Next Generation Indie Book Awards - Category: Science Fiction (On Earth)

Entries are now being accepted for the 2025 Awards

Category Details · Science Fiction (On Earth)

Scientific advancements and futuristic technology are at the core of science fiction novels, with characters needing to navigate how that impacts their lives. Although grounded in scientific principles, science fiction takes an imaginative look, a “what-if” approach towards a future that range from utopian to dystopian.

Stories in the Science Fiction On Earth category take place primarily on the earth, in the present, past or future. Time travel stories go here, as do dystopian stories, the invasion of earth by aliens, tales about future scientific discoveries that affect the world, and stories set in parallel Earths. If your book takes place both on and off earth, place it in the category where most of the action takes place.

Similar Categories

Fantasy

First Novel (Under 50,000 words)

General Fiction/Novel (Over 100,000 words)

Why you should enter your book into the Next Generation Indie Book Awards

Next Generation Indie Book Awards: Science Fiction (On Earth) Category

Next Generation Indie Book Awards is the largest international awards program for indie authors and independent publishers. When you submit your book for this contest, it can be considered for cash prizes, awards, exposure, representation by a leading literary agent, and recognition as one of the top independently published books of the year!

Here's what makes this contest unique. ALL entry fees go back to winners and finalists. This includes through cash prizes; medals, trophies, and certificates; the awards ceremony; the running of the program; and the ongoing promotion of the winners and finalists.

About the Science Fiction (On Earth) Competition

In its sixteenth year of operation, the Next Generation Indie Book Awards was created to honor the most exceptional independent books being published today. This awards program recognizes indie authors and independent publishers for their incredible work and contributions to the literary world. It's presented by the Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group in cooperation with Marilyn Allen of Allen Literary Agency (formerly the Allen O'Shea Literary Agency).

More About Who Qualifies to Submit

This competition is open to all indie publishers, no matter the size, for books written in English. This includes university presses, self-published authors, and e-book authors who are based in the United States, Canada, or elsewhere internationally. It includes first-time authors, well-seasoned authors, and those in between. The book must be released in 2023, 2024 or 2025, with one of those years as the copyright date.

Watch and read testimonial from past participants

About the Science Fiction (On Earth) Awards

Awards for winners and finalists of the Next Generation Indie Book Awards are as follows:

$1,500 Cash Prize and trophy awarded to the best Fiction Book
$1,500 Cash Prize and trophy awarded to the best Non-Fiction Book
$750 Cash Prize and trophy awarded to the second best Fiction Book
$750 Cash Prize and trophy awarded to the second best Non-Fiction Book
$500 Cash Prize and trophy awarded to the third best Fiction Book
$500 Cash Prize and trophy awarded to the third best Non-Fiction Book
$100 Cash Prize and a Gold Medal awarded to the winner of each of the 80+ categories
Finalist Medals will be awarded to up to five finalists in each of the 80+ categories

In addition, winners and finalists will be listed in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards Catalog. This catalog will be sent to thousands of book buyers, media, and more. Names of winners and finalists will be listed online for an entire year, helping each of them to potentially benefit from increased revenue through this ongoing online exposure.

Plus, winners and finalists will be invited to our special Gala Awards Reception and provided with gold sticker awards that highlight their recognition. The first ten are complimentary, with more information about the stickers available here.

Science Fiction (On Earth) Prizes Include Possible Representation

The top 80 books in the 2025 competition will be sent to New York literary agent Marilyn Allen of Allen Literary Agency (formerly the Allen O'Shea Literary Agency) or one of her co-agents for possible representation (unless the person prefers not to have this happen). Allen has more than 25 years of sales and marketing experience, including the following:

serving as Senior Vice President, Associate Publisher, and Director of Marketing for Harper Collins
directing sales and marketing teams for Simon & Schuster, Penguin Books and Avon Books
working with many best-selling authors including Stephen King, Ken Follett, Barbara Kingsolver, John Gray, Mary Higgins Clark, and many more

It can be extremely difficult to get the attention of a leading New York literary agent or major publisher. They're swamped with requests, which means that many books of quality never get seen by them. Among the Science Fiction (On Earth) prizes, though, include this very opportunity for top winners.

If Allen or a co-agent decides to represent you, this can generate additional revenue for your book through distribution channels, foreign rights, film rights, and other rights.

Announcements of Science Fiction (On Earth) Awards

Winners and finalists will be notified of their placement by the end of May 2025. Other participants will not receive a notification but a complete list of winners and finalists will be available at www.IndieBookAwards.com by the end of June 2025.

Each category winner will also receive a written review from the judge.

The rest of the participants will not receive a review.

If Science Fiction (On Earth) Prizes Are Not Won

When a book is not selected, it's often because there was plenty of outstanding competition in the category. Winners of a Next Generation Indie Book Award really are the cream of the crop.

Other times, a book may not be chosen because it didn't fit the category as well as it should. Still other times, more editing may help.

Resubmitting to Our Science Fiction (On Earth) Contest

If you've entered a book in a previous Next Generation Indie Book Award competition, and would like to resubmit it in 2025, you may do so if it meets two guidelines:

The publishing/copyright dates still fit the parameters
You submit it in a different category

If you've revised a book that was published years ago — altering it by at least 10% — then you can submit it under the new release/copyright date.

How to submit for the Science Fiction (On Earth) competition

Whether the book you're entering into the contest is print or electronic (e-book), we recommend that the preliminary entry is filled out online. That will save you time and also streamlines the entry process.

Fortunately, it only takes four easy steps to enter into our [Category Name) contest online.

Create/log into your IBA Account
Complete and submit the entry form.
Pay entry fee(s) through PayPal. You can use credit cards at the PayPal checkout system. If you do use a credit card, the charge will show up on your credit card statement as IBPPG or Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group. After you submit online, you should quickly receive a confirmation email from this address: info@indiebookawards.com. So, be sure to add this email address to your address book to help ensure that you receive your confirmation email.
To complete the entry process, please also complete this step. Print out a copy of your “Confirmation of Entry” email. This will list all of your entry details. Mail that printout, along with two copies of your book (plus one additional copy for each additional category where you enter this book into one of our contests). The latest date for entry is February 14, 2025. All books must be received in our office by that date. Our address is:

Next Generation Indie Book Awards
7916 NE 173rd Ave.
Vancouver, WA 98682
USA

If you prfer to enter by mail, your IBA Account also contains an offline entry form. Print that out and send it to the address listed above, along with the entry fee payment and appropriate number of copies of your book.

About entry fees, judging, and more

Here is the fee structure for each of the book titles you submit:

$75 for the first category entered
$60 for each additional category entered

So, if one book title is entered into three categories, the entry fee would be $195 ($75 for category one; $60 for category two; and $60 for category three).

Here's another scenario. If submitting two different titles—one in just one category and the other in two different categories, it would be $210. Title A, submitted in one category, would be $75. Title B, submitted in two categories, would be $135 ($75 plus $60). In total, the entries fees would add up to $210.

There is no limit to the number of titles that you can submit, and you can enter a title into as many categories as you'd like. It is recommended, though, that you apply to categories that fit your books or marketing strategies.

Here's an example. If you've written an historical romance with multi-cultural elements, you might decide to submit your book to the romance category, as well as the historical fiction one, and the multi-cultural fiction one.

Books will be judged on their content, with judges including experienced writers, editors, and publishers. Books that are entered into the best design categories will have their books judged by professional book designers.

If a book is received after our deadline of February 14, 2025, it will automatically be entered into the 2026 Awards program. Late entries will not be returned or refunded.

Submit to Our Science Fiction (On Earth) Contest Today!

You’ve worked hard on your book — earn the recognition you deserve. We wish you the best of luck in winning one of our Science Fiction (On Earth) awards in 2025!

Science Fiction (On Earth)