How to Participate:
* Submit the first chapter. If this is your first time, you can read this post regarding the steps on how to submit a novel on Royal Road.
* After your novel is approved; register it by filling out this form (now closed).
Rules:
* The submission must be based on the writing prompt: “Uncharted Waters.”
* The submission must be written during the month of January (2023).
* The submission must be independent and not a part of any other work. The judges need to be able to review it fairly without needing to read any other book or material.
* No sexual content is allowed.
* The submission must have at least 8,000 words by the second deadline.
Deadline:
On January 10th, the first chapter of each entry will be compiled and published in a magazine format. No new entries will be accepted afterward.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
You can view the last two editions as an example:
January 2022 edition
June 2022 edition
Second Deadline:
As long as you participate before January 10th, you will have until the end of the month (January 31st), to write and publish at least 8000 words in your own fiction page.
The judgment:
There are multiple volunteer judges who will review the entries and assign scores to them.
* The judges will judge up to a maximum of 40,000 words, but the submission may exceed that amount.
* There is no requirement for a definitive ending. You don't need to complete the story within the contest itself. But, Judges need to get a sense of how the story will proceed.
* The prompt writing theme must be obvious to the judges. If they are unable to see where you included the prompt, the submission will be disqualified. There are no clear requirements on how to include the prompt. Be as creative as you want to be.
The top 3 scorers will receive the fabulous prizes listed below!
The Prizes:
First Place: $1000 Royal Road Ad Campaign
Second Place: $300 Royal Road Ad Campaign
Third Place: $180 Royal Road Ad Campaign
*All three winners will also receive Author Premium alongside their campaigns.
**At least half of the ads must be used for the entry story.