KADOKAWA Corporation announced MyAnimeList x Honeyfeed Writing Contest 2025 - THE ISEKAI, an English-language global writing competition focusing on the isekai genre. The contest is open to writers from all over the world with a grand prize of $5,000 and opportunities for publication of works in Japan.
KADOKAWA Contest Objectives and Themes
This contest is part of Global User-Generated Content (UGC) Publishing Project initiated by KADOKAWA. The goal is to attract talented writers outside of Japan to produce original works that can stand alongside titles such as Overlord, Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, The Rising of the Shield Hero, Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, and Sword Art Online.
The theme of the contest is isekai fantasyA game-like world is one that emphasizes a story about a protagonist from the real world who moves into another world through reincarnation, summoning, or entry into a game-like world. This element should be the core of the story, not just the background.
Satoshi Arima, Project Manager and Editor in Chief of MF BOOKS, stated:
"In recent years, Japanese anime has experienced a surge in popularity globally. Many of these popular anime titles originated from light novels. At KADOKAWA, we are constantly looking for new talent to create the next great work. Along with this trend, more and more Japanese light novel-style stories are being posted on overseas writing platforms. These platforms are now emerging as centers where content and creators have the potential to achieve great success, not only in Japan but also around the world."
Contest Schedule
The following is the schedule of contests organized by KADOKAWA in collaboration with Honeyfeed and MyAnimeList:
- Submissions: July 7, 2025 - September 29, 2025
- Judging: September 30, 2025 - November 16, 2025
- Public Voting: November 17, 2025 - December 15, 2025
- Winner Announcement: February 9, 2026
Works are sent via Honeyfeedwhile public voting is held at MyAnimeList.
Prizes and Jury Roles from KADOKAWA
This contest offers the following prizes:
- Grand Prize: $5,000 and opportunity works are scheduled to be published in Japanese by KADOKAWA, with revisions with professional light novel editors and writers.
- Contest Winners Prize: $3,000 and publication opportunities in Japan. If the Grand Prize is not awarded, up to three additional winners will be selected.
Winners will also get direct feedback from Aneko Yusagi, author of The Rising of the Shield Hero, who was present as a guest judge in this contest.
General Requirements
This contest can be entered with no registration fee. Some key requirements:
- Participants must be at least 18 years old on or before February 9, 2026.
- Works must be written in English, be original, have not been published in any form, and not be fanfiction.
- Required genres isekai fantasy with a story length of 50,000 to 80,000 words.
- Works must be marked as "Completed" in Honeyfeed before the deadline.
More information about the requirements, registration guidelines, and other technical details are available at official contest page.
Source: MyAnimeList x Honeyfeed Writing Contest 2025 - THE ISEKAI presented by KADOKAWA
