Note: remove identifying information from manuscript for anonymous judging.

Stories that evoke a sense of wonder, have deep emotional resonance, and have something unreal about them. We aim for a 12-17 age range: that means sophisticated, non-condescending stories with wide appeal, and without gratuitous or explicit sex, violence or pervasive obscene language. Think Harry Potter or The Hunger Games.

Stories are presented in audio format, which means our audience rarely skim past boring bits. We’re looking for fiction with strong pacing, well-defined characters, engaging dialogue, and clear action. We like a proper narrative structure and a prose style not laden with clichés and over-worn idioms. We like fiction that makes us think, but the main elements should be thrilling entertainment, adventure and emotional connection.

We like all forms of fantasy — high, modern, urban, alternative history, etc. We’re less fond of the complex, intricate or cerebral forms of fantasy more common in novel markets; short stories rarely offer enough room to sufficiently develop.

We like all forms of science fiction — far-future, near future, space opera, “hard” sci-fi — but it must be accessible to our target audience, meaning a minimum of technical jargon.

Our horror offerings tend to be psychological, comedic, or situational — not visceral.

We’re happy to read comedy, steampunk, age-appropriate paranormal romance, superheroes and many other genres. All that matters is adherence to our core concept and that critical spark of wonder.