The contest rules for the 2024 year

Æther Illustration Contest, DragonComet Short Story Contest, Odyssey Poetry Contest, and PhoenixMoon Graphic Novel Contest. Each contest seeks to display the creator’s talent in different areas of art, each offering a unique glimpse into another world. But even creating must follow some rules. View the contests’ rules below.

Contest Rules

Select a Contest

Contest Options

DragonComet Short Story Contest Rules

DragonComet Short Story Contest

The contest is divided into the following divisions:


  1. Adult Writers (Ages 18+)
  2. School Age Writers (9th - 12th grade at contest deadline)
  3. Young School Age Writers (5th - 8th grade at contest deadline)

Entry Guidelines:


  • By entering the contest, the author agrees to abide by all contest rules.
  • There is no entrance fee.
  • Only one entry is allowed per person. Only one division can be entered per term. No simultaneous or previously published entries will be accepted.
  • Stories must be science fiction or fantasy in nature and no more than 10,000 words.
  • All entries must be in English. All communication will be done in English.
  • All entries must be the author’s original work. No fan-fiction is permitted. Any plagiarism will result in the immediate disqualification of the entry.
  • No graphic sex, language, violence, or profanity (as determined by the judges) will be allowed.
  • No entries generated by AI or assisted by AI will be accepted.
  • Team members of Sibyl’s Scriptorium and their immediate family members are not eligible to participate.
  • All entries must be submitted electronically by the term deadline.

Contest Terms and Deadlines Information:


  • The contest year is divided into two terms: the Fantasy Term and the Science Fiction Term.
  • Each term will have up to three winners for each division.
  • Winners are not eligible to enter another term during the contest year.
  • Fantasy Term Details:
    • The Fantasy Term is open March 1 – April 15
    • All stories submitted in this term must belong in the fantasy genre or subgenres.
  • Science Fiction Term Details:
    • The Science Fiction term is open April 16 – May 31
    • All stories submitted in this term must belong in the science fiction genre or subgenres.
  • For entries which are both Science Fiction and Fantasy, pick the term which fits the work best.

Submission Preparation Guidelines:


  • All manuscripts must be in Microsoft Word format.
  • Entries need to be double-spaced with one-inch margins. The text needs to be in a 12-point monospaced font, such as Courier New. For more specifics please see the example entry provided.
  • The author's name and all identifying information must not appear anywhere on the story.
  • Each page of the manuscript must include a header with the story’s title, a page number, and contest division information.
  • The file name must be the title of the story.

Judging Information:


  • All judging will be done blindly to avoid any bias of the judges.
  • All judging decisions are final.
  • Finalists will be announced after each term’s judging is completed.

Thank you for your interest in the DragonComet Short Story Contest. Please pass word of the contest on to anyone you feel may be interested.
Please email contests@sibscript.org for any questions or information.

Æther Illustration Contest

Æther Illustration Contest

The contest is divided into the following divisions:


  1. Adult Illustrators (Ages 18+)
  2. School Age Illustrators 9th - 12th grade at contest deadline)
  3. Young School Age Illustrators (5th - 8th grade at contest deadline)

Entry Guidelines:


  • By entering the contest, the illustrator agrees to abide by all contest rules.
  • There is no entrance fee.
  • Only one entry is allowed per person. Only one division can be entered per term. No simultaneous or previously published entries will be accepted.
  • The illustration must be science fiction or fantasy in nature with a maximum file size of 20mb.
  • All entries must be in English. All communication will be done in English.
  • All entries must be the illustrator’s original work. No fan-art is permitted. No art generated by artificial intelligence programs is permitted. Any plagiarism will result in the immediate disqualification of the entry.
  • No graphic sex, language, violence, or profanity (as determined by the judges) will be allowed.
  • No entries generated by AI or assisted by AI will be accepted.
  • Team members of Sibyl’s Scriptorium and their immediate family members are not eligible to participate.
  • All entries must be submitted electronically by the term deadline.

Contest Terms and Deadlines Information:


  • The contest year is divided into two terms: the Fantasy Term and the Science Fiction Term.
  • Each term will have up to three winners for each division.
  • Winners are not eligible to enter another term during the contest year.
  • Fantasy Term Details:
    • The Fantasy Term is open March 1 – April 15
    • All illustrations submitted in this term must belong in the fantasy genre or subgenres.
  • Science Fiction Term Details:
    • The Science Fiction term is open April 16 – May 31
    • All illustrations submitted in this term must belong in the science fiction genre or subgenres.
  • For entries which are both Science Fiction and Fantasy, pick the term which fits the work best.

Submission Preparation Guidelines:


  • All illustrations must be in jpg or png file format and the file size cannot exceed 20mb.
  • The maximum print area will be 8.25” X 5.25”. Submissions can be larger for judging of fine details, but will be reduced to that size for print.
  • The illustrator's name and all identifying information must only appear anywhere on the entry form.
  • The illustrator's name or mark can be submitted on a separate version to be used in the publication.
  • The file name must be the title of the illustration.

Judging Information:


  • All judging will be done blindly to avoid any bias of the judges.
  • All judging decisions are final.
  • Winners will be announced after each term’s judging is completed.

Thank you for your interest in the Æther Illustration Contest. Please pass word of the contest on to anyone you feel may be interested.

PhoenixMoon Graphic Novel Contest

PhoenixMoon Graphic Novel Contest will return soonReturning Soon
The Phoenix Moon Contest is still on hiatus but will return in the future.



The contest is divided into the following divisions:


  1. Adult Artists and Writers (Ages 18+)
  2. School Age Artists and Writers 9th - 12th grade at contest deadline)
  3. Young School Age Artists and Writers (5th - 8th grade at contest deadline)

Entry Guidelines:


  • By entering the contest, the illustrator agrees to abide by all contest rules.
  • There is no entrance fee.
  • Each entry may have a creative team of up to 3 collaborators.
  • All collaborators on a team must qualify for the division.
  • Only one entry is allowed per team. Only one division can be entered per triad. No simultaneous or previously published entries will be accepted.
  • The graphic novel must be science fiction or fantasy in nature with a maximum file size of 30mb and a maximum length of seven pages.
  • All submissions must be in English. All communication will be done in English.
  • All entries must be the entrant’s original work. No fan-art is permitted. Any plagiarism will result in the immediate disqualification of the entry.
  • No graphic sex, language, violence, or profanity (as determined by the judges) will be allowed.
  • Team members of Sibyl’s Scriptorium and their immediate family members are not eligible to participate.
  • All entries must be submitted electronically by the triad deadline.

Triad Information and Deadlines:


  • The contest year is divided into three Triads.
  • Each triad will have up to three finalists for each division.
  • Finalists are not eligible to enter another Triad during the contest year.
  • Triad deadlines are July 1st, November 1st, and March 1st.

Submission Preparation Guidelines:


  • All illustrations must be in jpg or png file format.
  • The maximum print area will be 8.25” X 5.25”. Submissions can be larger for judging of fine details, but will be reduced to that size for print.
  • The entrant(s)’ name(s) and all identifying information must only appear on the entry form.
  • The file name must be the title of the graphic novel.

Judging Information:


  • All judging will be done blindly to avoid any bias of the judges.
  • All judging decisions are final.
  • Finalists will be announced after each Triad’s judging is completed.

Thank you for your interest in the PhoenixMoon Graphic Novel Contest. Please pass word of the contest on to anyone you feel may be interested.

Odyssey Poetry Contest Rules

Odyssey Poetry Contest will return soonReturning Soon
The Odyssey Poetry Contest is still on hiatus but will return in the future.


The contest is divided into the following divisions:


  1. Adult Poets (Ages 18+)
  2. School Age Poets (9th - 12th grade at contest deadline)
  3. Young School Age Poets (5th - 8th grade at contest deadline)

Entry Guidelines:


  • By entering the contest, the author agrees to abide by all contest rules.
  • There is no entrance fee.
  • Only one entry is allowed per person. Only one division can be entered per triad. No simultaneous or previously published entries will be accepted.
  • Poems must be science fiction or fantasy in nature and 100 lines or less in length.
  • All entries must be in English. All communication will be done in English.
  • All entries must be the author’s original work. No fan-fiction is permitted. Any plagiarism will result in the immediate disqualification of the entry.
  • No graphic sex, language, violence, or profanity (as determined by the judges) will be allowed.
  • Team members of Sibyl’s Scriptorium and their immediate family members are not eligible to participate.
  • All entries must be submitted electronically by the triad deadline.

Triad Information and Deadlines:


  • The contest year is divided into three Triads.
  • Each triad will have up to three finalists for each division.
  • Finalists are not eligible to enter another Triad during the contest year.
  • Triad deadlines are July 1st, November 1st, and March 1st.

Submission Preparation Guidelines:


  • All manuscripts must be in Microsoft Word format.
  • Entries need to have one-inch margins with a 12-point monospaced font, such as Courier New. For more specifics please see the example entry provided.
  • The author's name and all identifying information must not appear anywhere on the poem.
  • Each page of the manuscript must include a header with the poem's title, a page number, and contest division information.
  • The file name must be the title of the poem.

Judging Information:


  • All judging will be done blindly to avoid any bias of the judges.
  • All judging decisions are final.
  • Finalists will be announced after each Triad’s judging is completed.

Thank you for your interest in the Odyssey Poetry Contest. Please pass word of the contest on to anyone you feel may be interested.

*Sibyl's Scriptorium reserves the right to update the rules at any time.