VIECC® – FANTASTIC WRITING COMPETITION POWERED BY PAN
We have been running annual writing competitions together with the Phantastik-Autor*innen-Netzwerk (PAN) e.V. since 2023.
In 2023 we held a fanfiction contest, in 2024 we took a trip into your own worlds, and in 2025, the year of the 10th anniversary of VIECC and PAN, it was all about high fantasy.
A total of 8 authors from the top 10 were present at last year’s Top 3 award ceremony, which took place in front of a packed audience. A good reason to raise the bar again for 2026!
Because in 2026, a writing competition will be announced in which the top 3 will receive prize money for the first time. In keeping with the general focus of this year’s fair, the theme is science fiction.
What is an essential part of science fiction? A distant future? Unknown life forms and new civilizations? Wars between the stars? Alien legacies that want to be investigated? An unknown threat from the depths of space? Risky technological developments that could lead to danger in the near future?
Tell us a science fiction story that addresses at least one of these aspects.
Science fiction and forethought
The genre of science fiction has a long history that often focuses on two aspects: How technologies and societies evolve and how this interacts with each other. What Jules Verne and H.G. Wells addressed early on was taken up again later by others. George Orwell, Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury, Ursula LeGuin, Philip K. Dick and many others carried the beacon into later decades. Even today, William Gibson, Andreas Eschbach and Alastair Reynolds are still holding up a mirror to the world of their actions and the potential impact of further possible developments.
All of them have also written short stories, most of which focus on a specific aspect. Offer us such an insight into a future you have imagined and let your own imagination run wild (and not the AI)!
We are looking forward to your ideas, because thoughts about a new future require a lot of imagination and fantasy.
We are PAN – We create worlds
The PAN network of fantasy authors was founded in 2015. It has set itself the goal of promoting German-language fantasy in all its literary facets, supporting authors and proving that the genre is wrongly denied the ability to deal with time-critical and socially relevant topics.
If you are interested in what else PAN is involved in and where you can meet the members, take a look at the homepage.
Photo ©Michael Seirer Photography
VIECC® Competition Guidelines
The theme: Science fiction – visions of the future
Send us a story that addresses a possible future and at least one impact of technology on society (or vice versa).
Have humans long since become obsolete as a labor force? Has a people risen to a higher level of development and is no longer dependent on bodies? Was there a war between man and machine and how did it end? And how has the eternal debate about artificial intelligence developed? Are humans finally living in peace with each other and in harmony with nature?
Show us your visions of the future. We are looking forward to your contributions.
The rules
- Only one story per person may be submitted.
- All persons of legal age may participate.
- The story may not have been published elsewhere (neither in print media, nor online or on social media), either in full or in part.
- Generative AI must not be used to create your story.
- All stories must be at least 5,000 characters long and no longer than 20,000 characters (in both cases including spaces according to MS Word counting).
- Entries must be written in German. German dialects of all kinds are permitted.
- Please do not use any characters from well-known series or science fiction universes, unless they are your own. However, we will accept similarities with living persons that are purely coincidental.
- We do not accept stories with explicit sexual or excessively violent content.
- If you provide content notes with/for stories, we would be delighted, but it is not obligatory.
- – Deliberate violations of the rules will automatically lead to exclusion from the writing competition.
The submission
Deadline for participants: 16.08.2026 – Please send us your submissions via online form with the following information:
– Name Author (real name)
– Pseudonym (if used)
– By participating, you agree that your short story may be printed in the print edition of the shortlist titles. This print edition will be distributed in a very limited number exclusively to the winners and only for non-commercial commemorative purposes at Vienna Comic Con 2026.
For the winners:
- Day ticket for the top 10*
- Opportunity to read 5 minutes from your own work during the award ceremony
- Trophies for the top 3
- Prize money:
- 150 Euro for 1st place
- 100 Euro for 2nd place
- 50 Euro for 3rd place
*(also to be present at the award ceremony)
Our jury for the competition
Jacqueline Mayerhofer
Jacqueline Mayerhofer was born in Vienna in 1992. In addition to novels and novellas, she has published numerous short stories in various anthologies since her debut in 2008. She also regularly edits for clients and publishers. Since 2016, she has also been writing novels for other genres under a pseudonym.
Her most recent novel publications include her sci-fi novella series “Hunting Hope” published by Verlag in Farbe und Bunt and her cyberpunk novella “Our Mechanical Hearts”. She also writes for the “Perry Rhodan” series.
Photo: (C) Peter Gludovatz
Katharina Viktoria Haderer
Katharina Viktoria Haderer has been writing fantastic novels since her early youth. After studying German in Vienna, she self-published her debut Das Herz im Glas in 2014. This was followed by publications by Drachenmond Verlag. From 2019, the “Black Alchemy” series was published by Droemer-Knaur. In 2021, she published the booklet novel “Oasis of Mutants” as part of the science fiction series Perry Rhodan. Since then, she has published “Fallen Angels, Rising Demons” and “The Dragons of Talanis”. She is currently completing a trilogy about blood and wine.
Photo: (C) Michael Seirer Photography
Michael Hirtzy
Michael Hirtzy, born in Graz in 1976, completed an apprenticeship as a bookseller before embarking on an expedition into the colorful world of work. Professional soldier, advertising wedge, publishing representative and IT consultant were some of the stations. He founded a metal concert agency which he managed for 5 years. Today he earns money as a sales manager. He writes science fiction, fantasy and horror stories. His first novel “Before the Abyss – Images of the Apocalypse Part 1” won 3rd place in the Tolino Media Newcomer Award. His science fiction novel “Die Grenze der Dunkelheit” was published in 2022. He lives in Vienna with his wife and two cats.