codex

Winners of Codex Story Contests

Codex holds several short story contests of various kinds each year. Here is a complete history of those contests, including winners and (where applicable) where the winning stories have subsequently sold. Also listed are non-placing stories that sold.

Winners and their rankings are added “automatically” (manually, but by the page admin). To have your sale or publication of a Codex contest story listed here, visit the Have you published a Codex contest story? thread and post your success story there. (Please include contest name and year, story title, market sold to, the story’s final title, and a web address where the story was published, if available.)

2018

Novella Contest

  1. All the Dust of Shattered Heaven by Beth Cato
  2. Listening for her Voice in the Waves by Deborah Davitt
  3. Every Ocean Rises by Rachael Jones
  4. Sea-Daughters, Sun-Daughters by Aimee Ogden
  5. The 9th Car by Jeff Lyman
  6. City of Magic and Desire by Laurence Brothers
  7. Horse in Water, Black on Gems, Blood on Thorns by Erin M. Hartshorn
  8. Saving Io by Marie Vibbert
  9. Mad Milk by Natalia Theodoridou

Weekend Warrior

  1. Emily McCosh
  2. MK Hutchins
  3. Rachael Jones
  4. Shannon Peavey
  5. Jenn Reese
  6. Joy Kennedy O'Neill
  7. Karen Osborne
  8. Tina Connolly
  9. Jared Oliver Adams
  10. K.S. O'Neill
  11. Kerstin Hall
  12. Matthew Bailey

2017

Flash, Saviour of the Universe

  1. Emily McCosh
    • those who dance for ghosts
  2. Lina Rather
    • Quick-Reject McDreck
  3. Paul R. Hardy
    • The Aptonymic Alliterator
  4. Rebecca Birch
    • The Sun Is a Deadly Laser
  5. David Vaughan
    • Flagon with the Dragon
  6. Eleanna Castroianni
    • Alium Sativum
  7. Joy Kennedy O'Neill
    • Tribble Nibbles
  8. Stephen S. Power
    • 73
  9. Aimee Ogden
    • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  10. Aimee Picchi
    • The Toast in the Machine
  11. Eugenia Triantafyllou
    • Eugenia Triantafyllou
  12. Wendy Nikel
    • T.Rex with a Typewriter

Novella Contest

  1. A place we used to visit by Bennett North
  2. To Talk of Kings by Kate Marshall
  3. Le Jardin Anime by Victoria Sandbrook Flynn
  4. Songs of Water and Bone by Amanda Helms
  5. The Wilst by Cara DiGirolama
  6. Her Silhouette, Drawn in Water by Vylar Kaftan
  7. Life and Death in 10E by Abhinav Bhat
  8. The King of Next Week by Elaine Isaak
  9. The Wind, the Dark, and the Quiet by Jeremy Gottwig
  10. Red Noise by John Murphy
  11. Rouge Demon by Laurence Brothers

Weekend Warrior

  1. Natalia Theodoridou
  2. Rachael Jones
  3. Tina Connolly
  4. Aimee Picchi
  5. Caroline M. Yoachim
  6. Eugenia Triantafyllou
  7. Cislyn Smith
  8. MK Hutchins
  9. Wendy Nikel

2016

Codexian Idol

  1. Two by Two, Into the Sea by Samantha Murray
  2. How to Breathe in Deep Water by Shannon Peavey
  3. The Only Human by Andrew Gray
  4. The Dead Gets on You by Jennifer Dornan-FishFlame Tree Press: Swords & Steam (as Fire to Set the Blood)
  5. Three Meetings of the Pregnant Man Support Group by James Beamon
  6. Prisoner's Game by Sylvia Volk
  7. The Fifth Unforgivable by Vajra Chandrasekera

Halloween Contest

  1. Four and Twenty Blackbirds by Alexei Collier
  2. The Vengeance of Hallowtide by Paul R. Hardy
  3. Gods of the Deep, Spirits of the Wall by Amanda Helms
  4. A Spider Trapped in Wax by Matt Dovey
  5. This Time, Forever by Michelle Muenzler
  6. Lux Nocturna by Eleanor R. Wood

Title Rummage Sale Contest

  1. With Cardamom I'll Bind Their Lips by Beth Cato
  2. Foxglove and Lavender by Travis Burnham
  3. Properties of Obligate Pearls by L.S. Johnson
  4. The Stylized Unicorn Escapes Its Poster in a Seattle Teenager's Bedroom by Tom Carpenter
  5. Goodbye, Until We Die Again by T. Jane Berry
  6. I'm Sorry I Couldn't Make It True by Wendy Nikel

Weekend Warrior

  1. Caroline M. Yoachim
  2. John Murphy
  3. Rachael Jones
  4. Anna Zumbro
  5. Kelly Sandoval
  6. Laura Pearlman
    • Six Ways to Become a CatMothership Zeta (as Noteworthy Customer Service Interactions, Example 12: Mendoza and Squeakyb)
  7. Lauren M. Roy
  8. Samantha Murray
  9. Shannon Peavey

2015

Codexian Idol

  1. Cortaud by Shannon Peavey
  2. A Song of Home, the Organ Grinds by James Beamon
  3. Children of Blood, Children of Stone by Kelly Sandoval
  4. The Empty Throne by Benjamin C. Kinney

Flash, Saviour of the Universe

  1. Merc Rustad
  2. Sarah Pinsker
  3. K.B. Rylander
  4. Samantha Murray
  5. Alexis A. Hunter
  6. Cislyn Smith

Halloween Contest

  1. They're Smart, You Know by Kelly Sandoval
  2. The Sweetness of Honey and Rot by Merc Rustad
  3. House of Whacks by Sarah PinskerFantasy & Science Fiction (as Talking to Dead People)
  4. The Haunting of Anita Reyes by Benjamin C. KinneyStrange Horizons (as The First Confirmed Case of Non-Corporeal Recursion: Patient Anita R.)
  5. Smells Like Teen Spirits by Olivia Fowler
  6. More Than Yarn, Dragon, Woman by Rebecca Roland
  7. Free-Birding into the Zombie Apocalypse by Jeff Stehman
  8. Tantric Abbey by Laurence Brothers
  9. An Act of Consumption, In Two Parts by Michelle Muenzler
  10. Spearfisher by Shannon Peavey
  11. Mr. Pony by Stephen S. PowerCosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores

Novella Contest

  1. The Intergenerational Tree by Kate MacLeod
  2. Chimera City by Tim W. Burke
  3. The Wave Speaker by J.S. Bangs

Title Rummage Sale Contest

  1. Eyes Can Hear, and Tongues Will See by K.B. Rylander
  2. The Night Bazaar for Women Becoming Reptiles by Rachael JonesBeneath Ceaseless Skies
  3. Diving for Pieces of Truth by Samantha Murray
  4. Beat Softly, My Wings of Steel by Beth CatoPodCastle
  5. Press Play to Watch It Die by Caroline M. Yoachim
  6. The Hula-Hoop Heart by Dan StoutSaturday Evening Post
  7. Love Like Salt by L.S. JohnsonOn the Premises (as The Tale of King Edgar)
  8. What Slides Off Your Skin by Lynette Mejia
  9. Some Things I Probably Should Have Mentioned Earlier by Laura PearlmanMothership Zeta

Weekend Warrior

  1. J.Y. Yang
  2. Kelly Sandoval
  3. Rachael Jones
  4. Laura Pearlman
  5. Oliver Buckram
  6. S.B. Divya
  7. Brent Smith
  8. K.S. O'Neill
  9. Matt Mikalatos

2014

Flash, Saviour of the Universe

  1. Oliver Buckram
  2. Samantha Murray
    • the Summer My Wife Turned into a BoatFlash Fiction Online (as Portrait of My Wife as a Boat)
  3. Caroline M. Yoachim
  4. Sarah Pinsker
  5. Brent Smith
  6. Natalia Theodoridou
  7. Joy Kennedy O'Neill

Halloween Contest

  1. I Was Her Monster by Jessi Cole JacksonIntergalactic Medicine Show
  2. The Seven O'Clock Man by Kate HeartfieldClockwork Canada

Novella Contest

  1. The Grove of the Gray Phantoms by Brigitte McCray
  2. The Memory of a Snowflake by S.B. DivyaTor.com (as Runtime)
  3. Andvari Rising by Elizabeth Shack

Weekend Warrior

  1. Aidan Doyle
  2. Oliver Buckram
  3. Matt Mikalatos
  4. Sarah Pinsker
    • Notes to My Past And/Or Alternate SelvesUFO 3
    • Songs in the Key of HighschoolAsimov's Science Fiction (as Songs in the Key of You)
    • The House in LoveFantasy & Science Fiction (as Today's Smarthouse in Love)
    • The Sewell Home for the Temporally DisplacedWomen Destroy Science Fiction
  5. K.S. O'Neill
    • UpstreamDaily Science Fiction
  6. Kelly Sandoval

2013

Codexian Idol

  1. Two of a Kind by Shannon Peavey
  2. This Is The Way The Universe Ends: With A Bang. Oh, Definitely With A Bang by Brian Dolton
  3. Til the Singers Fade by Sarah PinskerLightspeed Magazine (as No Lonely Seafarer)
  4. The Species of Least Concern by Erica SatifkaIntergalactic Medicine Show
  5. Crash by Eric James StoneWhat Fates Impose (as A Crash Course in Fate)

Halloween Contest

  1. The Jagged Gate by James Maxey
  2. Dogs from Other Places by Shannon Peavey
  3. Dance of the Eidolons Blade Walker by James Beamon

Historical Speculative Fiction Contest

  1. Dust Devils by Shannon Peavey
  2. Voi Che Sapete by Anatoly Belilovsky
  3. Agincourt by the Bay by Frank Dutkiewicz
  4. There Will Be One Vacant Chair by Sarah PinskerLong Hidden

Novella Contest

  1. The Liar by John MurphyFantasy & Science Fiction
  2. The Pauper Prince and the Eucalyptus Jinn by Usman MalikTor.com
  3. The Law Encrypted On Their Hearts by J.S. Bangs

Setting the Stage Contest

  1. Beyond the Trenches We Lie by A.T. GreenblattEscape Pod
  2. No Body by John Murphy
  3. An Eulogy for the Man Who Ransomed the Muse by Sarah Grey

Weekend Warrior

  1. Oliver Buckram
    • Half a Conversation, Overheard While Inside an Enormous Sentient SlugFantasy & Science Fiction
    • Space OperaFantasy & Science Fiction (as Un Opera nello Spazio (A Space Opera))
    • The Black Waters of LetheBeneath Ceaseless Skies
  2. Sarah Grey
    • Of Ash and Old DreamsDaily Science Fiction
    • Southside GodsIntergalactic Medicine Show
    • The Social Phobic's Guide to Interior DesignFlash Fiction Online
  3. Sarah Pinsker
    • Join Our Team of Time Travel ProfessionalsDaily Science Fiction
    • On the Hearth, by HeartAsimov's Science Fiction (as The Low Hum of Her)
    • They Sent Runners OutFireside
  4. Alex Shvartsman
    • The Epistolary HistoryNature Futures
    • True LoveDaily Science Fiction
  5. Sylvia Spruck Wrigley
  6. Caroline M. Yoachim

2012

Codexian Idol

  1. Waking, Weeping and Four Weathered Wings by Anaea Lay
  2. A Spirited Education by Tony Pi
  3. A Starscape Slightly Askew by Nancy FuldaThe Gruff Variations: Writing for Charity Anthology, Vol. 1

Halloween Contest

  1. By Moonlight by Steven R. Stewart
  2. Ghost Days by Ken Liu
  3. Time Out by Frank Dutkiewicz
  4. Dinner with the Captain by Oliver Buckram
  5. FRODO and the Witch Hut Hunt by Matt Mikalatos

Novella Contest

  1. The Museum of Error by Oliver BuckramFantasy & Science Fiction
  2. Dear Hope by Vylar Kaftan
  3. A Song of the Younger World by Grayson Bray Morris

Weekend Warrior

  1. Steven R. Stewart
    • Metal and FleshDaily Science Fiction
    • The Cold Beyond the PoolsRedstone Science Fiction
  2. Caroline M. Yoachim
    • After the EarthquakeDaily Science Fiction
    • Blue SandDaily Science Fiction
    • Harmonies of TimeDaily Science Fiction
    • The Carnival Was Eaten, All Except the ClownElectric Velocipede
  3. Tina Connolly
  4. Amanda E. Forrest
  5. Helena Bell
    • RobotClarkesworld

2011

Codexian Idol

  1. In the Fading Light of Sundown by Nancy FuldaIntergalactic Medicine Show
  2. The Shackles of Memory by Mike Wood
  3. When All is Said and Done by K.G. JewellIntergalactic Medicine Show

Halloween Contest

  1. Notes from a Dead Man's House on the Inevitable Heat Death of the Universe by Helena Bell
  2. Lion Dance by Vylar KaftanAsimov's Science Fiction
  3. Roundabout by Nathaniel Lee

Novella Contest

  1. It, Claudius by John Murphy
  2. The Weight of the Sunrise by Vylar Kaftan
  3. Barry's Tale by Vylar KaftanBuffalito Buffet

Setting the Stage Contest

  1. The Aliens Made of Glass by Helena Bell
  2. What Is a Warrior Without His Wounds? by Gray RinehartAsimov's Science Fiction
  3. And Nothing of Consequence was Lost by Sylvia Spruck Wrigley

Weekend Warrior

  1. Caroline M. Yoachim
  2. Eric James Stone
    • Nine Tenths of the LawBlood Lite 3: Aftertaste (Anthology)
    • Write What You WantIntergalactic Medicine Show
  3. Jeff Stehman
    • A Young Heart in Spring, With GravestonesAzure Valley
    • Calling the TrainIntergalactic Medicine Show
    • Shadow's EchoToasted Cake

2010

Codexian Idol

  1. A Sweet Calling by Tony PiClarkesworld
  2. The Waverunner by Kat Otis
  3. Leaves Untrodden on a Timelike Path by Eric James Stone

Halloween Contest

  1. The Child of Samhain by Randy Henderson Penumbra
  2. Lobstersaurus by Eric James StoneAnalog Science Fiction & Fact
  3. Dark Swans by Terra LeMay Daily Science Fiction

Weekend Warrior

  1. Tina Connolly
    • Angel PlantationDaily Science Fiction
    • InflectionDaily Science Fiction
    • RecalculatingBrain Harvest
  2. Alexander Lumans
  3. Helena Bell
    • Please Return My Brother Who Is in Your CustodyBrain Harvest (as Please Return My Son Who Is in Your Custody)

2009

Codexian Idol

  1. Aim for the Stars by Tom Pendergrass Intergalactic Medicine Show
  2. Sneaking the Peach by Krista Hoeppner Leahy Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet
  3. This Changing Light by Brian Dolton

Halloween Contest

  1. Return to Sender by James MaxeyIntergalactic Medicine Show
  2. Stan Musial, Therapeutic Mathematics, and the Physics of Curve Balls by Gray RinehartAnalog Science Fiction & Fact (as Therapeutic Mathematics and the Physics of Curve Balls)
  3. Counterclockwise by Alethea Kontis Intergalactic Medicine Show
  4. Clockwork Fairies by Cat RamboTor.com

Mega Weekend Warrior

  1. The Girl Who Was Loved By The Sea by Spencer EllsworthToasted Cake
  2. Rites of Man: A Hundred Years for the Heart of Scorpio by Sara King
  3. Tattered Sky by Laurel Amberdine

Setting the Stage Contest

  1. Robot People and the Flight of the Albino Peacock by Helena Bell
  2. Lord of the Mountain by Lisa Poh
  3. A Brooch of Bone, a Hint of Teeth by Cat Rambo

Weekend Warrior

  1. Caroline M. Yoachim
    • The Safe RoadDaily Science Fiction
  2. Tina Connolly
    • Golden ApplesScheherezade's Bequest
    • Hard ChoicesBrain Harvest
  3. Luc Reid

2008

Codexian Idol

  1. Hey Tin Man by Krista Hoeppner Leahy Shimmer
  2. Into the West by Eric James StoneIntergalactic Medicine Show
  3. Hong Kong Rendezvous by Tony Frazier

Halloween Contest

  1. Where Their Worm Dieth Not by James MaxeyMasked
  2. The Silent Familiar by Cat RamboEyes Like Sky and Coal and Moonlight
  3. 3 Minutes, 42 Seconds With Annabel Lee by Scott Roberts Intergalactic Medicine Show (as The End-of-the-World Pool)

Weekend Warrior

  1. Luc Reid
  2. Gray Rinehart
  3. D.T. Friedman

2007

Codex Collaboration Contest

  1. Lights in the Orchard by Luc Reid
  2. Lights in the Orchard by Maya Lassiter

    3. Codexian Idol

  3. Eater by James Maxey
  4. No Love for the Middleman by Tony FrazierStrange Horizons
  5. Visits of the Dead by Elise Catherine ToblerPoe: 19 New Tales Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe

Halloween Contest

  1. She Sleeps by Vylar Kaftan
  2. Diamond Tears from Emerald Eyes by Eric James StoneIntergalactic Medicine Show (as Like Diamond Tears from Emerald Eyes)
  3. Right Before Your Very Eyes by Matt RotundoIntergalactic Medicine Show

Setting the Stage Contest

  1. Mind-Diver by Vylar KaftanAbyss & Apex
  2. Release by Rebecca Roland
  3. Brilliant Things Instead of Weeping by Laurel Amberdine

2006

Codexian Idol

  1. A Shadow Cast by Angel's Wings by James MaxeyIntergalactic Medicine Show (as To Know All Things That Are In The Earth)
  2. A Lincoln in Time by Eric James StoneDigital Science Fiction
  3. The Dog Prince by Rachel Ann Dryden

Halloween Contest

  1. Silent as Dust by James MaxeyIntergalactic Medicine Show
  2. Like Rain from Silver Skies by Nancy Fulda
  3. Something Wicked this Way Plumbs by Vylar KaftanShimmer

2005

Fairy Tale Contest

  1. Bird Dropping and Sunday by Eric James StoneThe Immersion Book of Science Fiction
  2. Hound of Colony by Luc Reid
  3. Urban Renewal by Tom Pendergrass Shimmer
  4. Sunday by Alethea Kontis Realms of Fantasy

Get the Juices Flowing Contest

  1. By the Hands of Juan Peron by Eric James StoneDaily Science Fiction
  2. Crocodile Baby by Alethea Kontis Rebel Wings
  3. Bartalan's Choice by David Walton Futurismic

Halloween Contest

  1. The Scream by Nancy FuldaNew Myths
  2. The Echo of the Eye by James MaxeyThe Blotter
  3. Death Haiku Under a New Sun by Luc Reid

2004

Halloween Contest

  1. Dark-Foot Hugh by Luc Reid
  2. The Final Flight of the Blue Bee by James MaxeyAsimov's Science Fiction
  3. Nobody Dogs the Monkey by Tom Pendergrass Aberrant Dreams