About the Contest

The novel submission period for this year’s contest has closed.

MAL and Honeyfeed want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the aspiring writers who shared their captivating anime-inspired stories. Your dreams of seeing your stories transformed into manga are now one step closer to reality, thanks to your participation and creativity. The judging process will soon commence, and we invite you to stay tuned for updates. Mark your calendars for October 30th when the voting phase begins! Your invaluable input will help determine the top three stories that will shine in this coveted writing contest. Your passion for writing has brought us this far, and now, together, we eagerly await the next chapter of this exciting journey.

This contest has finished.
We hope to see you next time!

Novel entry period: June 1 to August 31, 2023
Judges voting period: September 1 to October 29, 2023
Public voting period (Finals): October 30 to November 30, 2023
Winners announced: December 12, 2023

Winners

Isekai Cup

Most voted

$3,000USD

Present-Day Cup

Most voted

$3,000USD

Runner-up

Second most voted
[Isekai or Present-Day]

$3,000USD

Are you ready to take your writing to the next level and win big? The MyAnimeList and Honeyfeed collaboration is offering a chance for three very talented writers to not only win a monetary prize of $3,000 but also the opportunity for their work to be pitched directly to Kodansha for a chance to get adapted into a light novel or manga published in Japan. The competition is fierce, but with your talent and passion, you can be one of the three winners to take home the ultimate prize.

Major Works by Kodansha

Please note that the above works are not examples of manga based on web novels nor will the authors be involved with the comicalization of the winners’ stories.

Contest Prompt & Other Requirements

Details

To enter the contest, your novel must follow the main prompt, and fit into one of the given subplots, and themes.

The main prompt for this year is Wholesome Romance from the Male Point of View (POV). This means the narrative of the story should primarily come from a male leading character. Note that this doesn't mean the novel must be written for a male audience, it simply describes who will be telling the story.

The subplot of your Wholesome Romance novel can be either Isekai (another world) or Present-Day (our current world), but not both.

Isekai is divided into High Fantasy and RPG themes. High Fantasy stories primarily take place in alternative worlds with different natural laws and rules than our own world, such as magic or fantasy races. RPG stories are set primarily within a game-like world with elements of LitRPG novels, such as leveling up, acquiring new skills, etc.

Present-Day is divided into Teenage Love and Chance Encounter themes. Teenage Love stories take place when the main characters are teens. These stories are not restricted to a school environment. The story can also be focused on when the characters are at home, immersed in hobbies, or at part-time work. Chance Encounter describes stories that begin with an unexpected meeting between main characters of any age. This meeting can be lucky, misfortunate, or seemingly unimportant at the time, but its occurrence is what sparks the story.

For more information, please read the Q&A: Themes section.

Contest Entry Flow
Contest Entry Flow

How to Enter

Details

1

Sign up or Log in

Log into your Honeyfeed account and click on “Create Novel”.

2

Entry Information

1. Start by entering your novel's title and synopsis. Then, select "All audiences" as the maturity rating for your novel.

2. As you choose your genres, be sure to include Romance in one of the five available slots.

3. Click the checkbox located next to "Would you like to submit this novel to the MAL x Honeyfeed Writing Contest 2023?"

4. Finally, select the theme you want your novel to participate in from the list of available themes.

Example

3

Don’t Mix & Match

After selecting your genres, you can pick other genres that describe your story as long as it fits the Isekai or Present-Day subplot. Avoid mixing and matching genres that are too close to the opposite subplot, this may cause your novel to become ineligible for either of the contest categories during the judging process.

4

Verify Your Entry

Write your first chapter and submit it. After the chapter is published, make sure your novel appears under the newly published novels for the MAL x Honeyfeed Writing Contest section on Honeyfeed’s home page.

Honeyfeed's entry sorting system is fully automated, so please refrain from switching your initial subplot and theme after your novel has been published. Changing subplot and themes after your novel has been published will make your novel be automatically disqualified from the contest.

5

Complete

After successfully following these steps, your novel will now be participating in the MAL x Honeyfeed Writing Contest. Good luck!

  • Note: Authors can submit more than one novel to increase their chances of winning, but only one entry per author will be selected as a finalist candidate.

Eligibility Checklist

Details
  • Your novel must be written in English. Novels in other languages will not be accepted on the Honeyfeed site.
  • Only new novels created for this contest will be eligible to go through the judging process.
  • Novels that have been previously published, including those posted anywhere online or published in physical book form, are ineligible for the MAL x HF Writing Contest 2023.
  • Your novel must be marked as "Completed" on the Honeyfeed site before August 31, 2023, meaning it should have a satisfactory conclusion (arc, volume, season) by this date.
  • You are not allowed to make any changes or additions to your novel after August 31st. However, minor edits to the Author's Note, such as including artist credit, are acceptable.
  • Rewrites, spin-offs, fanfics, plagiarism, or stories written entirely using AI tools are ineligible for this contest. Your novel must be entirely original and created for this contest.
  • Your novel entry cannot contain any content that has been posted to the internet, including settings, worlds, characters, designs, plot points, or story elements, that were "taken from" or "inspired by" any of your or other authors' previous novels.
  • Contest entries can not be a collaboration between two or more authors. Having another person do grammar editing, proofreading or artwork is not considered a collaboration.
  • Your novel must be exclusive to Honeyfeed during the contest period.
  • Your novel must be suitable for ages 17+, and it should be set to the "All audience" setting in Honeyfeed. No NSFW content is allowed.
  • To be eligible as a contest winner your novel must contain a minimum of 25,000 words and a maximum of 75,000 words total. 1,000 to 1,500 words per chapter are strongly recommended.
  • You must be 18 years old on or before December 1st, 2023, to participate in the contest. The winner's legal ID will be verified.
  • Note: While self-promotion on your own MAL profile is permitted, it is not permissible to use the MAL/Honeyfeed site or its associated social media pages to constantly urge other users to read, like, comment on, or vote for your novel.

Judging Criteria

Judges will be using the following criteria to select novels as finalists. Skipping on complying with any of the details in the eligibility checklist and judging criteria will automatically disqualify your novel from the contest.

Presentation & Publishing

  • The novel has a cover image and it's properly credited to the artist or the AI tool used in the image description.
  • Word count per chapter is roughly around 1,000 to 1,500 words.
  • Novel chapters are not posted all at once.
  • The novel is updated once or more weekly or the author offers a posting schedule.
  • The novel has an appealing synopsis.
  • The novel has the appropriate genre labels that describe the story.

Storytelling

  • The novel story progresses at a good pace and each chapter has a hook.
  • The novel has good English grammar & syntax.
  • The novel has good world-building and character development.
  • The novel properly applied the contest prompt, subplot, and themes.
  • The story is relatable, easy to follow, and fun to read.
  • The story's plot is resolved within 25k to 75k words.

Public Engagement

  • The author makes an effort to connect with the reader community and promote themselves in the correct promo spaces.
  • The public reacts well to the novel. (Positive comments, returning comments.)
  • The author replies to comments in a timely manner.
  • The author complied with Honeyfeed Site's and/or Honeyfeed's Discord Community Guidelines & left a positive impression.

Want more public engagement? Use your social media accounts to promote yourself (e.g. post new chapter schedules, create promos) or join Honeyfeed's Discord and interact with our community.

Judges Vote

All novel entries submitted to the contest will be read, debated, and voted on by our judging committee. Our judges will go through all the entries and choose the top 10 finalists. The judges will vote between September 1 and October 29, 2023.

If you're interested in being a judge, you can apply starting from June 20, 2023. But remember, there are only limited spots available!

Jury & Public Vote (Finals)

Once the finalists have been selected, a jury of experienced readers will evaluate the novels and provide valuable feedback. The jury's feedback will be combined with the public vote to determine the three contest winners.

If you have a good amount of experience reading and can provide constructive feedback on the finalist novels, we welcome you to apply to our committee by filling out the application form. Please note that there are limited spaces available for jury members.

The voting process will take place throughout November, giving newcomers and the jury sufficient time to read and evaluate the finalist novels. You can cast your vote using the MyAnimeList Android and iOS apps.

The winners of the contest will be announced on December 12, 2023.

Requirements to Become Part of the Judging Committee

  • People who join our judging committee can not participate as a judge or jury under the same contest subplot which they are writing for.
  • All applicants must be over the age of 18.
  • 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.
  • Applicants must have time to regularly check your email inbox.
  • People accepted as judges must be open to reading at least five assigned novel chapters weekly.
  • 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 Jury must be open to reading at least one assigned novel to completion weekly.

Q & A : Novels & Authors

Q 1 My Romance novel participated in the MAL x HF contest 2021 or 2022 but was not a finalist, can it enter this contest?

A No.

Q 2 My Romance novel participated in the MAL x HF contest 2021 or 2022 but was disqualified/deleted before the contest ended. Can I use it for this contest?

A No.

Q 3 Am I allowed to enter this contest with a prequel/sequel of my MAL x HF 2021 or 2022 contest submission or my existing novel that was not part of previous contests?

A No.

Q 4 I have an existing novel on Honeyfeed (or another site) that is Romance and I can easily rewrite some chapters to make it follow this contest theme. Can I enter that novel into this contest?

A No. Please only submit brand-new content created with this contest in mind. Anything found about your entry that confirms it was published before our contest’s full detailed announcement will be disqualified.

Q 5 I am not 18 years of age but I have permission from my parents 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.

Q 6 I self-published my novel on Amazon or another similar service, can I use that novel for the contest?

A No. We are only accepting new novels at this time.

Q & A : Themes

Q 1 What do you mean by Male POV?

A This means the narrative of the story should primarily come from a male leading character. While reading your novel, the audience will be most exposed to the inner thoughts and feelings of the male lead. This is the character whose motivations will be most clear to the reader.

Note: that this doesn't mean the novel must be written for a male audience, it simply describes who will be telling the story. For example, a villainess novel written from the male lead's viewpoint would still qualify.

Q 2 What do you mean by Wholesome Romance?

A Stories described as "wholesome" leave the audience with a happy, relaxed feeling that makes them easy to read. They often feature well-adjusted characters who try to maintain healthy relationships with friends, family, and love interests.

Story drama is understandable and relatable. Relationship drama is resolved by characters who actively try to support each other and discuss their feelings as they grow closer. Constant misunderstandings, love triangles/harems, overbearing jealousy, or other soap-opera elements are sparse.

Q 3 What constitutes High Fantasy?

A For this contest, High Fantasy are stories that happen in a world perfectly removed from our version of earth. A High Fantasy world has different traditions, laws, and rules, whilst optionally containing fantasy races. More importantly, it does not contain LitRPG elements, such as skill points, skill trees, scores, ranks, etc.

Q 4 What constitutes LitRPG?

A LitRPG stories are set primarily within a game-like world, with concepts like leveling systems, skill points, skill trees, scores, ranks, etc. The main character can be transported to a world based around these laws, or could live in a futuristic world where the primary focus of the novel is on the character playing virtual/augmented reality games.

Q 5 Can my novel contain both High Fantasy and RPG elements?

A Yes. However, this means your novel must be placed in the RPG theme, and not High Fantasy.

Q 6 Can my novel contain both Teenage Love and Chance Encounter elements?

A Yes. However, this means your novel must be placed in the Chance Encounter theme, and not Teenage Love.

Note: If you still are having trouble understanding the themes, you can reach out to us directly by using the Contact Information below or by joining Honeyfeed’s Official Discord. A contest moderator will be more than happy to assist you.

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. Sponsors. This writing contest is sponsored 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 "Sponsors"). 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 sponsors 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 Sponsors’ sole discretion. All information requested by and supplied to Sponsors for the purpose of the contest must be truthful, complete, accurate and in no way misleading. Sponsors 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 June 1, 2023 and will continue until August 31, 2023.

4. How to Enter the Contest. There is no purchase necessary to enter the writing contest. To enter this contest, review and follow the Official MAL x Honeyfeed Writing Contest Page (the "Official Writing Contest Rules"), and complete the following steps during the contest period:

(a) Sign up for a MyAnimeList account (if you don’t already have one).

(b) Go to honeyfeed.fm and log into your Honeyfeed account or, if you don’t already have one, sign up for a Honeyfeed account and log in.

(c) Once logged in at Honeyfeed, click "Create Your Novel" on the top menu bar, and then the "Create Novel" button on the My Novels page.

(d) Fill in your novel's title, synopsis and set your novel's genre(s). Please note that to participate in this contest, the maturity rating of your novel must be "All audiences".

(e) Before saving and continuing, make sure to check in the checkbox located next to "Would you like to submit this novel to the MAL x Honeyfeed Writing Contest 2023?"

(f) Select the theme you want your novel to participate in from the list of available themes.

(g) Write your first chapter and submit it.

(h) After submitting your first chapter, please make sure your novel appears under the newly published novels for the MAL x Honeyfeed Writing Contest section in Honeyfeed.

(i) Submit new chapters to Honeyfeed as you complete them. Don't just post all your chapters at once! This is one of the judging criteria.

(j) Make sure your novel submissions comply with the "Eligibility Checklist" and with the “Contest Prompt & Other Requirements” as well as with the “Novel Submission Rules” below.

(k) After successfully following these steps, your novel and all the chapters under it will now be submitted for participation in the MAL x Honeyfeed Writing Contest.

Sponsors assume no responsibility for late submissions or submission failures due to technological or other issues.

You should also follow any other instructions or rules presented to you at the time of entry or submission.

5. Novel Submission Rules. Any novel you submit through this writing contest must comply with the following rules:

  • ・Novels that have already participated in the MAL x Honeyfeed Writing Contest held during 2021 or 2022 can not be entered into this contest.
  • ・Novels must be written in English only. Novels written in other languages will not be considered and will be removed from the Honeyfeed site.
  • ・Novels must follow the contest prompt, must have Romance as its main genre focus, must fall under the Isekai or Present-Day subplots and contain at least one contest specific theme.
  • ・Completed novels must contain a minimum 25,000 words and may contain up to a maximum of 75,000 words.
  • ・Novels must be set to "Completed" on the Honeyfeed site before the entry period ends. This means your story must come to a conclusion on or before August 31, 2023.
  • ・Note that changing the status of the novel or editing the novel to add content after August 31, 2023 will result in disqualification.
  • ・No fanfics, collaborations, plagiarism, stolen or copyrighted content is allowed to be submitted as an entry. This includes both text and images related to your entry. Any novel you submit must be entirely your own original work created for this contest and posted only to Honeyfeed for the duration of the contest.
  • ・Novels must be suitable for ages 17+ and be set to the "All audience" setting in Honeyfeed. No gore, heavy ecchi or soft porn is allowed. Your novel can not contain minors, or characters that look like/reference minors or under the age of 18 in erotic situations.
  • ・Original novels that are already licensed by a literary agency and/or publisher, or are being self-published and sold on Amazon and other similar sites, are not eligible to participate in the contest.
  • ・Users are not allowed to use MAL / HF sites or MAL / HF social media as a way to continuously persuade other users to read, like, comment or vote for their novel or any other user's novel (shilling, spamming). Self promoting on your own profile is allowed.
  • ・Please also review the Judging Criteria as well.

Contest prompt, subplots and themes

To enter the contest, your novel must have a specific prompt, subplot, and theme. The prompt is the same for all novels and there are two subplots to choose from: Isekai or Present-Day. Both must include Romance as the main plot point, and a subplot related to either Isekai or Present-Day subplot, but not both. Each of the contest subplots will have two themes to choose from.

Prompt:

Wholesome Romance from the male POV

Subplots and Themes:

For the Isekai subplot, you can choose either RPG or High Fantasy as your theme. Your novel must have elements belonging to LitRPG or High Fantasy stories, but not both. For more information on what classifies as RPG or High Fantasy elements for this contest, please read our Q&A: Themes section.

For the Present-Day subplot, you can choose either Teenage Love or Chance Encounter as your theme. Your novel must have elements that strictly belong to the real world in current times and not include magic or futuristic technology. For more information on what classifies as Teenage Love or Chance Encounter elements for this contest, please read our Q&A: Themes section.

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 and with MAL’s Terms of Use and Honeyfeed’s Terms of Service; (b) your novel(s) and any other content does not infringe or violate any third party rights; and (c) the novel(s) and any other content does not violate any law.

6. Contest Prizes. Prizes are available for participants who place first on 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:
Winning prize for Isekai Cup $3,000 1 N/A
Winning prize for Present-Day Cup $3,000 1 N/A
Winning prize for Runner-up Cup $3,000 1 N/A

The three winning novels may also be selected for possible light novel or manga adaptation and publication in Japan by the Japanese publisher, Kodansha. Kodansha will receive a Japanese translation of the three winning stories from this contest and may, in its sole discretion, decide to adapt and publish one or more of the winning stories. If your novel is selected for adaptation and publication, additional agreement(s) will be required in connection with the adaptation and publication. However, there is no guarantee that a winning novel will be selected for publication, and it is possible that none of them will be selected.

To receive a prize, you may also be required to provide an affidavit of eligibility.

7. Judging Criteria, Selection of Winners and Odds of Winning. Sponsors will review the novel entries for this contest and, once the entry period ends, the novel entries will be narrowed down to a total of 10 finalists before moving on to the public voting phase. To narrow the novel entries down to a total of 10, the judges will use the following criteria:

Presentation & Publishing:

  • • The novel has a cover image and it's properly credited to the artist or the AI tool used in the image description.
  • • Word count per chapter is roughly around 1,000 to 1,500 words.
  • • Novel chapters are not posted all at once.
  • • The novel is updated once or more weekly or the author offers a posting schedule.
  • • The novel has an appealing synopsis.
  • • The novel has the appropriate genre labels that describe the story.

Storytelling:

  • • The novel story progresses at a good pace and each chapter has a hook.
  • • The novel has good English grammar & syntax.
  • • The novel has good world-building and character development.
  • • The novel properly applied the contest prompt, subplot, and themes.
  • • The story is relatable, easy to follow, and fun to read.
  • • The story's plot is resolved within 25k to 75k words.

Public Engagement:

  • • The author makes an effort to connect with the reader community and promote themselves in the correct promo spaces.
  • • The public reacts well to the novel. (Positive comments, returning comments.)
  • • The author replies to comments in a timely manner.
  • • The author complied with Honeyfeed Site's and/or Honeyfeed's Discord Community Guidelines & left a positive impression.

After the novel entries are narrowed down to 10 by the sponsor’s judges, the public voting phase will begin as follows:

Public voting for finals (October 30 to November 30, 2023). During this period, the 10 judge-selected novels will be posted to a special voting page inside the MyAnimeList Android and iOS apps. Votes will only be collected using the app.

The winners will be announced on December 12, 2023.

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 Sponsors, 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 depends on the number of votes received in this phase as well as the review and feedback of the Jury.

Sponsors 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 Official Writing Contest Rules, or declines to, does not or cannot accept the prize to be awarded, such 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 Sponsors and 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. Sponsors’ Reservation of Rights. Sponsors reserve the right, in their sole discretion, to terminate, cancel, suspend and/or revise the contest for any or no reason. Sponsors reserve the right in their sole discretion to disqualify any individual in violation of these Official Writing Contest Rules or if Sponsors discover such individual to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the contest or acting in an unlawful or disruptive manner. Sponsors' failure to enforce any term or provision of these Official Writing Contest Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that term or provision.

10. Privacy. Information collected from you in connection with this contest will be used by Sponsors for their administration of the contest, including to verify your eligibility and notify potential winners and to fulfill prizes. In addition, Sponsors may use information collected about you to send you offers or information from us about MAL’s or Honeyfeed’s products and services, or about the products and services of our 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 Sponsors 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 at Contact Customer Support.

*This campaign is sponsored by MyAnimeList Co., Ltd, and qdopp, Inc.

*Questions about judging criteria, awards, and prizes will not receive responses.

Curious to read about past contests?

View MyAnimeList x Honeyfeed Writing Contest 2022