Announcement of the literary call for Fanfest 10

Deadline: 15. 8. 2026

Celje and Europe in a World of Magic

I’m repeating what we already wrote back in October 2024:

“Maybe you think there’s still an endless amount of time until the next Fanfest, but believe me — the time already ran out yesterday. It’s always like that. How do I know? From personal experience. I’ve let countless calls for submissions slip through my keyboard because I thought I had enough time to prepare a competitive literary piece.”

This time, we’re in the autumn season of the 2025 edition!

So — first, let’s talk about the theme.

Celje and Europe in the world of magic.

Does that sound cliché to you? Do you think it’s simple?

It depends on how you approach it. Magic can be many things — from cliché wand-waving and the casting of Latin-sounding spells, as popularized by Harry Potter and its literary company — to being the foundation of science in another time and place. It can even mean blending science with spiritual and mental powers. The worlds of occultism, spirituality, mythology, or mysticism offer a rich treasury of ideas...

What do we want under this title?

Please avoid using Magic in… or …in the world of magic in your story title, as naming your work after the competition theme is highly unoriginal.
The idea of this call is to apply the concept of magic in different ways — but try to steer clear of the clichés followed by thousands of young adult fantasy titles set in some kind of “magical world.”
Is magic merely a name for misunderstood technology?
Write a prose or poetic work — or a mix of both.
The length should be up to 7,500 words (that’s roughly 45,000 characters including spaces).
Use a standard font set; ideally, keep your text simple and unembellished. A good author is usually a poor designer.
Please attach your contact information with the text.
We accept digital submissions only (do not send handwritten works).
Email: bojan.ekselenski@gmail.com

Deadline: 15. 8. 2026