Li-Sci-Fi: IFLA100 Library Science Fiction Short Story Competition

April 20, 2026

IFLA, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, is hosting a short story competition as part of the lead-up to its 100th anniversary in 2027.

What does the future hold for libraries? is the theme for the IFLA Li-Sci-Fi (Library Science Fiction) short story competition, with winners to be chosen by Mary Robinette Kowal, bestselling author of a dozen novels, including Apprehension and the Lady Astronaut series, a winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards, a professional puppeteer, and award-winning audiobook narrator.

The selected winner may choose one of the following prizes:

• A contribution of up to €500 towards a full year of paid IFLA membership,
• Free registration for IFLA WLIC 2027 in London, United Kingdom,
• A €500 cash prize.

The submissions deadline is September 1, 2026.

Li-Sci-Fi: IFLA100 Library Science Fiction Short Story Competition

What does the future hold for libraries? This is the theme for the Li-Sci-Fi (Library Science Fiction) short story competition hosted by the International Federation of Library Associations as it approaches its 100th anniversary in 2027 (IFLA100)! The submissions deadline is 1 September 2026, with winners to be chosen by our celebrity judge, Mary Robinette Kowal.

Libraries for the future

Libraries have always had a focus on tomorrow. They serve current and future generations, through collecting and safeguarding content and developing the skills and outlooks necessary to help everyone face what comes next with confidence.

They are also early adopters of technology, acting as test-beds for new ideas and contributing to development of the internet through digital library tools. In doing so, they have combined new tools with long-standing values in order to find ways of advancing towards key public interest missions.

The future for libraries

As we look to the next century of libraries and international librarianship in the context of IFLA100, we have been asking: “What are the skills and attitudes required to approach the future with confidence?”

The answer to this question depends on technological advances and what these advances might mean for libraries and the societies they serve.

This is where your imagination and creative writing comes in!

Science fiction has long played a role in helping to imagine alternative worlds, either extrapolating out from current trends, or speculating about what the world might look like if key assumptions fail or change. Now we want you to speculate about the future of libraries in our Li-Sci-Fi short story competition.

The competition

We welcome entries in two categories, with each author limited to one story per category:

• Flash short story (up to 1000 words)
• Short story (between 1001 – 2500 words)

We will be looking for:

• Insight: say something interesting and on theme. We want stories that make us stop and think!
• Engaging writing: draw us in with believable and memorable characters, good structure (e.g., strong beginning and ending), and internal consistency.
• Originality: apply your creativity! Any use of AI must be disclosed and limited to translation and minor editing.

How to submit:

• You can submit stories in any official IFLA language (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Russian and Spanish), but if using a language other than English, please either provide an English language translation or be aware that the jury may be working with an automatic translation of the text.
• Email a PDF or MS Word document to ifla100@ifla.org before 1 September 2026, with Li-Sci-Fi in the subject line. Include a word count and story title on the first page. Do not include your name in the document or filename.
• There is no submission fee but entrants are limited to one submitted story in each category.

Your entries will be blind-reviewed by a jury, and then winners will be chosen by our celebrity judge, Mary Robinette Kowal. We reserve the right not to select a winner.

The selected winner may choose one of the following prizes:

• A contribution of up to €500 towards a full year of paid IFLA membership,
• Free registration for IFLA WLIC 2027 in London, United Kingdom,
• A €500 cash prize.

(Via IFLA)