Literary award for science fiction short stories
The Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award, established in 2007, is an annual literary award for science fiction short stories presented by the National Space Society and Baen Books. Recognizing "the role that science fiction plays in advancing real science",[1] the award is presented to “original stories celebrating optimistic, near-future space exploration.”[2] In 2024, multi-time contest winner C. Stuart Hardwick took over the contest's directorship from William Ledbetter after 17 years at the helm.[3].
The award honors American science fiction publisher and editor Jim Baen (1943–2006).[1]
Recipients
Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award winners[1]
| Year
|
Story
|
Author
|
Result
|
Ref.
|
| 2007
|
"Better Sense of Direction"
|
Mjke Wood
|
1
|
|
| "Anniversary"
|
Robert Billing
|
2
|
|
| "Acclimatization"
|
Michael A. McPherson
|
3
|
|
| 2008
|
"Letting Go"
|
David Walton
|
1
|
|
| "Skipping Stones"
|
Darwin Garrison
|
2
|
|
| "Self Defense"
|
Charlie Allery
|
3
|
|
| 2009
|
"Cathedral"
|
Michael Barretta
|
1
|
|
| "Burst Mode"
|
Patrick Lundrigan
|
2
|
|
| "All The Way"
|
Graham Storrs
|
3
|
|
| 2010
|
"Space Hero"
|
Patrick Lundrigan
|
1
|
|
| "Citizen-Astronaut"
|
David D. Levine
|
2
|
|
| "High Ground"
|
Stuart D. Gibbon
|
3
|
|
| 2011
|
"That Undiscovered Country"
|
Nancy Fulda
|
1
|
|
| "Gemini XVII"
|
Brad Torgersen
|
2
|
|
| "Natural Selection"
|
Michael Simon
|
3
|
|
| 2012
|
"Taking the High Road"
|
R. P. L. Johnson
|
1
|
|
| "Scramble"
|
Martin L. Shoemaker
|
2
|
|
| "One Cog"
|
James Wymore
|
3
|
|
| 2013
|
"The Lamplighter Legacy"
|
Patrick O'Sullivan
|
1
|
|
| "Intent to Occupy"
|
Ronald D. Ferguson
|
2
|
|
| "Improvising at Branson Six"
|
Sean Monaghan
|
3
|
|
| 2014
|
"Low Arc"
|
Sean Monaghan
|
1
|
|
| "Balance"
|
Marina J. Lostetter
|
2
|
|
| "Wind Shear"
|
Angus McIntyre
|
3
|
|
| 2015
|
"We Fly"
|
K. B. Rylander
|
1
|
[4]
|
| "A Metal Box Floating Between the Stars"
|
Jamie Lackey
|
2
|
[4]
|
| "Boomerang Zone"
|
Robert Dawson
|
3
|
[4]
|
| 2016
|
"Dear Ammi"
|
Aimee Ogden
|
1
|
[5]
|
| "To Lose the Stars"
|
Jennifer Brozek
|
2
|
[5]
|
| "Cylinders"
|
Ronald D. Ferguson
|
3
|
[5]
|
| 2017
|
“Feldspar”
|
Philip A. Kramer
|
1
|
[6]
|
| “Bullet Catch”
|
Stephen Lawson
|
2
|
[6]
|
| “An Economy of Air”
|
M. T. Reiten
|
3
|
[6]
|
| 2018
|
“Homunculus”
|
Stephen Lawson
|
1
|
[7]
|
| “Dangerous Company”
|
C. Stuart Hardwick
|
2
|
[7]
|
| “Falling to the Moon”
|
Wendy Nikel
|
3
|
[7]
|
| 2019
|
“Burners”
|
Matt McHugh
|
1
|
[8]
|
| “Acid Test”
|
Gustavo Bondoni
|
2
|
[8]
|
| “Dangerous Orbit”
|
M. T. Reiten
|
3
|
[8]
|
| 2020
|
“Bagala Devi Objective”
|
M. T. Reiten
|
1
|
[9]
|
| “Spinners”
|
Kate MacEachern
|
2
|
[9]
|
| “Sample Return”
|
C. Stuart Hardwick
|
3
|
[9]
|
| 2021
|
“Salvage Judgement”
|
Scott Huggins
|
1
|
[10]
|
| “Reaction Time”
|
C. Stuart Hardwick
|
2
|
[10]
|
| “Love On The Ganymede Trail”
|
Kurt Pankau
|
3
|
[10]
|
| “Samba do Espaço”
|
Gustavo Bondoni
|
3
|
[10]
|
| 2022
|
“Man on the Moon”
|
Elaine Midcoh
|
1
|
[11]
|
| “A New Life”
|
Pierre-Alexandre Sicart
|
2
|
[11]
|
| “The Rocketship of Her Dreams”
|
Harry Lang
|
3
|
[11]
|
| 2023
|
“The Insomniac”
|
Brad Zeiger
|
1
|
[12]
|
| “High Risk”
|
Avery Parks
|
2
|
[12]
|
| “Cronus”
|
J. M. Eno
|
3
|
[12]
|
| 2024
|
“Locus of Control”
|
Zack Be
|
1
|
[2]
|
| "Extraction"
|
Trent Guillory
|
2
|
[2]
|
| “Saving Gallivander”
|
William Paul Jones
|
3
|
[2]
|
References