MyAnimeList has announced that it will hold its 2nd English web novel writing contest with the English web novel community Honeyfeed. Titled “I Was Browsing MAL as Usual Then I Realized My Web Novel Could Become Manga” or simply “MAL x Honeyfeed Writing Contest (2022),” this iteration will feature the following three prompt boards: School, Rom-Com, and Cyberpunk. 

Winning entries will be chosen by a panel of judges and a user vote. There will be a US$3,000 prize for each prompt board, for a total prize pool of US$9,000. The winners will also be reviewed by Kodansha Ltd. for possible publication and/or comicalization.

The contest will start on June 1, 2022, and the winning entries will be announced in December 2022. The judges voting period will begin on September 2, while the public voting period will begin on November 3.

“This contest was inspired by the voices of international anime fans on MyAnimeList,” says MAL’s press release. “Many anime fans feel that only Japanese-authored works have a realistic chance of becoming anime, while foreign-authored works stand little to no chance. This contest was created as a stepping stone to fulfilling that dream of someday having one’s ideas made into an anime in Japan.

“This contest will also contribute to spreading Japan’s anime culture even further and deeper than ever before. We believe there is a need to create an ecosystem where overseas anime fans can not only watch finished products but also contribute to the anime creation process.”

Last year’s winner was Realm Assassin by Pearlyn Mirabella, followed by The Consequence of Saving the World by Harmonica and The Sequence of Kai by Oscar H.M. in second and third place respectively.

The full details can be found on the MAL x Honeyfeed Writing Contest (2022) campaign page at https://mhwc.myanimelist.net.

Source: Press Release