Our Parsec Short Story Contest Winners through the years.
2023: Preserve or Purge
Our 27th annual Parsec Short Story Contest.
- First place – “Revenge of the Antmen” By Joseph Sidari
- Second Place – ” Violet Crystal in the Sky” By William Jones
- Third Place – “Almost like Home” By Taria Karillion
- Youth category – “Memorial” By Teresa Curry
Coordinator: Alfred (AJ) Smith
Judges: Andrea Stewart, Jim Horlock & Lindz McLeod
First Readers: Penelope Smith and Ivy Speight
This years contest was made possible by donations from our wonderful supporters, Timons Esaias & Mary Fletcher.
2022: Hearth, Song & Table
Our 26th annual Parsec Short Story Contest.
- First place -“It is Possible I was too Sheltered” by Lucy Zhang
- Second Place – “Forgotten” by Scott I. Kircher
- Third Place – “Whalesong” by A.P. Hawkin
- Youth category – “A Clockwork Hoopoe” by Dot Rodgers
Judges: Chelsea Abdullah (@chelsabdullah), Michelle Renee Lane (@MichelleRLane), and Timons Esaias
Coordinator: Alfred (AJ) Smith
First readers: Penelope Smith and Ivy Speight
This years contest was made possible by donations from our wonderful supporters, Timons Esaias, Mary Soon Lee and the members of Parsec Inc.
2021: Still Waters, Deep Thoughts
Judges: Kelly Robson, Marcus Vance and Jamie Lackey.
Coordinator: Alfred (AJ) Smith
This years contest was made possible by donations from our wonderful supporters, Timons Esaias, Mary Soon Lee and the members of Parsec Inc.
- First Place – “Jennifer Gives her Heart to Radioland” by Matthew McHugh
Matt McHugh was born in suburban Pennsylvania, attended LaSalle University in Philadelphia, and after a few years as a Manhattanite, currently calls New Jersey home. Visit Matt on his website. Matt reads his story on YouTube - Second Place – “Fishing” by Carter Lappin
Carter Lappin is from Southern California. She has a bachelor’s degree in creative writing. Her writing experience includes being scheduled to appear in an upcoming WorldWeaver Press anthology. - Third Place – “Living Stagnant” by Lucy Gray
Lucy Gray is a fiction writer and an electrical engineering student. She began writing short stories recently to explore emotions and possibilities as a writer, just as she had previously explored as a reader. In her spare time, she enjoys embroidering, reading, and spending time with her family.
2020: Forging
- First Place – “Crown of Iron” by Marina Massino
- Second Place – “The Loss of a Name” by Kelsey Simon
- Third Place – “Perfumer in Purgatory” by Alicia Hilton
Judges: Rebecca Roanhorse, Cat Rambo & Daniel H. Wilson
Coordinator: A.J. Smith
2019: Noir
- First Place – “Graveyard’s Whistle” by Alfred Smith
- Second Place – “Amazons” by Marshall J. Moore
- Third Place – “Johnny the Fairy” by Caias Ward
Judges: Michael A. Arnzen, David D. Levine, Jerome Stueart
Coordinator: Brandon Ketchum
2018: Flawed Reflections
- First Place – “Midas” by Zaina Ujayli
- Second Place – “The Binoculars Marked H. Houdini” by Mara Buck
- Third Place – “Reflections” by Jennifer Shelby
Judges: J.D. Barker, Larry Ivkovich and Barbara Doran.
Coordinator: Kevin M. Hayes
2017: A Hidden, Underlying Truth
- First Place – “Fluffy” by Yang-Yang Wang, from Snohomish, WA.
- Second Place – “Shades of Home” by Victor Cypert, from Jack,sonville, Alabama.
- Third Place – “Breaking” by Maya Chhabra (former Alpha student), from New York, NY.
Judges: Michele Markey Butler, Tom Sweterlisch, Joshua Bellin
Coordinator: Larry Ivkovich
2016: (No Contest this year)
2015: Lost Voices
- First Place – “An Occurrence at Owlskirk” by Paul Dixon
- Second Place – “The Eastside Wasteland has a Winning Team” by Les Abernathy
- Third Place – “Voices from Antiquity” by Elizabeth Spencer
2014: Parch
- First Place: “How to Remember” by Sylvia Hiven
- Second Place (Tie): “The Longings of a Long-Forgotten Memory” by Elizabeth Spencer
- Second Place (Tie): “Pride, Power and Peppers” by J. Kenton Pierce
2013: Steel Cities
- First Place: “Cities of Dust and Steel” Tom Wortman
- Second Place: “The Bloomery” L. L. Joseph
- Third Place: “The Steel Awoke From Long Forgetting Time” Peter Dennis
2012: Morning After
- First Place: “The Third Portal” DeAnna Knippling
- Second Place: “Lund” Sean Houlihan
- Third Place: “Sable” Ryan Rebel
2011: Last Contact
- First Place: “Evolution” Matthew James
- Second Place: “Rapture Me” Sara Mattox
- Third Place: “The Last Time I Saw You” H.L. Fullerton
2010: The Color of Silence
- First Place: “Colors in a Box, Some Missing” William Wood
- Second Place: “Paths Others Fear to Tread” Kendra Leigh Speedling
- Third Place (Tie): “Vision” Dorothy Biernesser
- Third Place (Tie): “Vox Affectum” Brianna Deaveller
2009: Dark Glass
- First Place: “Where Their Worm Dieth Not, and Their Fire Is Not Quenched” Spencer Ellsworth
- Second Place: “The Proxy” Katy Darby
- Third Place: “Solvers” Gaea Denker-Lehrman
2008: Metallic Feathers
- First Place: “Guinea” Amy Treadwell
- Second Place: “Nine Is Her Number” Amy Treadwell
- Third Place: “But Not Touch” Rhiannon Held
2007: Fewmets at the End of Time
- First Place: “Unique Worlds” Margaret McGaffey Fisk
- Second Place: “Vengence” Jamie Lackey
- Third Place: “The Preserve” Benjamin Biggs
2006: Instruments of Madness
- First Place: “Coyote and the Nanobots” by Catherine Cheek
- Second Place: “Call of the Grand Radiant” by Camille Picot
- Third Place: “Moon Mad” by Erin Hartshorn
2005: High Crimes and Misdemeanors
- First Place: “In the Future, Everyone will be a Victim for 15 Minutes” by C. Kevin Barrett (Columbus, OH)
- Second Place: “A House Divided” by Erica Satifka (Pittsburgh, PA)
- Third Place: “Metal and Sweat” by Freddie Silva, Jr. (Roanoke Rapids, NC)
2004: Hard Port
- First Place: “Push the Big Red Button, Bill Kennedy” C. Kevin Barrett
- Second Place (Tie): “From the Ashes” Margaret McGaffey Fisk
- Second Place (Tie): “Facing Facts” Anil Menon
- Third Place: “Hard Port” Henry Tjernlund
2003: The Alien Wore Fish-Net Stockings
- First Place: “Inter-Species Relations” R. Lee Smith (OR)
- Second Place (Tie): “Dan on the Moon” Rebecca Carmi (OH)
- Second Place (Tie): “Two for One” L.K. Farrar (CA)
This years theme led to some very interesting story-lines. Submissions came from all over the US, as well as India, France, Pakistan, Singapore, Canada, Australia and the U.K. Our Judges this year were: Charles Oberndorf and Mary Soon Lee.
2002: Met by Moonlight
- First Place: “Mr. Bones Speaks to the Bright Round Moon” John Weagly
- Second Place: “The Souvenir You Most Want” Sue Burke
- Third Place: “A Carnival Feeling” LaZealtrice Addeana Jackson
2001: Tales of the Venus Diner
- First Place: “The Thithshtach Diner” Kevin Hayes (PA)
- Second Place: “The Venus Diner Travelers Club” Cynthia Crise
- Third Place: “No Honor” Nancy Hagen-Liddle
2000: Natural Agendas
- First Place: “The League of Horses” by William Blake Hall (Pittsburgh, PA)
- Second Place: “The Last Librarian” Yvonne Eve Walus (New Zealand)
- Third Place: “A Certain Vigilance” Parker and Parker (Canada)
1998: Forbidden Reality
- First Place: “Reality Forbidden” by Barton Paul Levinson (Pittsburgh, PA)
- Second Place: “Icarus at Noon.” by Eric Leif Davin (Pittsburgh, PA)
1997: Virtual Bridges
- First Place: “Virtual Bridges” by Barton Paul Levinson (Pittsburgh, PA)
- Second Place: “Bridges to Paradise” by Yvonne Eve Walus (South Africa)
- Third Place: “Young Robots in Love” by Wen Spencer (Pittsburgh, PA)
1996: Forged in Iron
- First Place: “A Heart Forged in Iron” by Alan Irvine (Pittsburgh, PA)
- Second Place: “Newshound” by Jean Blevins Goldstrom
1995: Return to Mars
The winner of the first annual PARSEC short story contest is:
- “Twilight on Olympus” by Eric Leif Davin (Pittsburgh, PA)
Honorary Mentions:
- “Pittsburgh to Mars” by George S. Walker
- “A Mile and a Lifetime” by J. L. Hanna
- “The Vandal” by Don D’Ammassa
- “Olympia” by Kevin Geiselmen