In Partnership with
About the contest
NOVELOUS Worlds returns to the MyAnimeList x Honeyfeed Writing Contest, inviting writers to create stories of love and dread, giving you more opportunities to grow your audience by getting your work featured on NOVELOUS.
With NOVELOUS, it's not just the winners who shine; the top ten authors will have their works showcased on the NOVELOUS app during the voting period, where thousands of light novel enthusiasts from North America will discover them. Get ready to bring an unforgettable reading experience to the hopeless romantics out there or to disturb the minds of those seeking the thrill of horror. Join the thousands of talented Honeyfeed writers and showcase your storytelling in Romance or Horror, where your work can leave a lasting impression.
・Entry fee: Free
・Writing platform: Honeyfeed
・Voting platform: NOVELOUS
Novel entry period:February 16, 2026, at 20:00 EST - May 10, 2026, at 23:59 EDT
Judges voting period:May 11 - June 28, 2026
Public voting period (Finals):June 29, 2026, at 21:00 EDT - July 27, 2026, at 23:59 EDT
Winners announced:August 12, 2026
Prize
Most Voted
"Rom-Com"
Entry
$3,000
Most Voted
"Psychological Horror"
Entry
$3,000
Jury Choice Award
[Across Both Prompts]
$3,000
Spotlight
All 10 finalist entries will receive the opportunity to have their contest entries featured on the NOVELOUS app.
Prize Conditions
To receive a prize, you must sign a written agreement with qdopp, Inc., one of the contest administrators and the company that operates The Hivemind Literary Agency, appointing them as your exclusive agent for at least one year to negotiate the publication, sale, licensing, or other commercialization of your prize-winning novel on a commission basis. You may also need to provide an affidavit of eligibility.
About NOVELOUS
NOVELOUS is an app for reading Japanese light novels. While many people are already familiar with the countless anime and manga series born in Japan, light novels, which often serve as their source material, remain lesser-known. This is partly due to the lack of widespread translations.
Through NOVELOUS, Shogakukan, one of Japan’s leading publishers, introduced North American readers to light novels that have yet to gain wide recognition, offering translations directly from the source.
Dive in and immerse yourself in the amazing culture of light novels using the NOVELOUS app! And as for aspiring authors, why not take your first step toward a bright future as a writer by featuring your work on NOVELOUS?
About Shogakukan
Shogakukan is a major Japanese publishing company that has produced numerous works, including Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Doraemon, and Inuyasha. The company has also published many light novels, a genre that often serves as the basis for manga and anime. In January 2025, the app NOVELOUS was launched in the USA and Canada, allowing readers in North America to enjoy light novels through an official source.
Featured Works
Uzumaki
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, as I Expected
The Apothecary Diaries
Contest Prompts & Other Requirements
Prompt 1: "Rom-Com"
What we're looking for in this prompt:
Stories featuring fun, expressive characters as they explore the humor, awkwardness, and excitement of crushes, confessions, and falling in love. Romantic Comedies are known for portraying narratives that balance lighthearted comedy with meaningful emotional development, allowing relationships to grow naturally through both amusing and heartfelt moments. Rom-Com stories should prioritize relatable situations, character-driven humor, and genuine emotional progression. The goal is to craft a Romantic Comedy novel that makes readers root for the couple while blending everyday humor into a heartfelt story with a happily-ever-after.
Prompt 2: "Psychological Horror"
What we're looking for in this prompt:
Stories that effectively emphasize psychological dread over nonsensical violence. Psychological Horror is known for portraying narratives that evoke fear rooted in the mind rather than the body, drawing readers into an atmosphere of unease, tension, and emotional instability. Psycho Horror stories should prioritize narrative depth, character psychology, and sustained suspense, using implication and atmosphere to unsettle rather than relying solely on shock value. The goal is to craft a Horror novel that keeps readers on edge, deeply engaged, and compelled to continue reading, even as the story makes them uncomfortable.
⚠️ Content Advisory for the Psychological Horror Prompt
While the Horror genre explores themes of fear, trauma, dread, violence, death, and disturbing imagery, this contest aims to remain suitable for a general audience. Authors are expected to approach Horror elements with moderation and a clear narrative purpose, rather than relying on explicit or excessive depiction.
Content that is considered too intense or unsuitable for a general audience includes, but is not limited to:
- Graphic depictions of gore, dismemberment, or bodily harm
- Sexual violence, sexual assault, or explicitly sexualized content of any kind
- Detailed depictions of abuse or torture
- Excessive profanity without a clear narrative justification
- Exploitation-style Horror that relies on shock value rather than storytelling
- Explicit depictions of self-harm or suicide
A good Psychological Horror story relies on atmosphere, tension, character, and narrative unease — not on graphic imagery or sensationalism.
How to Enter
👁️🗨️ Review the Contest Rules and Participation Requirements
Carefully read this contest page to understand all requirements for both authors and entries
📝 Create Your Novel on Honeyfeed
Sign in to Honeyfeed, click "Create new novel," enter your title, synopsis, and set the maturity rating to "All Audiences."
✅ Submit to the contest
Select your novel's genres, then check the box next to: "Would you like to submit this novel to the MAL x Honeyfeed Writing Contest 2026 – NOVELOUS Worlds?" (Make sure to read carefully—there may be other contests or events active.)
🎬 Publish Your First Chapter & Upload a Novel Cover
Once published, verify that your novel appears in the MAL x Honeyfeed Writing Contest section on the Honeyfeed homepage. Once you publish, make sure to upload a novel cover to attract readers and comply with the judging requirements!
📝 Note
Authors may submit multiple novels, but only one entry per author may advance to the finalist stage.
Contest Participation Requirements
✧ Author Requirements
★ Age
Participating authors must be at least 18 years old on or before August 10, 2026, 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.
✧ Entry Requirements
★ Language
Submit your novel in English. We will remove any novels written in languages other than English from the Honeyfeed website.
★ Genre
Only new Romantic Comedy or Psychological Horror stories explicitly created for this contest are eligible.
★ Word Count
- Minimum: 20,000 words
- Maximum: 50,000 words
(Recommended: 1,000 to 1,500 words per chapter, but this is not mandatory.)
★ Maturity Rating
Set your novel to 'All Audiences' on Honeyfeed. Do not include NSFW or 18+ content.
★ Deadline & Novel Status on Honeyfeed:
Mark your novel as 'Finished' on Honeyfeed by May 10, 2026, and include a satisfying conclusion to your story. We will not consider entries still marked as 'Ongoing' after this date, and we will disqualify any 'Finished' novels that lack a satisfactory conclusion.
★ Edits policy
- You cannot make any changes, additions, or edits to your novel after the submission window closes on May 10, 2026.
- If your novel did not make it as a finalist on June 29, 2026, you are free to make any changes, additions, or edits.
- If your novel advances to finalist selection on June 29, 2026, you must not make any changes, additions, or edits until the winners' announcement on August 12, 2026.
★ Exclusivity
Your novel must remain exclusive to Honeyfeed for the whole duration of the contest period. Your novel must be entirely original and unpublished before this contest. This means:
- 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.)
★ Plagiarism
Any form of plagiarism—including heavily inspired elements from existing works—will result in immediate disqualification. Using AI for creative writing beyond minor support is considered plagiarism.
⚠️ AI Policy
- ✅ You may use AI tools as a support aid (e.g., for idea organization, grammar assistance, etc.).
- ✅ You may use AI tools to create your novel cover image. Please include the AI tool used to create your image in the image credits.
- ❌ You may NOT use AI as a creative editor, story writer, or co-author.
- ❌ Fully or partially AI-generated stories are strictly forbidden. Violation of this rule will result in immediate disqualification at any stage of the contest.
Judging Criteria
Judges will evaluate entries based on the criteria below. Failure to comply with any Participation Requirements or Judging Criteria may result in immediate disqualification.
Presentation & Publishing Quality
- The novel includes a cover image with proper credit given to the artist or the AI tool used to generate it.
- Chapters are not released all at once. We strongly encourage you to maintain a consistent schedule.
- The chapter is reasonable in length and easy to read, not excessively long. (Recommended: 1,000 to 1,500 words per chapter).
- The novel features a clear and engaging synopsis that effectively hooks potential readers.
Storytelling & Writing
- 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 a good grasp of English grammar, sentence structure, and clarity.
- The novel creatively and effectively incorporates the contest prompt it's participating in.
- The author maintains a steady readability and flow, delivering an easy-to-follow, emotionally immersive plot.
- The narrative has a satisfying and complete resolution within the required 20k–50k word count.
Community Engagement
- ✅ 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, positive reviews).
- ✅ 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.
📝 Note
Because of the high volume of entries, judges may begin evaluation of your novel at any time after upload, even if submissions are not yet finalized. We recommend thoroughly proofreading your chapters before submitting them to Honeyfeed and avoiding major narrative changes weeks after uploading your initial chapters.
📢 Want to increase your reach? Promote your novel using your own social media by posting new chapter schedules, creating visuals, or engaging with readers via Honeyfeed's Discord community!
Voting Procedures
After having reviewed all qualifying novels, judges will vote on the 10 finalists by June 28, 2026. The voting process for the Jury and the public will take place from June 29, 2026, at 21:00 EDT to July 27, 2026, at 23:59 EDT, giving both the Jury and public voters sufficient time to read and evaluate the finalist novels. You can cast your vote using the NOVELOUS app if you are in North America or through NOVELOUS' official website for those outside of North America. NOVELOUS, MyAnimeList, and Honeyfeed will announce the contest winners on August 12, 2026.
Judges Vote
Selecting the Top 10 Finalists
All eligible completed novel entries will be read, discussed, and voted on by our official judging committee. Judges will evaluate entries based on the Judging Criteria and select the top 10 finalists. Want to Be a Judge?
Judge applications are open from February 16 to April 13, 2026. *Due to limited space, we will not be able to select all applicants. *Judge applications could be extended if necessary and will be announced on Honeyfeed's social media.
Public & Jury Vote
Selecting Contest Winners
After we officially announce the finalists, a jury of experienced readers will review the top 10 novels and provide constructive feedback for the contest management and sponsor partners. The jury's feedback and scores will be combined with public votes to determine the contest's three winners. If you're an avid reader who can offer thoughtful, detailed feedback, we invite you to apply to our Jury team.
Jury applications are open from April 13 to June 15, 2026. *Due to limited space, we will not be able to select all applicants. *Judge applications could be extended if necessary and will be announced on Honeyfeed's social media.
Requirements to Become Part of the Judging Committee
- People who apply to our judging committee cannot serve as a judge or Jury for the same contest prompt for which they are writing.
- All applicants must be at least 18 years of age.
- Applicants must have access to Google Drive (having a Google/Gmail account). We will grant all accepted applicants temporary access to Honeyfeed's 'The Buzz Club,' which requires access to Google Workspace.
- Applicants must have access to a computer, tablet, or smartphone to read novels and provide 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 do not need a Discord account.
- People accepted as judges must participate in the debate to choose the contest finalists. Debates will happen via Discord or an email vote.
- People accepted as jurors must be willing to read at least one assigned novel to completion each week.
Q&A
Q1I am not 18 years old, but I have my parents' permission to enter the contest. Can I participate?
- A No. There are no exceptions to the age requirement, even if you have permission from a legal guardian.
Q2Will I have time to make edits to my novel after the submission window closes?
- A No. Any changes after the submission period will disqualify your entry. We recommend thoroughly proofreading your chapters before submitting them to Honeyfeed. Depending on the number of submissions, judges may begin reading your novel before you have finished your story.
Q3Can I write sequels, spin-offs, or continue my story after the contest ends?
- A Yes! Once we announce the contest winners, you can continue your story, create spin-offs, or write sequels—on Honeyfeed or elsewhere.
Q4What happens to my rights if I enter the contest?
- A You retain full ownership of your novel at all times, including during and after the contest. You must keep your entry exclusive to Honeyfeed throughout the contest period—you may not publish your novel elsewhere until the contest ends. Even if your novel wins, you keep all rights to your work. This temporary exclusivity does not affect your creative or legal ownership.
Q5Do I need to sign an agreement to receive the prize money?
- A Yes. To be officially recognized as a contest winner and receive your prize money, you'll be required to sign a contract with The Hivemind Literary Agency (the official agency of Honeyfeed's parent company).
- Full details regarding this agreement will be provided directly to the winners after the public announcement of the three contest winners.
Q6I learned about this contest during a promotional event after the submission window opened. Do I still have time to enter the contest even if it's a later date?
- A Yes. In that case, we recommend setting a schedule for yourself and your audience and posting chapters in sets of daily or bi-weekly publications (e.g., sets of 3, 5, or 10 chapters). Do not post all your novel chapters at once in a single day.
Q7English is not my first language. Can I use machine translation to translate the novel written in my native language into English?
- A No. For this contest, we strongly recommend writing directly in English. Using tools like Google Translate or AI translation may cause issues during the review process. While writing in a second language can be difficult, doing it yourself gives your story a better chance.
Q8What if I want to write only the first volume of my story? Or what if I want my story to continue after the contest/have an open ending?
- A Open endings can sometimes feel like unfinished stories. If you want your story to allow future continuation, resolve the main plot of your entry—like concluding a season, arc, or volume. For example, if your protagonist aims to defeat a village threat, have them achieve that goal within this story, even if larger challenges await in the future.
Official MAL x Honeyfeed Writing Contest Rules
No purchase necessary to enter or win.
BY ENTERING OR OTHERWISE PARTICIPATING IN THIS WRITING CONTEST, ALL ENTRANTS AND OTHER PARTICIPANTS AGREE TO ABIDE BY THESE OFFICIAL WRITING CONTEST RULES, WHICH ARE FINAL AND BINDING ON ALL MATTERS PERTAINING TO THIS CONTEST.
1. Administrators and Sponsor. This writing contest is administered by MyAnimeList Co., Ltd. ("MyAnimeList" or "MAL") in collaboration with qdopp, Inc. d/b/a Honeyfeed ("Honeyfeed") (MAL and Honeyfeed may sometimes be referred to together herein as "Administrators") and sponsored by Shogakukan (“Shogakukan” or “Sponsor”). The contest is void in whole or in part where prohibited by law.
2. Eligibility. The contest is open to individuals who are at least 18 years old and have registered accounts with MAL and Honeyfeed. The Administrators reserve the right at any time to require proof of age and eligibility to participate in the contest. Failure to provide such proof or insufficient proof may result in disqualification from the contest in Administrators’ sole discretion. All information requested by and supplied to Administrators or Sponsor for the purpose of the contest must be truthful, complete, accurate and in no way misleading. Administrators reserve the right, in their sole discretion, to disqualify any entrant from the contest should such an entrant at any stage supply unsatisfactory, untruthful, incomplete, inaccurate or misleading information.
3. Contest Period. The period for entering the contest begins February 16, 2026, and will continue until August 12, 2026.
4. How to Enter the Contest. There is no purchase necessary to enter the writing contest. To enter this contest, review and follow all the steps on the Official MAL x Honeyfeed Writing Contest 2026 - NOVELOUS Worlds presented by Shogakukan Page (the "Official Writing Contest Page") during the contest period. All steps and rules set forth on the Official Writing Contest Page are incorporated herein by reference. You should also follow any other instructions or rules presented to you at the time of entry or submission.
Neither the Administrators nor the Sponsor assume any responsibility for late submissions or submission failures due to technological or other issues.
5. Novel Submission Rules. Any novel you submit through this writing contest must comply with all rules on the Official Writing Contest Page. Please review those rules carefully, including the rules pertaining to your creation and promotion of any novel you submit through this writing contest. Please also review the Judging Criteria as well.
Contest prompts
To enter the contest, your novel must have one of the specific contest prompts “Rom-Com” or “Psychological Horror”.
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For any novel submission, you must not submit any content that contains any elements that violate a third party’s copyrights, trademark rights, privacy rights, or any other rights. Your novel submission and any other content you submit must comply with MAL’s Terms of Use regarding user content and Honeyfeed’s Terms of Service.
By submitting any novel or other content as part of this contest, you represent, warrant, and agree that: (a) you are in compliance with these Official Writing Contest Rules (“Contest Rules”) and all additional requirements and rules set forth on the Official Writing Contest Page; (b) you are in compliance with MAL’s Terms of Use and Honeyfeed’s Terms of Service; (c) your novel(s) and any other content does not infringe or violate any third-party rights; and (d) the novel(s) and any other content does not violate any law.
6. Contest Prizes and Conditions for Receiving a Prize. Prizes are available for participants who place first in each contest category. 3 Winners total for this contest. The prizes that are available to be won for this contest are the following:
| Prize item description: | Estimated value: | No. of items available to win: | Other restrictions: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contest Winners Prize: $3,000, plus you might be offered publication of your novel in Japanese by Shogakukan in Japan as a light novel* | $3,000 | 3 | See below* |
*To receive a prize, you will be required to enter into a separate written agreement with qdopp, Inc. (“qdopp”), one of the Administrators and the company that operates The Hivemind Literary Agency (https://hivemindagency.net/), appointing qdopp as your exclusive agent for a minimum one-year term in negotiating the publication, sale, license or other commercialization of your novel for which you have been awarded a prize on a commission basis. You may also be required to provide an affidavit of eligibility to receive a prize.
7. Judging Criteria, Selection of Winners, and Odds of Winning. Administrators will review the novel entries for this contest and, once the entry period ends, the judges will evaluate the novel entries based on the criteria described on the Official Writing Contest Page. The judges will vote on the novel entries starting May 11, 2026 and will select the 10 finalists by June 28, 2026. Please see the Official Writing Contest Page for information on the criteria the judges will use to narrow the novel entries down to a total of 10.
After the novel entries are narrowed down to 10 by the Administrators’ judges, the jury and public voting phase will be conducted June 29, to July 27, 2026, as described on the Official Writing Contest Page. During this period, the 10 judge-selected novels will be posted to a special voting page. The winners will be announced on August 12, 2026.
Odds of Winning: The odds of your novel being selected and included with the 10 novels selected by the judges are dependent upon the number of eligible submissions received by Administrators, the above-referenced criteria, and the judges’ opinions. During the voting phase, a number of people assigned as ‘Jury’ will review and rate the overall content of your completed submission. The odds of your novel being selected in the public voting phase depend on the number of votes received in this phase as well as the review and feedback of the Jury.
Administrators may communicate with potential winners at the email address registered with the potential winners’ MyAnimeList or Honeyfeed accounts with further information and any additional requirements to accept the prizes. If a potential winner cannot be contacted within 72 hours, fails to respond to any attempted contact, is in any way not in compliance with these Contest Rules, or declines to, does not, or cannot accept the prize to be awarded, such a potential winner will be disqualified, and his/her entry and submission will be declared null and void.
8. Release. By entering this writing contest, you release the Administrators and the Sponsor, and each of their affiliates, employees, officers, directors, managers, and agents from any liability whatsoever, and waive any and all causes of action, related to any claims, costs, injuries, losses, or damages of any kind arising out of or in connection with this contest or transmission, failed transmission, or acceptance of any prize (including, without limitation, claims, costs, injuries, losses, and damages related to personal injuries, death, damage to or destruction of property, rights of publicity or privacy, defamation or portrayal in a false light, whether intentional or unintentional), whether under a theory of contract, tort (including negligence), warranty, or any other theory.
9. Administrators’ and Sponsor’s Reservation of Rights. Sponsor and Administrators reserve the right, in their sole discretion, to: (a) terminate, cancel, suspend, and/or revise the contest for any or no reason; and (b) disqualify any individual in violation of these Contest Rules or if Sponsor or Administrators discover such individual to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the contest or acting in an unlawful or disruptive manner. Neither the Sponsor’s nor the Administrators’ failure to enforce any term or provision of these Contest Rules shall constitute a waiver of that term or provision.
10. Privacy. Information collected from you in connection with this contest will be used by Sponsor in awarding and otherwise fulfilling prizes, if applicable, and by Administrators for their administration of the contest, including to verify your eligibility and notify potential winners and to fulfill prizes. In addition, Sponsor and Administrators may use information collected about you to send you offers or information from us about MAL’s, Honeyfeed’s and/or Shogakukan’s products and services, or about the products and services of their affiliates and business partners. If you do not wish to receive such offers and information, you may opt-out at any time by following the instructions at the bottom of any promotional email you receive or by following other opt-out instructions provided in the communication. Information collected is otherwise subject to and may be used and shared by Administrators in accordance with MyAnimeList's Privacy Policy at https://myanimelist.net/about/privacy_policy, Honeyfeed’s Privacy Policy at https://www.honeyfeed.fm/privacy, and applicable law.
11. Contact Information. Please direct any questions or comments regarding the writing contest to Customer Support.
Contact Information
Please direct any questions or feedback about the event to MyAnimeList's Customer Support.
*Questions about novel content eligibility, judges or jury information, award requests, and prize negotiation will not receive responses.