Four months after the launching of the first edition of the EELISA Science Fiction Contest under the title “Engineering New Worlds”, the organization is delighted to share the titles of the winning short stories awarded by a Jury composed of writers, editors, film producers, and members of academia.
- The winner of the EELISA category is “The Great Election” by UPM’s student Claudia Merino Rodrigo – a story about a world that is at the crossroads of continuing as it is or building an entirely different one.
- “Perfecto para ti” by Teresa Zurdo Gil is the winner of the Spanish-language category, a deep reflection on the impact of social media and the increasingly invasive technology in a near future
- In the Chinese-language category the winner is “Empty Yellow Crane Tower Here” de Shen Xinyue.
Due to the low number of entries received in the English language section, the prize for this category has been declared void. However, in the words of the science fiction expert and head of the contest’s organizational team, Miguel San Gregorio: “We have received over one hundred submissions for the EELISA, Spanish and Chinese categories, with great stories from over 12 different countries, so we can consider this has been a very successful first edition”.
The contest, led by the Universidad Politécnica of Madrid, has also left some curious notes: the participants represent a great mix of STEM and humanities backgrounds; two out of three winners are female writers, and five stories submitted in the Spanish Category were written by Chinese authors. “ This contest is a great example of diversity, multidisciplinarity, creativity, and inclusiveness – a reflection of the EELISA spirit”, says Sofia d’Aguiar, Executive Director of EELISA.
The organizers are currently preparing a special online event to present the Jury, authors, and excerpts of the stories. Dates and panelists will be announced soon. Check more info about the I EELISA Science Fiction Contest and Lecture Series HERE.
