Seriously? 4,000 minimum word count?

Yup. There are plenty of great contests out there that have a low bar to enter. I decided to scale up with this contest the likes of which are rarely seen on this website. Big prizes means big stories.

Is that why you gave us two months to write and submit? What if I miss the deadline?

I understand that 4k is a lot to some writers and as such I made sure to give as much time as possible without stepping over anyone else's shoes. Also no the deadline will not be moved at all.

Why did you pick Insert Judge Here? You should have chosen Insert Username Here!

I chose from what I believed to be very different writers on this website. Also I have had past interactions with these writers and so it just seemed fitting to ask them.

But Insert Judge Here is literally Satan!

Not a question, but your opinion has no power here.

Wait, who the heck even are you?

Just an old man who has deep pockets and a love for pastel ponies and the magic of friendship. Since i'm hosting this contest, I might as well be a judge. Who knows, depending on how well this contest goes I may host another one after generation 5 is released.

Are you really giving away that much cash?! Are you crazy?!

Yes and yes. It was only recently that I started to donate to nearly every contest on this website the past year but my name, and cash, have been flowing through quite regularly.

Fine, but why is the story limited to rated E or T?

Because I originally fell in love with this show for its childlike stories. This contest is to remember that childlike wonder it first gave us all during the beginning of the show.

Can I curse or mention sex, drugs, self harm, or other adult themes?

Cursing can have a very emotional impact if used correctly so yes. As for literally any and all adult themes; you are allowed to have them in your story, it is only encouraged to write about child friendly themes.

Grand_Moff_Pony: Do we need to specifically include/mention/nod to known G5 characters in some way? Or can we interpret "change" in a more broad (read: G4 specific) sense?

You do not have to include G5 at all! Or any canon G4 characters really. You can have OCs all the way in an alternate universe as long as it is set in the MLP universe.

Art Inspired: Can a submitted story be incomplete, or finished leading towards a sequel at the end? Or does it have to be a one shot?

Story must be completed when submitted to the folder. Nothing is stopping you though from removing it for edits and putting it back in, but make sure it is 100% complete before the deadline.

Why are crossovers banned?

Easier to judge is the main reason. Not every judge knows all the fandoms and this will make it an even playing field for other submissions. Also it is to prevent people from borrowing an already crafted story and simply dropping ponies in it.

The Lone Doctor/QueenChrysalisForever: Are sequels allowed to one of our other stories on here?

As long as no prior knowledge is required to read your submission, it should be fine.

Can I win a judge's personal prize and a top three prize as well?

Yup! Heck, if your story is that amazing to not only win first place, but also have each judge choose the same story as their favorite you will in fact receive $1250. It's a low chance, but it's there.

Can you send me the prize money literally any other way than Paypal?

Technically I could, but I would really rather you use Paypal.

Nightmare_Me: Why is there already a story in the group that is 9 years old?

A story has to be in the folder for other people to submit. A known bug in groups. As soon as a another story is submitted it will be removed.

Shakespearicles: Wait, all I have to do is ask any question to have it added to the original post?

Only if I think it is important enough for everyone else to see.

Post below any other questions you have and I will answer them asap!

How dare you have Wanderer D as a judge. He's such a stinky poop head, gosh, I don't think I can write anything to satisfy his stinkiness.

7501951 I have beer.

7504173
Alright you're forgiven.

Who the heck is Scampy ??

7504173
Can I have some of that beer?

So, are we allowed to use original characters? Or is it just show characters only?

7504295
I think she's Posh's secondary account

7507151

OCs, Anthro, Humanized, and all Races shown in the show are allowed in the story so long as it takes place in an official MLP Universe.

I think yes

7507156
Ah. Missed that. Cool, thank you!

So the theme is "Change", and this is all kinda aimed at the transition from G4 to G5. Makes sense. :)

Just one question: Do we need to specifically include/mention/nod to known G5 characters in some way? Or can we interpret "change" in a more broad (read: G4 specific) sense?

Why is there already a story in the group that is 9 years old?

7507286
A story has to be in the folder for other people to submit. A known bug in groups. As soon as a another story is submitted it will be removed.
7507251
You do not have to include G5 at all! Or any canon G4 characters really. You can have OCs all the way in an alternate universe as long as it is set in the MLP universe.

7507301 You can also add a story to a group from the story's summary page.

7507312
I personally don't know the exact bug since that is how I was able to put my old story in. But I was advised by nearly everyone I was talking to to have a story already put into the folder to prevent future headaches.

7507146 Yes.

7507301
Thanks for the info! I did not know that!

Can a submitted story be incomplete, or finished leading towards a sequel at the end? Or does it have to be a one shot?

7507425
Story must be completed when submitted to the folder. Nothing is stopping you though from removing it for edits and putting it back in, but make sure it is 100% complete before the deadline.

7500367
Wait, all I have to do is ask any question to have it added to the original post?

Thanks for the reply, mods!

Could our submission be a sequel to a previously written Fic? I might have an idea that’s connected to another fic I wrote, but it won’t require reading of that fic.

7500367
Are sequels allowed to one of our other stories on here? Long as any info that is important from the sequel is explained in the contest entry to a point where one doesn't need to read the story it is a sequel of?

7509012
7510108
Ah my bad, I forgot to respond.

As long as no prior knowledge is required to read your submission, it should be fine.

Is there a group discord for this contest?

7500367
Does the story have to focus on a single character changing, or can it be a little more generalized? I was think about writing a story that sort of bridges the gap between G4 and 5, exploring how the realm itself changes between the generations, but just wanted to check if that was okay first.

7512722
There is no Discord group.

7514665
It can be generalized.

Is a story that is distant past of Equestria (even so far that it barely resembles the canonical universe as this is how it... kinda starts to change to the way we know it) and was previously written (or even published) in another language (it is my work I just don't originally write stories in English, but in Polish - my native language).

Also is the proof- and prereading and other similar ways of cooperation on a story allowed to that contest? (I mean of course as I am the author who wrote it but just use the help of other people to polish (pun intended) it)

And I'm kinda confused about one thing:

OCs, Anthro, Humanized, and all Races shown in the show are allowed in the story so long as it takes place in an official MLP Universe.

So... is the EG universe allowed or not? (Is it part of official MLP universe after all, so... I think it should be - especially as anthro and humanization is allowed)

And for the races - are new races allowed? (I don't mean ONLY other races, but other races together with already established ones) Also when they actually share the name with one of the canonical races, which is renamed instead (I mean I make the kirins a half-kirins and added my own kirins).