By Brian Dunlap

The Tomorrow Prize for short science fiction is a competition by Los Angeles County high school students that inspires them to explore their present through speculating about their future and to excel in the art of storytelling.

It is open to all 9th to 12th grade students attending schools in LA County. Four to six finalists are chosen and their stories are read by celebrity guests on stage at LitFest Pasadena in May.  First, second, and third place prizes, as well as special prizes and certificates, are presented to the finalists and the honorable mentions at the reading. Los Angeles Audubon will also present The Green Feather Award for the best environment themed science fiction story. In the last four years, around 20 schools and hundreds of students have participated in The Tomorrow Prize. This years LitFest Pasadena will take place on May 18-19.

About The Green Feather Award presented by Los Angeles Audubon

This special Tomorrow Prize award recognizes an outstanding science fiction short story by a teen author [or team of authors] that centers on overcoming today’s environmental challenges. Strong entries will highlight the importance of ecology and biodiversity in some way, and we would be especially excited to see the local ecology, geography, culture, and environmental concerns of Southern California emphasized. We also recognize that issues of social and environmental justice strongly overlap with those concerning wildlife conservation, sea level rise, water conservation, climate change, and energy. Keeping that in mind, a story about a single neighborhood or school overcoming an environmental challenge would be just as valid as a story that tackles a much broader scale.