Durer Golpo: Stories from Afar

Dūrbin’s short story competition

As part of Women and Girls in Astronomy 2026, organised by the Office for Astronomy Outreach (OAO) of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), Dūrbin is running a number of online and offline events. One of them is Durer Golpo (“Stories from Afar”), a competition for science fiction and fantasy short stories on the theme of astrobiology. The competition is open to everyone. To take part, follow the rules below and send us your short story, written in Bangla, by 3 March.

Writing rules

Language: Bangla.
Length: at least 600 words, at most 3000 words.
Genre: science fiction and fantasy.
Theme: astrobiology. Astrobiology studies the possibility of life on planets other than the Earth. Your story must take place on an exoplanet that has already been discovered. So first find a planet in the NASA Exoplanet Catalog that suits the kind of story you want to write. You may imagine any kind of living being as the characters of your story on that planet.
Font: Unicode, size 11 (the Google Docs default).
Format: one Google Doc, with the title of the story first and the full story below it. Submit this Google Doc through the Google Form given below.
Originality: the story must be your own original work and must not have been published before in any online or offline medium.
AI disclaimer: if AI was used in writing the story, add one paragraph at the end of the story that clearly states which AI was used and how (to develop ideas, to correct spelling and language, and so on).

Submission rules

Submit your personal details and the story in its Google Doc through this Google Form: https://forms.gle/ESo5KGUdBYZvmBSu9
Submission deadline: 3 March 2026

Panel of judges

Portrait of Dr Syeda Lammim Ahad, smiling outdoors in a blue scarf and a winter jacket.

Dr Syeda Lammim Ahad, astronomer and postdoctoral researcher, University of Waterloo, Canada.

Portrait of Dr Shah Mohammad Bahauddin in a black shirt, with blurred green trees and hills behind him.

Dr Shah Mohammad Bahauddin, astronomer and research faculty, University of Colorado Boulder, USA.

How the stories are judged

Criterion	Details	Marks (%)
Scientific basis and theme	Accurate use of the chosen exoplanet’s environment (temperature, gravity and so on) and of what astrobiology tells us.	30%
Creativity	The originality of the story and the depth of the writer’s own thinking about alien life, life on other worlds.	25%
Plot	The structure of the story, the development of the characters, and the climax or drama of the story.	20%
Literary quality and language	Well-chosen words in correct Bangla spelling, fluent narration and artistic expression.	15%
Following the guidelines	Meeting the word limit (600-3000), the correct format and the originality requirement.	10%
Total		100%

Prizes

Everyone who wins a first, second or third prize will receive a certificate and a framed photograph of a galaxy, a nebula or a Solar System object taken by Dūrbin’s students.

First prize (everyone who scores 90% or more)
Second prize (everyone between 80 – 89)
Third prize (everyone between 70 – 79)

Prizes announced: 7 March, 2026

The best stories will be published in the ‘Durer Golpo’ section of Dūrbin’s website.

Winners

First prize- Somoyer Bondi (“Prisoner of Time”), Lal Nokkhotrer Nilspondon (“The Blue Pulse of a Red Star”)
Second prize- Nil Akash (“Blue Sky”), Tarar Shesher Oshomapti (“The Unfinished End of a Star”)
Third prize- Lal Bamoner Niche Nil Alor Bhasha (“The Language of Blue Light under a Red Dwarf”), 36she July (“36 July”), TRAPPIST-1e

Prize-giving

4 April 2026, 7:00 pm

Venue: Center for Astronomy, Space Science and Astrophysics (CASSA), Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB)