I didn't post for a long time here, and when I came back, I was kind of surprised to see that you'd started a sci-fi contest and made the short story contest sci-fi. I mean, it's OK, I guess, but I don't write sci-fi Will there be others in the near future that allow different genres?
It's just poor luck, really jo. The special prize contests we have are rare and vary in theme. The fact that the regular short story contest has an SF-ish theme is just the luck of the draw. Don't worry, it's not a permanent policy change. Themes will continue to rotate after this, and in the meantime maybe you could give SF a go?