AntipodeanSF is devoted to 'down under' science/speculative/fantasy/horror/surreal fiction stories of about 500-1000 words or less.
Yet while its intent is in part to highlight and promote Australian/NZ writers (who are, after all, resident in the antipodes), the meaning of antipodean is not limited by the editor to a mere description of locality. Thus AntipodeanSF is open to submissions from anywhere in the world, as long as the story has a surprise ending, twists normal notions of SF/F/H upside-down, is especially humorous, takes an oblique perspective on otherwise 'normal' events, or attempts to subvert the foundations of Western capitalist ideology (for example).
AntipodeanSF is an online and electronic-reader/audio publication, but it does not pay contributors with cash. It rewards its writers with web-space for published stories and short biographies, and promotion via a weekly radio show and podcast (this includes links to the author's web and social pages — if any exist). All material accepted for publication in AntipodeanSF will remain online for approximately four weeks in the current issue, and will be available as an audio podcast in subsequent months. That same audio may be aired at any future time on the Australian community radio network (CRN).
Copyright is otherwise retained by the author/s at all times, although monthly archiving at the National Library of Australia in "Trove", and the availability of e-book versions on this site, means that the text of every published story will remain accessible to readers on the intertubes.
Material accepted for publication will not be altered or edited for online presentation without the consent of the author/s. Reprints, as long as they are about 500-1000 words, and subject to editing, will also be considered for publication.
All material first published in AntipodeanSF by Australian authors is eligible to be submitted to the convenors of the Australian Aurealis Awards to be considered for an award in its year of publication. Authors are encouraged to submit their work to the Aurealis Awards after publication. Similarly, all stories published in AntipodeanSF are eligible for nomination for the Ditmar Awards (short story category) in the year of publication.
Australian works will also be indexed by Austlit <www.austlit.edu.au> for scholarly citation purposes.
AntipodeanSF is considered to be of 'cultural significance' here in Australia and it is fully archived at the National Library of Australia. You may view past issues by visiting the library's PANDORA pages on the Internet. <http://pandora.nla.gov.au/tep/10063>.
Material appearing in AntipodeanSF may converted into braille by the Royal Blind Society so that blind readers might experience the pleasure of reading SF.
Material appearing in AntipodeanSF is converted into tablet, e-reader and mobile phone formats and be distributed via various other service providers so that it can be easily read by all SF lovers.
Material appearing in AntipodeanSF is converted into audio format for distribution as a podcast/community radio broadcast under a Creative Commons attribution, non-commercial, no derivatives license.
Please note that the editor, Ion, is liable to make suggestions about how to make your story fit the theme of this website, or to improve it (in his subjective opinion). In other words, he might edit it. But please don't be afraid of that. Submit those stories. AntiSF needs them!
AntipodeanSF 'online' is firmly devoted to the shorter forms of SF. Therefore, all submissions must be of about five-hundred to one-thousand (500-1000) words or less. Longer works by authors with a publication history at AntipodeanSF will be considered for inclusion in the magazine, but these longer stories are still restricted to around 2000-3000 words. Please query the editor for more information, or to find out about the submission of longer items (which may be serialised across a number of issues).
Such dire restrictions on story size mean that character development and in-depth treatment of complex subjects are almost invariably precluded. In short-short (flash) stories such as those AntipodeanSF 'online' seeks, the idea is paramount.
Don't be fooled — writing fiction such as this is not as easy as it might seem — fewer words does not equal easier writing. Even so, AntipodeanSF urges you to take the challenge and "'ave a go".
Antipodean SF may also publish science-fact and science-fiction oriented cartoons, limericks, anecdotes, cryptic problems, rebuses and other 'trivia' of a shorter nature from time to time. Imagination and laconism are the keys to publication. But remember, our focus is on flash fiction stories.
Please do not submit more than one story at a time without seeking permission from the editor first (i.e. no multiple submissions).
Simultaneous submissions are okay, however please let the editor know if this is the case.
Submissions are collected once or twice per week, and will be acknowledged soon after receipt. AntipodeanSF does not accept submissions via snail-mail on deceased trees.
AntipodeanSF will occasionally publish an anthology of material gathered from the best of the stories that have appeared on-line. These books will be available 'on-demand'. AntipodeanSF in itself will remain a non-profit entity, and aims only to promote excellent short-short speculative fiction. Longer works of fiction may also be published in future anthologies, but submission for that purpose will be restricted to those who have had stories published online by AntipodeanSF.
Have fun! And keep them around 500 - 1000 words.
All queries and submissions to
Our weekly podcast features the stories from recently published issues, often narrated by the authors themselves.
Emma Louise Gill (she/her) is a British-Australian spec fic writer and consumer of vast amounts of coffee. Brought up on a diet of English lit, she rebelled and now spends her time writing explosive space opera and other fantastical things in
Geraldine Borella writes fiction for children, young adults and adults. Her work has been published by Deadset Press, IFWG Publishing, Wombat Books/Rhiza Edge, AHWA/Midnight Echo, Antipodean SF, Shacklebound Books, Black Ink Fiction, Paramour Ink Fiction, House of Loki and Raven & Drake
Tim Borella is an Australian author, mainly of short speculative fiction published in anthologies, online and in podcasts.
Barry Yedvobnick is a recently retired Biology Professor. He performed molecular biology and genetic research, and taught, at Emory University in Atlanta for 34 years. He is new to fiction writing, and enjoys taking real science a step or two beyond its known boundaries in his
Merri Andrew writes poetry and short fiction, some of which has appeared in Cordite, Be:longing, Baby Teeth and Islet, among other places.
Sarah Pratt is an avid fiction writer and a Marketing Consultant.
Mark is an astrophysicist and space scientist who worked on the Cassini/Huygens mission to Saturn. Following this he worked in computer consultancy, engineering, and high energy research (with a stint at the JET Fusion Torus).
Ed lives with his wife plus a magical assortment of native animals in tropical North Queensland.
Chuck McKenzie was born in 1970, and still spends much of his time there.
Margaret lives the good life on a small piece of rural New South Wales Australia, with an amazing man, a couple of pets, and several rambunctious wombats.
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Sarah Jane Justice is an Adelaide-based fiction writer, poet, musician and spoken word artist.
My time at Nambucca Valley Community Radio began back in 2016 after moving into the area from Sydney.
Alistair Lloyd is a Melbourne based writer and narrator who has been consuming good quality science fiction and fantasy most of his life.