Camila Fernandes wins an unprecedented second Hydra Competition

May 17^th, 2017

Chosen from a group of more than 150 stories published previously in Brazil, Camila Fernandes’s “Best of the Three” is the winner of the 3^rd Hydra Competition of Fantastic Literature. The win marks Camila’s second straight victory in the competition.

The story was chosen by the staff of Orson Scott Card’s InterGalactic Medicine Show from among three finalists, selected by a panel of judges last year which included Brazilian literary personalities Fábio M. Barreto, Claudia Fusco e Daniel Borba. “Best of the Three”, a tale inspired by Greek mythology, will appear in the October issue of the magazine. It was originally published in the anthology Bestiário 2 – outras criaturas (“Bestiary 2 – other creatures”) by Editora Ornitorrinco.

Scott M. Roberts, editor of Orson Scott Card’s InterGalactic Medicine Show writes: “IGMS is happy to participate in the Hydra Awards again, and especially pleased to see such strong finalists.  We’re excited to be the platform by which Camila Fernandes’s excellent mythology, “The Best of the Three”, comes to English-speakers, and look forward to seeing more work from Brazil in the future.  Many thanks to Christopher Kastensmidt and Tiago Castro for putting this award together, and for bringing IGMS into the picture.”

Tiago Castro, contest organizer says: “It’s always a great honor to organize a competition so important for Brazilian fantastic literature and I’m very happy to have completed another edition in a great way. I thank Christopher Kastensmidt and IGMS for this opportunity, and this edition’s judges: Fábio M. Barreto, Claudia Fusco, and Daniel Borba, who aided me in the arduous task of choosing just three stories.”

The other finalist stories included “The Last Enchantress of Florence”, by Carol Chiovatto, and “The Lady and the Poet”, by Walter Tierno.

The Hydra Competition is a partnership between the electronic magazine Orson Scott Card’s InterGalactic Medicine Show, Christopher Kastensmidt’s The Elephant and Macaw Banner, and Tiago Castro’s Universo Insônia. The award seeks to expose the best of Brazil’s speculative fiction to English readers around the world.

About Orson Scott Card’s InterGalactic Medicine Show

Founded by multiple-award winning author Orson Scott Card and edited by Scott M. Roberts, 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.

About Universo Insônia

The site Universo Insônia (Insomnia Universe) publishes articles, news, and reviews on fantastic literature, cinema, comics, TV series, cartoons, and fantasy pop culture in general.  The site’s principal objective is publicizing and supporting professionals in the area of Brazilian fantasy culture.  The site also contains content about traditional and international productions. universoinsonia.com.br