The XPRIZE short story competition invites you to write a short story set twenty years in the future, in which “all of the currently active XPRIZE competitions have been successfully awarded and are shaping the future.”

The XPRIZE competitions are technology focused competitions designed to spur innovation in specific fields, such as robotics.

Short story entries should be between 2,000 and 4,000 words. The winner will receive:

-Roundtrip economy airfare to Tokyo, Japan for you and (1) guest on ANA Airlines* (ARV: $6,000)

-4 nights’ accommodation in a 4-Star Hotel (ARV: $1,500)

-A check for $1,500 (ARV: $1,500)

-GoPro Hero5 Black 4K video camera (ARV: $400)

-ili Handheld Universal Translator (ARV: $249)

-Membership and access to the acclaimed Science Fiction Advisory Council

*Travel must take place within 12 months of being notified, and may be presented as a voucher. Blackout dates and other restrictions may apply. If ANA does not fly the most direct route from your nearest international airport to Tokyo, XPRIZE reserves the right to make other arrangements.  All Prizes are non-transferable, non-exchangeable, and non-refundable. Winners are solely responsible for all costs not expressly described herein. The value of the prizes will be taxable to each Winner as income. All federal, state, local taxes, fees and surcharges on Prizes are the sole responsibility of the Winners

CONTEST RULES

Eligibility
The challenge open to ages 18+ as of August 25, 2017. All countries open to participate unless otherwise prohibited by law. No entry fee is required. Only one submission per person.

Requirements
Stories must have been previously unpublished. If selected as a winner, the story will not be able to be published elsewhere for an exclusive period of 1-year from the date it is published on Seat14C.com as well as the non-exclusive right to republish your story on our website, in an anthology, or in any other form. Aside from this right to republish your submission, all other rights revert to the author after one year.

Your name, email, country of residence, and age verification will be required at time of submission.

Do not include your name in the attachment.  All stories will be judged anonymously.

Stories must be typed, double spaced, and in English.  If written in another language, the writer must include an English translation.

Stories must be a minimum of 2,000 and a maximum of 4,000 words.  Word count must be included in the header of the document.

Submit story in .doc, .pages, or PDF form; save file as: SEAT14C_TITLE.doc

Submissions are due by August 25 at 11:59pm PDT.

Judging Criteria
The stories will be judged based on the following criteria:

Unique Vision of the FutureAligned with XPRIZE belief that exponential technology can positively impact the futureAdherence to story prompt

XPRIZE will narrow the selection to 3 finalists

A selection of our Science Fiction Advisory Council members will vote on the finalist pieces to select the grand prize winner (based on the same criteria)

Promotion 
XPRIZE and ANA reserve the right to publicize the winner, including using the winner’s name and/or likeness, and all or part of the winning submission, on our website, Newsletter, social media channels, in a press release, and in other materials.

Story Prompt
At 4:58 am on June 28, 2017, passengers on board ANA Flight 008 en route from Tokyo to San Francisco are cruising at an altitude of 37,000 feet, approximately 1,500 nautical miles off the West Coast of the United States when the following apparently unremarkable incidents occur:

26A, earbuds in, mouth open, leaning against the window,shifts in her sleep;

8E, halfway through the first episode of “Westworld”, isslightly confused; and

19A coughs – almost a non-cough as if simply pretending to cough.

ANA Flight 008 then passes through a temporary wrinkle in the local region of space-time, experienced inside the cabin as a barely perceptible bout of turbulence. Beverage service continues, uninterrupted. The in-flight movie glitches, and then resumes.

As the Boeing 777 descends through the clouds for its approach into SFO, only a few of the passengers (mostly in window seats) suspect they have arrived at the wrong destination. Which is incorrect, sort of. Theyhave arrived at San Francisco International Airport on June 28, 2037. The wrinkle has transported them 20 years into the future.

The Format
Your story should be presented from the perspective of one of the passengers on this flight, the passenger seated in Seat 14C, beginning when they step off the flight at SFO, 20 years in the future.

The Tone
The anthology is meant to show how exponential technology can positively impact the future, even as a subtle backdrop to the story. In other words, imagine a world in which all of the currently active XPRIZE competitions have been successfully awarded and are shaping the future. None of this has to be blatant – but the underlying tone should be a hopeful one.