What kind of future will we create?
 
Will it bring prosperity and fulfillment to all? Or will it become a cascade of disasters and the grim promises of dystopia?
Bold explorers of the centuries to come have discovered that these questions have no simple answers.
 
Space travel exists alongside total digitalization. Victories over deadly diseases are accompanied by rising crime. And the price of an almost utopian society free from violence and war may be the abandonment of its own past – and of its boldest ambitions.
 
Technology occupies a prominent place among the risks and challenges of the future. The very technologies that have become a testament to humanity’s power. The very technologies that have shaped the modern world. The very technologies that promise a brighter future for humankind while simultaneously carrying the potential for its complete destruction.
 
In the not-so-distant future, genetic engineering may determine what people look like, while intelligent algorithms may influence – or even predict – their behavior. Will we be able to ensure that technology serves humanity, rather than humanity serving technology? Can we build a truly human-centered world?
 
Yet technology is only part of the challenge. There are many others.
Armed conflicts continue on Earth and in space. The gap between rich and poor continues to widen. And cyberspace remains far from peaceful.
 
Even so, there is no reason to give up.
 
 
The heroes of Golden Age science fiction – scientists, engineers, innovators, and pioneers – were resourceful people. One of their defining qualities was the ability to solve problems.
 
Problems of planetary significance and problems of everyday life. Social and technological. On Earth and in space. Human problems – and alien ones.
 
Time and again, science fiction has demonstrated its ability not only to identify the challenges of the present and the future, but also to imagine ways of overcoming them.
 
We invite authors to explore the theme of technology and continue this tradition.

The Competition accepts short stories written in the science fiction genre and aligned with the announced theme.
 
Entries submitted in the Best Short Story for Children and Young Adults category must be appropriate for the intended age group and must not contain scenes of violence or profane language.
 
Stories must be no fewer than 20,000 characters and no more than 50,000 characters, including spaces (according to Microsoft Word character count statistics).
 
Only one story per author may be submitted in each category. However, an author may submit one story to each category.
 
Only previously unpublished stories will be accepted. This includes publication in any form on the Internet.
 
Stories submitted without the author's legal name will not be considered. If an author submits multiple stories under different pseudonyms, all of that author's entries will be disqualified.
 
The Competition is open only to authors who are 18 years of age or older.

Submitted stories must meet the following requirements:

• Files must be in .doc or .docx format;
• The file name must include the author’s last name and the story title (e.g., Lastname_Best Story);
• The file must include the author’s full name, story title, and contact email address;
• Font: Times New Roman, size 14;
• Justified alignment