Seeking endless possibilities: $10,000 on offer for writer of top sci-fi script

5 July, 2018

Step outside this evening and you may just catch a glimpse of Vesta, the brightest asteroid visible from earth, currently cannoning past us at alarming speed.

While not the set up for a sci-fi blockbuster – things going well she’ll continue on her way – Vesta’s visit is a timely reminder of the endless possibilities that exist beyond our pocket of the universe, and coincides with the launch of an Award that asks writers to consider this very concept: endless possibility.

Whether they be writing stories that explore the dark edges of space or navigating loops in time, dismantling dystopian futures and robot uprisings or breaking ground on scientific discoveries, the John Hinde Award for Excellence in Science-Fiction Writing seeks to encourage and reward those writers who dare to look beyond the world as it is and ask questions, and to foster the creation of great science-fiction stories at a time when they have never been more important.

Funded by a bequest from the late Australian film critic John Hinde, the award is the richest science-fiction screenwriting award in Australia, offering $10,000 for the best produced script and professional support for the best unproduced script.

Past winners in the produced category include the late Cris Jones in 2017 for The Death and Life of Otto Bloom, Michael Miller in 2016 for episode five of the acclaimed Indigenous series Cleverman, and Jesse O’Brien in 2015 for his feature film Arrowhead. In the unproduced category, 2017 winner C.S. McMullen is continuing to emerge as one of the stars of Australian sci-fi screenwriting, and 2016 winner Graeme Burfoot is developing his script Red to Blue with professional support provided by the John Hinde Award.

Entries open 4 July 2018, and close 5 August 2018.

For more information and to enter, click here.