YA sci‑fi contest open
A YA Sci‑Fi/Horror contest judged by agent Keir Alekseii is accepting entries with a deadline of April 20 and the winner getting a professional critique — posts about the contest have been circulating this week (x.com). It’s a quick chance for early writers to get agent attention in the genre space (x.com).
The announcement appears on Writing Day Workshops as “First Page Contest #10” for Young Adult fantasy, science fiction and horror, posted March 24, 2026. (writingdayworkshops.com) Organizers say the agent judge will select three winners, and each of those winners will be invited to submit their first five double‑spaced pages for a free professional critique. (writingdayworkshops.com) Winners are scheduled to be announced by May 10, 2026, with the site stating winners will be contacted by email and listed on the contest post. (writingdayworkshops.com) Entry to the contest is free but requires entrants to share the contest twice on social media and to include links or screenshots proving those shares when they email their submission. (writingdayworkshops.com) The agent judge is listed as an associate at Azantian Literary Agency and the agency bio notes a focus on SFF across age categories and interest in BIPOC and Global South voices. (azantianlitagency.com) On the agent’s Manuscript Wish List page she indicates specific tastes for YA and adult SFF and states she will only accept queries from writers from marginalized backgrounds as described on that page. (manuscriptwishlist.com) Earlier in the contest cycle entrants reported a bounce‑back error on a Writing Day Workshops submission email and the organizer replied publicly that contest pages and email addresses were being updated to correct the issue. (bsky.app)
