Hello, Wattpaders! This month, APIRomance is proud to present a writing challenge inspired by Holi, a Hindu spring festival. Due to recent changes, this contest was delayed and it prevented us from being able to post this in March during Holi. We hope you appreciate this fun contest and are inspired to write exciting and thrilling entries!

Choose one prompt and create a short story:

1. You were born and raised in a wealthy household who plans to host a Holi festival for the entire city. On this auspicious day of Holi celebration, there are colors, sweets, and children's smiles everywhere, but you are not happy. You're thinking of someone who could brighten this day to a next level.

2. All these years you have been falling for good guys/girls being a good girl/guy yourself, and the result of these relationships turned into hurtful breakups. During this Holi festival, you decide to burn that sequence into the bonfire of Holika and date a badboy/badgirl instead, whom you observed while praying in front of the Holi bonfire itself. How will it go this time?

3. You are married to your spouse in an arranged marriage and so you don't know much about each other, as well as don't vibe out well. This year's Holi celebration is your first Holi after marriage and you want to make it special for you both. So you try out cooking sweets and meals for the Holi celebration to impress your newly wedded spouse and try to bond over.

❀ Your story must feature an Asian protagonist and include Asian cultural values. You are welcome to view the information about our Reading Lists in our Guidebook to get ideas.

❀ This challenge runs from April 1 to April 15, 2024. Your entry must be submitted by Monday, April 15. Any entries received after April 15, 2024 at 11:59 PM EST will not be included in judging.

❀ Your story must be between 1500 and 2500 words.

❀ Your story must abide by Wattpad's Content Guidelines.

❀ Your entry must be newly written, especially for this challenge.

❀ You must submit your entry via this FORM (see the in-line comment here).

❀ Please publish your story in a new book or existing short story collection.

❀ We accept stories in English, Spanish, Korean, and Thai

❀ OPTIONAL: Tag your stories with #APIRomanceChallenge #Holi and/or #APIRomance

We hope you have fun!

❀ A shout-out from the APIRomance profile.

❀ For participating, you can add the Participant's Sticker to your book cover. Download the sticker here (see the in-line comment here).

❀ If your story is a standalone book, it will be featured in our reading list, with the opportunity to be featured in our Reading List Spotlight.

Do I have to make a new book?

You can submit an existing or separate book, but please ensure that when submitting, the link must be your entry link, and we cannot add your existing short story collection in our respective reading list.

Does it have to be 2,500 words and do I need to write a single chapter only?

Because it's a short story contest, the word limit is that and not over. Adding more than one chapter is welcome but please keep in mind the story must meet our word limit.

Can I do a co-written story with someone?

Yes, you can! However, if you choose to publish on both your profiles, be aware that we can only add one story to our respective reading lists, not both.

Can I enter more than one entry?

Yes, but only one entry can win.

Is Mature Content allowed?

Mature Content is allowed so long as it meets Wattpad's Content Guidelines. Stories that do not meet this won't be accepted.

How will our entries be judged?

Your entries will be judged based on the rubric below:

How do I submit my story for this contest?

Just complete this FORM (see the in-line comment here) and that's it!

Please note this contest and its rules were created by the APIRomance team and is in no way affiliated with Wattpad Ambassadors or Wattpad HQ staff. We reserve the right to refuse entries that do not meet the criteria outlined in the Rules & Guidelines chapter or are triggering to our team. We are not obligated to provide feedback to all users, and any that we do provide is at our discretion.

Extensions will not be granted to ensure everyone is given an equal amount of time to complete and submit their entries. The decision of the judges is final and any abusive language directed towards the profile and its team will not be tolerated and will likely result in disqualification of your entry. Please review the guidelines carefully prior to submitting and send us a message if you have any questions or concerns you would like to raise.