Welcome back, everyone! After a long break from June, we've returned with yet another short story special contest! This special is similar to last year's, except we have put together a few more guidelines in order to point Pokéwriters like you in a more creative direction! All entries are eligible to be entered in the PokemonWatties if you so wish. On the other hand, this contest can also serve as a incentive for writers undergoing a writer's block and wish to write a bit more than just your average one-shot.

This competition starts today, and spots ARE limited depending on how many participants we get. Entries will be judged differently than normal one-shot contests since you are given the freedom to write more content. Your entry will be scored according to the PWL short story rubric located below:

- Literature structure (grammar, dialogue, pacing...etc.)  __/25

-Originality/ overall plot __/15

-Format/perspective __/10

-Overall enjoyment __/10

-Presentation __/5

Please comment if you are interested in competing in this contest! All entries are due on the midnight (EST) of August 31st, and the maximum word count is 8k.

Your objective is to write a short story that satisfies one or more of the guidelines below. If you have any questions over whether or not your short story follows a guideline, feel free to ask in the comments below:

-Setting being in an alternate universe (AU)
*Note: this is when the setting of the story is completely altered from the canon; for example, placing Pokémon in a medieval setting or a futuristic outer space setting.

-A Pokémon that evolves through means other than level-ups (through evolutionary stones, through high friendship/ love, through trading, etc.)

-A NPC (non-player character) that is not a Pokémon researcher/professor, main rival, Elite Four Member, Gym Leader, or Champion

-Alolan Pokémon

-A career, place, technology, or system that the Pokémon world lacks
(hospitals, police departments, restaurants, etc.)

To submit an entry, just PM us the final word count and title of your entry. It will be placed in our Julgust reading list.

Judging will start immediately afterwards on September 1st and will last until September 15th for results to be announced on September 16th! Judges will have the opportunity to offer some feedback/commentary to all the entries when the results are posted; it is up to you to take those comments into consideration if you plan to further edit your short story as PWA entry.

Prizes are as follows:

1st place –> commemorative PWL sticker, votes on all chapters of entry, boosted 25 points added to writing rank, and an option to receive fanart of his/her Pokéfic or an exclusive interview

2nd place –> commemorative PWL sticker, votes on all chapters of entry, boosted 20 points added to writing rank, and an option to receive exclusive interview

3rd place –> commemorative PWL sticker, votes on all chapters of entry, boosted 15 points added to writing rank.

Don't know where to start? Try checking out the Idea Treasury PokemonWritersDebut for some inspiration!

Good luck all writers, and happy writing!~