Contest Rules & Submission Guide

• Age: Participating authors must be at least 18 years old on or before January 1, 2027, to be eligible as a contest winner.
• Originality: The author who submits their work to this contest must be the sole creator and author of the submitted novel. No co-authored works are allowed.
  • Copy editing, proofreading, or cover art by others is permitted.
  • Collaboration on the story itself is strictly prohibited.

• Language: Your novel must be written in English. Novels in any other language will be taken down from the Honeyfeed website.
• Genre: Only new Fantasy stories created specifically for this contest are eligible.
• Word Count:
  • Minimum: 50,000 words
  • Maximum: 80,000 words
    (Recommended: 1,000 to 1,500 words per chapter, but this is not mandatory.)
• Maturity Rating: Your novel must be set to "All Audiences" on Honeyfeed. No NSFW or 18+ content allowed in this contest.
• Deadline & Novel Status on Honeyfeed: Your novel must be marked as "Completed" on Honeyfeed by September 27, 2026, and must include a satisfying conclusion. Entries still marked as "Ongoing" after this date will not be considered during the judging process. Novels marked as "Completed" but that do not have a satisfactory conclusion by the due date will be disqualified during the judging process.

Deadline & Future Edits:

• You may not make any changes, additions, or edits to your novel after September 27, 2026, while finalist selections are being determined.
• If your novel is not selected as a finalist on November 25, 2026, you may freely resume editing your work.
• If your novel made it into the finalist selection on November 25, 2026, you cannot make any changes, additions, or edits to your novel until January 7, 2027.

• Originality is Mandatory: Your novel must be entirely original and unpublished before this contest. This includes:
  • Not being posted anywhere online (including prior versions on Honeyfeed or other websites).
  • Not being published in any physical or digital form (e.g., self-published or traditional).
  • Must not reuse or adapt settings, characters, plot points, designs, or story elements from:
    • Your own past works.
    • Other authors' works (fanfiction, spin-offs, rewrites, etc.).
• Exclusivity: Your novel must remain exclusive to Honeyfeed for the full duration of the contest period.
• Plagiarism: Any form of plagiarism-including heavily inspired elements from existing works-will result in immediate disqualification. Excessive reliance on AI-generated creative writing is prohibited and will result in disqualification.

• The novel includes a cover image with proper credit to the artist or clearly states whether it is AI-generated.
• Chapters are released on a consistent schedule, rather than all at once.
• The chapter length is reasonable and easy to read, not excessively long. (Recommended: 1,000 to 1,500 words per chapter).
• The novel has a clear, engaging synopsis that hooks potential readers.

• The novel is exciting from the very beginning. Each chapter contains a compelling hook or turning point that keeps readers passionately engaged in your novel until the end.
• Writing demonstrates good English grammar, sentence structure, and clarity.
• The novel creatively and effectively incorporates the contest prompt and sub-prompt, creating a Fantasy story that immerses readers in the world with smooth pacing, relatable heroes or heroines, and an emotional pull.
• The author maintains a smooth and consistent narrative flow, delivering an easy-to-follow, immersive plot.
• The novel features a protagonist whom readers care about, and is accompanied by a strong supporting character.
• The narrative has a satisfying and complete resolution within the required 50k-80k word count.

• The novel clearly fulfills the contest's core Fantasy hero or heroine premise through a compelling protagonist, meaningful struggles, and heroic growth.
• The narrative explores the protagonist's heroism, sense of justice, and resolve in the Fantasy world.

• The author actively engages with readers by replying to comments and fostering discussion.
• The novel has received positive public feedback (e.g., encouraging comments, recurring readers).
• The author promotes their novel in appropriate spaces (e.g., Honeyfeed's Discord, social media).
• The author maintains a positive presence and follows Honeyfeed's site and Discord Community Guidelines.

• People who apply to our judging committee cannot serve as a judge or jury for the same prompt for which they are writing.
• All applicants must be 18 or older.
• Applicants must have access to Google Drive (having a Google/Gmail account).
• Applicants must have time to get on a computer, tablet, or smartphone to read novels and write feedback at least once a week.
• Applicants must have time to check their email inbox regularly.
• People accepted as judges must be willing to read at least 9 assigned novel chapters each week.
• Those who apply to become a judge must have a Discord account and access to the Honeyfeed Discord server. Jury applicants are not required to have Discord.
• People accepted as judges must attend the debate to choose the contest finalists. Debates will happen only via Discord.
• People accepted as Jurors must be willing to read at least one assigned novel to completion each week.