Contest FAQ

When a contest that you've joined begins, you'll be given specific prompts including a main genre (that all contestants share), a twisted sub-genre (unusual), and, depending on the contest, an event, a character, an object or a subject. You cannnot change your main genre, but you will be granted three re-rolls for your subgenre, and three for your event/character/object/subject. You must submit your story through the website before the deadline for your story to be included in judging. You can resubmit your story as many times as you wish during the contest. Contest-specific terms and conditions can be found on the register page.

All entries should be original work and not previously published. We encourage creativity but the judges must be able to find some effort in interpreting the prompts/genres they were given. Submissions must not go over the specified word count. Submissions must be made before the deadline to the website using the sumission form linked to on the My Contests page.

Judges use a set of rubrics for scoring, but also have the discretion to award points for exceptional creativity or to compensate for areas where a story purposefully deviates. You will receive a chart showing all areas of the rubric the judges marked except for the additional points awarded. This will be provided for all contestants who submit. You can also pay for additional written feedback from the judges.

To maintain the integrity of the contest, AI-generated content is strictly prohibited. Participants must only submit original work, specifically created for the contest they are entering.

Authors retain full rights to their submissions. If selected as a winner, we may request permission to publish your work or provide a link to it. Granting permission is optional and does not affect contest results.

Prizes vary per contest. Monetary rewards are typically transferred via payment platforms like PayPal, while other prizes may be offered as credits or physical items. Winners are responsible for any taxes on their prizes.

Contestants agree to indemnify and hold harmless the contest organizers from any liability, loss, claim, and expense related to their participation in the contest.