RIVERDALE, NY, April 1, 2026—Author “Malory” of Birmingham, United Kingdom has been named first place winner of this year’s Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award Contest.

Now in its 19th year, the contest has been held annually since 2007 by Baen Books in partnership with the National Space Society to discover original stories celebrating optimistic, near-future space exploration.

In addition to Malory’s winning story, Baen Books and the National Space Society have honored two runners-up. Liam Hogan of London, United Kingdom earned second place, and Thomas Butler of Santa Ana, California earned third place.

Judges for the award included Baen publisher Toni Weisskopf and the editorial staff of Baen Books, and all entries were judged anonymously. The contest is held annually and seeks stories that highlight the positive potential of space exploration and discovery.

All three writers will be honored at the 2026 International Space Development Conference (ISDC), which takes place June 4–7, 2026, in McLean, Virginia. In addition to the award, winners receive membership in the National Space Society, and the first-place story will be offered publication at Baen.com at professional rates.

Baen Books is known for its New York Times bestselling science fiction and fantasy, including David Weber’s Honor Harrington series, Eric Flint’s Ring of Fire alternate histories, and Larry Correia’s Monster Hunter International urban fantasies, and Lois McMaster Bujold’s multiple award-winning Vorkosigan Saga. Baen’s physical books are distributed by Simon & Schuster, while their ebooks are available via numerous venues, including their own website.

Entries for the 2027 Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Contest open October 1st, 2026.

For more information, visit https://www.baen.com/contest-jbmssa and https://www.baen.com.

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www.baen.com