"The Watering Hole"

Submission Guidelines

The Voyage to the Center of our Galaxy

The Great Gathering of Alien Civilizations

In Round 1, the story of your civilization is just yours. You control every nuance and every detail of the story. This will define the "origin story" of your civilization.

What planet do they come from?
What are they called?
What are their motivations for traveling to the center of the galaxy?
What makes this race unique?
What are their strengths and weaknesses?

The Great Gathering of Alien Civilizations

In Round 2, your civilization must interact with another civilization in Round 1. Do they cooperate or do they compete? Do they flourish or do they flounder?

What happens when your civilization meets an alien civilization for the first time?
How does this interaction change your civilization?
What are the stakes for your civilization?
How do they make decisions?

The Great Galactic Battle

The Great Gathering of Alien Civilizations

The Great Galactic Battle

In Round 3, we will select two civilizations from the finalists to have an epic battle to determine the fate of the galaxy.

How will this battle unfold?
What are the unique strengths of your civilization?
What are the weaknesses of their battle plan?
What are the weapons and tactics that are used to win the war?
What did they have to sacrifice and what is the consequence for everyone else?

Additional Rules & Guidance

Each author must submit a short story (between 3,000 and 5,000 words) about an intergalactic civilization that arrives at the supermassive black hole in the center of the galaxy by a different means of transportation.
The story must focus on the unique attributes of the alien culture, as well as explore a unique and clever angle that makes this civilization unique and interesting.
Submissions must be in English and be the original work of the author.
The deadline for consideration is 90 days prior to the publication date of the magazine. For example, to be considered the July edition, the manuscript must be submitted no later than April 1st.
A fiction editor will select stories for publication based on creativity, originality, and adherence to the theme.
Contributors will be notified via email.
By submitting a story, the author agrees to allow the SavagePlanets to publish their work on their website, online or in a compilation magazine, book or other media.
Only one submission per author is allowed each quarter.
Any form of plagiarism will result in disqualification.
The decision of the judges is final and these rules & regulations are subject to change without notice at the sole discretion of SavagePlanets.

Submit your entry