Poniverse Summerpalooza 3.0 Contest: Family Is Magic!!! · 7:38pm Jun 26th, 2017
Note: To get to and join the Poniverse Fimfiction group where the original contest thread was posted, click here.
Good afternoon, everypony! Ya know something? It has been far too long since Poniverse put on a fanfiction contest. Wayyyyyyyyyy too long! Well, let's just fix that right now, shall we? As of this moment, Poniverse is officially launching a brand new fanfiction contest, which will be centered on our Fimfiction group, Poniverse Fimfiction! If you want to participate in this contest but haven't joined it yet, just click on the site's title in the previous sentence and the link will take you there, where you can do just that (especially if you already have a Fimfiction profile).
But enough about that, back to business. Welcome to Poniverse Summerpalooza 3.0: Family is Magic!!! Now then, unlike our previous Summerpalooza contests, we will NOT require entries to be centered around Poniverse mascots. We will accept entries featuring Poniverse mascots (including a few new ones who will be mentioned below) but we will NOT require entries to include or be centered around them. All entries may be centered around whichever pony characters the author wishes, be they main characters, supporting characters, background characters, or original characters (which includes but is not limited to Poniverse mascots). If a fic featuring Poniverse mascots is deemed good enough, even if it isn't a winning entry, it will be added to Poniverse mascot canon. Finally, if you would like to include or center your fic around a Poniverse mascot(s) you can learn more about them here: Poniverse Mascot Profiles (scroll down in thread). Feel free to also use Poniverse Mascot canon if you utilize the mascots, or to reference it. All existing mascot canon can be found here: Poniverse Mascot Canon.
With all that out of the way, let's cover the basic premise and ground rules of this contest.
(1) As stated in the title, the theme of this contest is "Family is Magic." All fics must be centered around in one way or another the idea of family in some way. This does NOT mean that all characters involved need be blood relatives. Family means a lot of different things to everyone, and obviously there are instances where friends or mentors can be so close to you that they are family, so feel free to get creative there. Also, just because family is the focus does not mean that your fics HAVE to be serious. The genre can be whatever you wish, drama, comedy, slice of life, adventure, tragedy, whatever, just as long as the theme or idea of family is present in some respect. We hope this gives authors plenty of room to get creative in what they come up with, so go crazy guys, seriously! 
(2) Entries should be no longer than 30,000 words. We'd prefer that all entries be one-shot fics, but if the author requires multiple chapters for their fic, that's fine, so long as the fic does not exceed 30,000 words and is complete upon entry.
(3) Entries cannot exceed a Teen rating. We will not accept any Mature rated fics, whether they be Gore fics, Slash fics, Clop fics, etc. That's not to say that you can't enter scary fics, but our group has a strict policy of not accepting Mature rated fics. If any Mature rated fics are entered, we will not read or review them.
(4) Fics can be submitted to the contest in the folder titled Summerpalooza 3.0 Contest Entries.
(5) Contestants can enter no more than 1 submission of their own work (and please, do not enter any other author's work into the contest, even if you're doing it for them; if they'd like to enter the contest, they can do so themselves). Collaborations between 2 or more authors are allowed, but only one prize will be given in the event that such an entry is a winning entry.
(6) Entries will be accepted until midnight on Sunday, August 13, 2017; after that date, we will accept no new submissions.
We hope to announce the contest winners towards the end of August, although that time-slot may change depending on whatever real life demands may arise. The fics that come in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place will be featured on our Fimfiction group and MLP Forums, along with reviews published for each one. In addition, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will also receive free art commissions; these pieces will be 1-2 character full art pieces with a basic background, and may be whatever the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners desire, whether it be cover art for a fic, or just art of an OC.
We hope you all enjoy this contest, and hope to see some wonderful entries that help us to celebrate family and summer! So get to it writers, and show us what you've got up your sleeves! I'm sure many of you have some very interesting stories in mind centered around this theme, and can't wait to see your ideas in action. If you have any questions about the contest, do not hesitate to post them here or to PM me, and feel free to share this contest prompt with any friends of yours here on MLP Forums, Fimfiction, or any other pony site you can think of! Have a pleasant evening, everypony, and happy writing one and all!
Art Prizes
1st place art prize: Fantastic up-and-coming brony artist mirroredsea (deviantART ID: mirroredsea) has generously offered to do the first place prize. Be sure to check out his incredible art (and amazingly adorable ponies) on deviantART!!!
2nd place art prize: Poniverse staff artist Crystal Vision (deviantART ID: cayfie) has also offered her services for our second place prize. Be sure to check out her sweet art on her deviantART profile!!!
3rd place art prize: Finally, Poniverse staff artist Jeshh (deviantART ID: Jeshh) has offered her services for our third place prize. Be sure to check out some of her fantastic art on her deviantART profile!!!
That is all I've got for you, everypony! A new Poniverse fanfiction contest is upon us, and I for one cannot wait to see what you all come up with! Best of luck one and all, may the best fic win, but above all else, have fun!!! 
Oh, but don't get sunburned... 
batmare update when
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It is on its way, trust me, writing has just been slow unfortunately between having to move in the middle of winter, land a new job, and a lot of other real life stuff going on. But I am still chugging away on it, no way I'm abandoning my beloved Batmare! Thank you very kindly for your continued interest. 
Hopefully within the next month.
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I'm glad to see you are still doing well. Good luck with the next chapter! I know you won't disappoint.
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Thanks IndigoMoon, and yeah, next chapter is nearing its completion and, while it has taken longer to write than I'd like, has still been plenty of fun to work on!