Pocket Books executive editor John Ordover yesterday announced the winners of the sixth edition of the fan-written 'Strange New Worlds' short fiction competition.

Judges Dean Wesley Smith, Paula M. Block and John Ordover selected twenty-three stories for inclusion in the latest anthology, currently scheduled for publication in June, 2003.

First prize went to Robert T. Jeschonek for his story 'Our Million Year Mission,' which was included in the first-time 'Speculations' category. This is the third time Jeschoneck has been honoured in the competition, having previously scored third prize for 'Whatever You Do, Don't Read This Story' in 'Strange New Worlds III' and an honourable mention for 'The Shoulders of Giants' in 'Strange New Worlds V'.

Geoffrey Thorne was awarded second prize for his Next Generation story 'Soft Room,' with third place going to Juanita Nolte's Original Series entry 'Whales Weep Not.' Both Thorne and Nolte are first-time 'Strange New Worlds' winners.

This year's winning entries were spread fairly evenly across the various Trek series. Enterprise and Deep Space Nine both had three stories, with four entries set in the The Next Generation universe, five dealing with Voyager, and six featuring the Original Series. There were also two stories included in the new 'Speculations' category, about which no details are currently known.

The full list of the winners and their stories can be found below. If the author has been included in any previous edition of the anthology, it has been noted in brackets beside their name.

Enterprise

• 'Savoir' by Julie Hyzy (SNW V)
• 'Cabin E-14' by Shane Zeranski (SNW III & IV)
• 'Preconceptions' by Penny A. Proctor (SNW IV & V)

Original Series

• 'Bum Radish: Five Spins on a Turquoise Reindeer' by T.G. Theodore (SNW IV)
• 'One Last Adventure' by Mark Allen & Charity Zegers
• 'Whales Weep Not' by Juanita Nolte (Third Prize)
• 'A Piece of the Pie' by G. Wood (SNW III)
• 'Marking Time' by Pat Detmer (SNW IV)
• 'Ancient History' by Robert J. Mendenhall (SNV IV & V)

The Next Generation

• 'The Soft Room' by Geoffrey Thorne (Second Prize)
• 'The Human Factor' by Russ Crossley
• 'Tribble in Paradise' by Louisa M. Swann (SNW V)
• 'Protecting Data's Friends' by Scott W. Carter

Deep Space Nine

• 'Best Tools Available' by Shawn Michael Scott
• 'Fabrications' by Brett Hudgins
• 'Urgent Matter' by Robert J. LaBaff

Voyager

• 'The End of the Night' by Paul J. Kaplan
• 'Hidden' by J. B. Stevens
• 'Seven and Seven' by Kevin Andrew Hosey
• 'Homemade' by Elizabeth A. Dunham
• 'Widow's Walk' by Mary Scott-Wiecek (SNW III & V)

Speculations

• 'Our Million-Year Mission' by Robert T. Jeschonek (First Prize) (SNW III & V)
• 'The Beginning' by Annie Reed

Although the rules of next year's competition have yet to be announced, prospective entrants can peruse the conditions for 'Strange New Worlds VI' here at Psi Phi. Please note that the entry conditions may be different for 'Strange New Worlds VII'; these will be published in 'Strange New Worlds VI' in June, 2003.

Congratulations to all the winners!

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