The utopia and its offshoot, the dystopia, are genres of literature that explore social and political structures. Utopian fiction is the creation of an ideal society, or utopia, as the setting for a novel. Dystopian fiction is the opposite: creation of an utterly horrible or degraded society, or dystopia. Many novels combine both, often as a metaphor for the different directions humanity can take in its choices, ending up with one of two possible futures... (Wikipedia)

This past summer we launched our first ever public writing challenge, Scare Us!, in which we dared you to stretch your writing muscles and terrify us with short works of fiction in the horror genre.

And you came through big. In total, 156 stories were submitted, and they received 680 ratings. And the top-rated stories received critiques from some heavyweight authors.

It was so much fun, we wanted to do it again. But we have to keep things fresh, which means switching up genres. And we talked about it a lot. We wanted something that would be fun, while presenting a serious challenge. A genre that would be a great vehicle for telling stories and force you to re-examine yourself and your work.

Introducing: Teleport Us, our science fiction writing challenge!

Just like last time, this is a public contest. You don't have to be a paying member to participate. It doesn't matter if you're a beginner or a seasoned wordsmith. Even if it's the first story you've ever written—anyone can submit. Also, anyone can read and rate stories, and offer comments and criticism.

To get in on this, you have to write a short story in the science fiction genre between 1,500 and 4,000 words.

But you didn't think we were going to make this easy, did you? You also have to adhere to a couple of guidelines. Your story must:

Explore a utopian/dystopian theme

Feature a technology that's scientifically plausible

Feature a non-human character (what is a non-human? you tell us!)

Everything else is up to you.

Here's the run of show:

Feb 1: The submission and reviewing period begins.

The submission and reviewing period begins. Feb 28: Submissions close.

Submissions close. March 1 to March 31: The reviewing period continues.

The reviewing period continues. April 1: The top-rated stories will be selected and... well, we're not announcing everything just yet.

Got questions? Ask us in the comments section!

Never written science fiction before? I asked Kat Howard, our resident sci-fi instructor, to weigh in with some advice. Here's what she had to say:

Science fiction is the literature of possibility. This is the place where you can imagine a different world - perhaps a better one - and make it real. Approach it bravely, with a seeking mind, and as you write, allow yourself to be astonished.

Got it? Good. Start writing... submissions open in less than a month!