a self-published novel.

And the SPSFC 4 Winner is After four rounds of reading over the past 10 months, the judges of the fourth Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC) have advanced books through the scout phase, team quarterfinals, semifinals and finals. What was once a to-be read pile of 175 books has…

The winner of the fourth #SPSFC is Saint Elspeth by @wickwelker.bsky.social, a tightly crafted tale of a doctor who survived first contact and nuclear apocalypse. "They just arrived, inadvertently triggered humanity to tear itself to pieces, landed, and vanished." www.amazon.com/Saint-Elspet...

With four places announced out of six, the fourth #SPSFC is faced with the dilemma of what to announce next. By a margin of just 0.392, second place goes to "action packed" On Impulse by Heather Texle, led by migraine-afflicted ex-space cop Reliance Sinclair. www.amazon.com/Impulse-Reli...

Third place in the fourth #SPSFC goes to the second chances resurrection romp Yours, Celestially by @al-distortion.bsky.social. Judge: "I needed this in my life right now at a time where I had more than a few negative thoughts in my head about being who I am." www.amazon.com/Yours-Celest...

Fifth place in the fourth #SPSFC goes to the richly constructed noir cyberpunk thriller Accidental Intelligence by @geektells.bsky.social. A judge loved that the dark reign of AI began when a videogame "learned so well and so fast that it gained sentience." www.amazon.com/Accidental-I...

After 306 days and 175 novels, the fourth #SPSFC has chosen its winner along with five finalists as runners-up. Sixth place goes to the "awesome high-concept" Bisection by @jennelikejennay.bsky.social. You can share one brain and still not understand someone. www.amazon.com/Bisection-Sh...

The 6 novels that made the finals of #SPSFC 4 are Accidental Intelligence by Bryan Chaffin, Bisection by Sheila Jenné, On Impulse by Heather Texle, Saint Elspeth by Wick Welker, Whiskey and Warfare by E. M. Hamill and Yours Celestially by Al Hess. #readem spsfc.space/2025/06/05/s...

Saint Elspeth by Wick Welker has been picked as an #SPSFC 4 finalist: spsfc.space/2025/06/05/s... Judge: "I'm really glad I read this book. ... I like Elspeth Darrow. I rooted for her."

On Impulse by Heather Texle has been selected as an #SPSFC 4 finalist. spsfc.space/2025/06/05/s... Judge: "Well-paced and written in a way that makes it easy to slip into the story."

Accidental Intelligence by @geektells.bsky.social‬ has been chosen as an #SPSFC 4 finalist. spsfc.space/2025/06/05/s... Judge: "My favorite opening half of anything I've read in this competition this year."

Whiskey and Warfare by E. M. Hamill has been picked as an #SPSFC 4 finalist. spsfc.space/2025/06/05/s... Judge: "Equal parts heart-warming and heart-breaking, full of real human depth, and a thoughtful exploration of aging."

Yours Celestially by @al-distortion.bsky.social‬ has been selected as an #SPSFC 4 finalist. spsfc.space/2025/06/05/s... Judge: "I needed this in my life right now at a time where I had more than a few negative thoughts in my head about being who I am sometimes."

Bisection by Sheila Jenné has been chosen as an #SPSFC 4 finalist. spsfc.space/2025/06/05/s... Judge: "I just finished Bisection and OMG I absolutely loved it."

SPSFC 4 Finalists Announced Two hundred and forty four days ago, the volunteer judges of the Self-Published Science Fiction Competition began reading 175 novels. These six have advanced through the scout round, the quarterfinals and the semifinals to emerge as our six SPSFC 4 finalists (announced…

After 8 months of reading, the judges of the Self-Published Science Fiction Competition have chosen the six finalists for SPSFC 4. We'll be announcing these books tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. Eastern. Make some coffee. Take the dog out. Hold all calls. Stretch your Kindle thumb.

The marathon of SPSFC semifinalist social media announcements is over after more than 25 hours. Let's get into good books. We yield the floor.

The Space Girls have named their SPSFC 4 semifinalists: Proliferation by @erikotto.bsky.social and On Impulse by Heather Texle. tinyurl.com/proliferation2 tinyurl.com/onimpulse www.lecari.co.uk

A team submerged in time's relentless tide picked these SPSFC 4 semifinalists: The Murder Algorithm by Wilson Kincaid and EAT by Jesse Brown. tinyurl.com/murderalgori... tinyurl.com/eatjessebrown

Ground Control to Major Tom has advanced their SPSFC 4 semifinalists: Saint Elspeth by @wickwelker.bsky.social and Yours Celestially by @al-distortion.bsky.social. sciencefiction.news/item/167/sps...

Team Red Stars has revealed their SPSFC 4 semifinalists: Accidental Intelligence by @geektells.bsky.social and Bisection by @jennelikejennay.bsky.social. eclectictheist.wordpress.com/2025/03/26/s...

Team Tar Vol On has chosen their SPSFC 4 semifinalists: Time of the Cat by @tansyrr.bsky.social and A Swift and Sudden Exit by @nicovincenty.bsky.social. www.tarvolon.com/2025/03/26/s... www.tarvolon.com/2025/03/17/s...