2025-2026 Octavia E. Butler Library Science Fiction Contest & Festival

The 2025-2026 Octavia E. Butler Library Science Fiction Contest now closed.

Winners will be announced at the Octavia E. Butler Library Science Fiction Festival on Friday, March 27th.

Students may choose one category to enter an original creation: short narrative, poetry, essay, drama, graphic fiction, or art & design. There will be prizes for the winners, and all entries will be published in a literary journal and celebrated at our 2026 Octavia E. Butler Library Science Fiction Festival in March.

The information about the contest is below and on Canvas.

Prizes include a gift card up to $100!

The Drama winner will get their piece recorded and produced by professional audio theater artists.

2025-2026 Octavia E. Butler Library Science Fiction Contest Book

Copy of 2025-2026 contest presentation for canvas by Natalie Daily

Octavia Fest came to the school for a special assembly with author Ibi Zoboi to encourage amazing entries for this year's contest!

Click to learn more about the 2026 Octavia E. Library Science Fiction Festival.

The Octavia E. Butler Library Science Fiction Festival will be on Friday, March 27th, 2026, from 3-6 pm! The target audience for the festival is students from ages 8-15.

¡El Festival de Ciencia Ficción de la Biblioteca Octavia E. Butler será el viernes 27 de marzo de 2026, de 3 a 6 p. m.! El público objetivo del festival son estudiantes de entre 8 y 15 años.

The annual Octavia E. Butler Library Science Fiction Festival celebrates the genre of science fiction while honoring the legacy of Octavia E. Butler, who wrote about wanting to provide opportunities for young people to write in the genre. Butler is known for immersing herself in research to ground her writing in reality while imagining what if...., if only..., and if this goes on.... Our festival brings together writers, artists, scientists, and creators to inspire our students to see themselves in the future and imagine how they can be the next generation of thinkers and creators.

2026 Sci Fi Fest Recap Video!

Register to Attend the Festival by Completing the Form

Our festival will have activities throughout the first floor of our main buildings. Please enter the campus through our pedestrian gate off of Marengo Avenue and proceed to the ramp on the west side of campus to check in.

Missions - Scroll through to see this year's presenters - be sure to visit them and get stamps to earn a trip to the FREE Book Fair!

Don't miss these festival highlights!

Present, Sponsor, Donate, or Volunteer to help make our festival a success!

PRESENT

As part of the festivities, we are looking for scientists, creators, storytellers, curators, and technology experts who can provide an engaging workshop that will help our students wonder WHAT IF, IF ONLY, and IF THIS GOES ON as they imagine what could be, what we need, and what might happen if we don't fix our current problems. We hope that our students will be inspired by the elements of science fiction and able to imagine themselves as speculative solution seekers and can learn about how they can embark on that journey.

This could be a great opportunity to contribute to the greater Los Angeles community at a school with strong roots in science fiction and storytelling.

Please contact the organizer if you are interested in presenting at this year's festival.

Contact

SPONSOR

We are seeking partners who are willing to sponsor our event. We are specifically looking for donations to help us provide swag bags for our attendees, prizes for our contest winners, and financial support for the book we publish with all of the contest entries.

Please contact the organizer if you are interested in sponsoring or donating to this year's festival.

Contact

DONATE

VOLUNTEER

Assist school staff with this fantastic event that celebrates science fiction in honor of Octavia Butler at OEB Magnet Academy. Volunteers are needed for the entire event... from set up to wrap... to assist staff, students, and families with the festivities!

From Noon – 3 PM, volunteers will help move tables, put up canopies, and assist with general event and booth set up. The ability to lift up to 50 lbs. is recommended, but volunteers can be accommodated with other tasks.
From 2:30 to 5:30 PM, volunteers will help with booth set up, visitor traffic flow, and assist staff with any needs they may have.
From 5:30 - 7:30 PM help is needed with wrapping up the event (putting away tables, resetting the area for regular school activities).

Please consider purchasing a book from our Sci Fi Fest Wishlist on Bookshop.org. This wishlist directly supports Octavia's Bookshelf, and each book will be given away to a student at our FREE BOOK FAIR.

Wishlist