Announcing: The M/M Shipping Contest III: 2023 Sep 24 - Dec 03 · 12:35am Sep 25th, 2023

copied from the forum thread below the break:

commissioned from: daOtterGuy

Here we go again!

It is, indeed, the subsequent year after the M/M Shipping Contest 2022 and I, Bicyclette (who is NOT Wanderer D if you are reading this from the site post, please do NOT message them about this contest) am still alive! Therefore, this contest is happening!

Just like the previous editions of this contest and the many, many future ones to come, we are looking for stories about stallions kissing other stallions. (Said stallions could be of any species: ponies, griffons, Changelings, or even technicolor hominids, of course!) You will have until until 2023 Dec 03 to write and publish a story centered on a male/male ship!

Prizes!

Separate from any prizes, for every entry in the contest, $10 will be donated to OutRight International, an organization aiming to eradicate the persecution, inequality and violence lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ) people face around the world.

Note that all prize amounts will be sent by PayPal. If you are unable or unwilling to receive money by PayPal, please contact me, Bicyclette, to try to arrange an alternative. (In the past they have included donations to agreed-upon charities, and money being sent to other writers.)

The base prize pool will be $300, graciously donated by Vivid Syntax. This guarantees minimum prizes for the following places on the podium:

First Place: $150
Second Place: $100
Third Place: $50

However, this is just the minimum! Depending on the turnout, more prize money and prizes will likely be added.

And in recognition of the special reaction M/M stories tend to receive on this site, we encourage you to support the other entrants by reading them and leaving an upvote on the stories if you like them!

(And in recognition of that, do note: every comment downvote on anything related to the contest (stories, posts, this post you are reading right now) will add $2 to the prize pool, donate an additional $2 to OutRight International, and ensure the continuation of this contest series.)

Judges!

In addition to

myself, Bicyclette,
and daOtterGuy, returning judge, we are graciously joined by
Miller Minus, winner of the M/M Shipping Contest 2021 with
TCatch Us If You Can
MLP: FiM
Romance
Adventure
Drama
King Sombra and Troubleshoes Clyde travel across Equestria to find Sombra’s missing horn. Twilight Sparkle follows their trail.
Twilight
King Sombra
Troubleshoes
Miller Minus · 18k words · 112 10 · 1.7k views
, and
Vivid Syntax, winner of the M/M Shipping Contest 2022 with
TAnd You Said Yes
MLP: FiM
Romance
Sad
Slice of Life
While preparing for a sad celebration, Fashion Plate and Rivet reminisce about a lifetime of happiness.
Death
Sex
Profanity
Other
Vivid Syntax · 22k words · 48 10 · 619 views
, both of which you really should read if you have not!

Please keep in mind that judges are not allowed to preread, edit, or brainstorm any entries with the author before the contest results are released! In addition, judges are asked to withhold commenting on entries until after the release of contest results.

Rules!

All entries must have their main/primary ship be an M/M pairing (or M/M/M polyship, or love triangle, or what have you). The story does not have to be a romance, or a happy one, as long as we can see the dynamics and chemistry that the stallions have or have once had!
Stories can be of any rating or content, though we ask you to stay away from extreme content (fetishes, extreme gore, etc.) and porn without plot.
R63 of canon female characters, AUs, crossovers, and OCs are all allowed. But judges are not guaranteed to know anything outside of G4 and G5 canon material, so please keep this in mind!
Stories must be published and complete between 2023 Sep 24 8PM ET and 2023 Dec 03 7PM EST to qualify.
Authors may submit as many stories as they wish, though each author may only win one prize.
There is a hard cap of 50kw total between all entries by a single author. However, we officially encourage quality over quantity!
Submissions will be collected in the M/M Shipping Contest 2023 Submissions folder. Feel free to join the group and place it in yourself!
If you have any questions about the contest not covered in this post, please feel free to PM me, Bicyclette.
As I, Bicyclette, must interact with all entrants, please keep in mind my DNI policy.