Orson Scott Card’s InterGalactic Medicine Show (IGMS) and The Elephant and Macaw Banner are proud to announce the results of the 2011 Hydra Competition.  The winner, “(História com desenho e diálogo)” by Brontops Baruq was chosen by Orson Scott Card from among three finalists.  The other two finalist stories included “Por um Fio” by Flávio Medeiros Júnior and “Eu, a Sogra” by Giulia Moon.  In a surprise announcement, IGMS has decided to publish not only a translation of the winning story by Baruq but also the first-runner up story by Medeiros Júnior.

The finalists were chosen from over one hundred speculative fiction stories published in Brazil during 2009 and 2010.  Over half of the entries came from print anthologies and the rest from magazines, single-author collections, blogs, websites, and other assorted publications.

“(História com desenho e diálogo)” (in English – “(Story with Pictures and Conversation)”) was originally published in the limited edition magazine Portal Fundação by the Projeto Portal cooperative.  Brontops Baruq, born in São Paulo in 1973, is the author’s pseudonym.  He has published stories in the anthologies Livro Negro dos Vampiros, Anno Domini, Alterego, and Cartas do Fim do Mundo, beyond appearing multiple times in the Projeto Portal magazines captained by award-winning author and editor Nelson de Oliveira.  Brontops has a personal blog at http://brontops.blogspot.com.

“Por um Fio” (in English – “By a Thread”) was originally published in the Steampunk anthology published by Tarja Editorial.  Flávio Medeiros Júnior lives in his home town of Belo Horizonte in the state of Minas Gerais.  He graduated in Medicine from UFMG in 1988, specializing in ophthalmology.  He published his first novel, Quintessência, in 2004: a detective story in a science fiction setting.  In 2010, he published the novel Casas de Vampiros, which combines horror and science fiction.  He has also published stories in the anthologies Paradigmas 2, Imaginários volume 1, Vaporpunk, and Assembleia Estelar.  He continues writing compulsively and publishing his opinions at http://a-quintessencia.blogspot.com.

“Eu, a Sogra” (in English – “I, Mother-in-Law”) was first published in the first volume of the Imaginários anthologies by Editora Draco.  Giulia Moon is a writer, illustrator, editor, and creative director in marketing.  She has published three short story collections: Luar de Vampiros (Scortecci, 2003), Vampiros no Espelho & Outros Seres Obscuros (Landy, 2004) and A Dama-Morcega (Landy, 2006).  She was at one time editor of the FicZine fanzine and co-editor of Scarium Megazine.  In 2009, she published her first novel, Kaori: Perfume de Vampira (Giz Editorial, 2009), which was followed in 2011 by Kaori 2: Coração de Vampira.  You can find out more about Giulia at http://www.giuliamoon.com.br.

Edmund R. Schubert, editor of IGMS, writes: “This has been an exciting partnership and I’m thrilled to be able to bring the best of Brazilian speculative fiction to a wider audience.  I give the highest marks to Christopher Kastensmidt for bring it together so well, and I look forward to reading more from all of the writers involved.”

Christopher Kastensmidt, competition organizer writes: “The fact that Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show has agreed to publish not just one, but two of the stories provides wonderful validation for the entire Brazilian speculative fiction community, one which works tirelessly but receives almost no recognition outside the borders of Brazil.  Many thanks once again to IGMS, our Brazilian judges, and everyone else involved for making this contest such a success.”

The Hydra Competition is a partnership between writer Christopher Kastensmidt and Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show, seeking to expose Brazilian fantastic literature to the English-speaking world.  The contest also depended on the participation of Brazilian judges Tiago Castro (Universo Insônia) e Ana Carolina Silveira (Leitura Escrita).

About Orson Scott Card’s InterGalactic Medicine Show

Founded by multiple-award winning author Orson Scott Card, and edited for the past five years by Edmund R. Schubert, IGMS is an award-winning bimonthly online magazine publishing illustrated science fiction and fantasy short stories, audio stories, interviews, reviews, and more. Authors range from established pros like Peter Beagle and David Farland to first-time authors making their professional debut.  IGMS can be found at www.intergalacticmedicineshow.com.

About The Elephant and Macaw Banner

The Elephant and Macaw Banner is a fantasy series set in sixteenth-century Brazil.  The stories tell the adventures of Gerard van Oost and Oludara, an unlikely pair of heroes who meet in Salvador.  News, artwork, and in-depth explanations of historical and cultural references from the series can be found at the website www.eamb.org.