ECO: The Year’s Best Speculative Ecofiction is an annual showcase of some of the most compelling and thought-provoking ecofiction published every year. If you published speculative ecofiction in 2025 (as either the author or an editor), you can now nominate these stories for consideration in ECO25.
Eligible stories are between 990 and 7,500 words and were published for the first time in English in 2025.
Read the full guidelines here: https://apexbookcompany.moksha.io/publication/apex-book-company/guidelines
Submission portal: https://apexbookcompany.moksha.io/publication/apex-book-company/violet-lichen-books-eco25/submit
Please note that as this is a best-of anthology where stories may receive multiple nominations, no rejections or other responses will be sent. Finalists will be notified at the end of judging in Q2 2026.
The nominations window closes on January 31, 2026.
Send us your best published ecofiction. We look forward to reading your stories!
About ECO24
A must-read annual showcase of the best nature-based science fiction and fantasy short stories published around the world every year.
Featuring works by rising stars and established names, this anthology is an exploration of humanity’s deep relationships with other species and of our communal fears, grief, and passion as we try to protect our natural world—all told through the lens of the fantastic.
Speculative ecofiction has a long history, but ECO: The Year’s Best Speculative Ecofiction is the first-ever anthology series to showcase the best of the genre published each year.
Ranging from literary science fiction and magical realism to dark fantasy and climate fiction, the stories form a unique snapshot of how some of the most brilliant and imaginative authors writing today are engaging with this extraordinary time in Earth’s natural history.
The inaugural edition, selected by award-winning editor and anthologist Marissa van Uden and a team of passionate ecofiction judges, features works by Eugen Bacon, E. Catherine Tobler, Hiron Ennes, K-Ming Chang, Kay Vaindal, Kelsea Yu, Renan Bernardo, and many other brilliant authors.
Praise for ECO24
"A triumph. 23 stellar tales offering creative and varied takes on the book's themes. Every entry is equal parts thought-provoking, insightful, and impactful."
—Publishers Weekly Starred Review
"Each author offers us a unique ecological niche to reveal what our present and future could be, ranging from wrenching disasters to elating possibilities of recovery. These stories are personal and lyrical, and the breadth of imagination and styles make this anthology dazzling. Every story is a gem."
—Sue Burke, author of the Semiosis Series
"I did not realize that there is enough sci-fi and horror fiction on the theme of ecology to fill a year's best anthology, but it is better than that. ECO24 is filled to the brim with powerful and entertaining stories. Speculative fiction is uniquely positioned to explore the nature of our fragile relationship to the only planet in the cosmos that we depend on for life. … A must read."
—David Agranoff, author of The Last Night to Kill Nazis and cohost of The (Philip K. Dick) Dickheads Podcast
Buy your copy now: ECO24: The Year's Best Speculative Ecofiction
About Violet Lichen Books
Founded in 2024, Violet Lichen Books is the sister imprint of Apex Book Company. Violent Lichen was created by Marissa van Uden to give a home to those dark, literary, weird novellas that might be a little outside of the norm. The imprint focuses on speculative ecofiction, Weird and New Weird, and moody science fiction with uniquely memorable characters. Violet Lichen is also home to ECO: The Year’s Best Speculative Ecofiction, the first ever annual anthology to showcase the best nature-based science fiction and fantasy published across hundreds of magazines, journals, and collections every year. Follow the imprint on Instagram at @VioletLichenBooks.
