What You Need to Know:
- MyAnimeList and Honeyfeed are proud to announce the return of NOVELOUS Worlds as part of the MyAnimeList x Honeyfeed Writing Contest 2026, inviting writers from around the world to craft original Rom-Com and Psychological Horror stories.
- Powered by Shogakukan, this year’s contest offers aspiring authors the opportunity to reach new audiences by having their work featured on NOVELOUS, the official light novel reading app for North America.
- Unlike traditional writing contests, NOVELOUS Worlds highlights more than just its winners. The top ten finalist novels will be showcased on the NOVELOUS app during the public voting period, allowing thousands of light novel fans across North America to discover emerging talent.
Contest Information
Entry Fee: Free
Writing Platform: Honeyfeed
Voting Platform: NOVELOUS
Novel Entry Period: February 16, 2026, at 20:00 EST – May 10, 2026, at 23:59 EDT
Judges Voting Period: May 11 – June 28, 2026
Public Voting Period (Finals): June 29, 2026, at 21:00 EDT – July 27, 2026, at 23:59 EDT
Winners Announced: August 12, 2026
Contest Prompts:
Prompt 1: Rom-Com
Prompt 2: Psychological Horror
Prizes:
– Most Voted “Rom-Com” Entry: US$3,000
– Most Voted “Psychological Horror” Entry: US$3,000
– Jury Choice Award (Across Both Prompts): US$3,000
Spotlight: All 10 finalist entries will be featured on the NOVELOUS app during the voting phase.
NOVELOUS Worlds continues MyAnimeList and Honeyfeed’s mission to bridge global creators with the Japanese light novel industry, offering writers a platform to showcase their stories alongside professionally published works.
For complete contest details, submission guidelines, and updates, please visit: mhwc.myanimelist.net/202602
About NOVELOUS
NOVELOUS is an app for reading Japanese light novels. While many people are already familiar with the countless anime and manga series born in Japan, light novels, which often serve as their source material, remain lesser-known. This is partly due to the lack of widespread translations. Through NOVELOUS, Shogakukan, one of Japan’s leading publishers, will introduce North American readers to light novels that have yet to gain wide recognition, offering translations directly from the source.
About Honeyfeed
Honeyfeed is a leading writing platform that empowers authors to create, share, and engage with their original stories. With a vibrant community of readers and writers, Honeyfeed provides an immersive space for storytelling across various genres, including anime and manga-inspired narratives. For more about Honeyfeed, please visit honeyfeed.fm.
About MyAnimeList (MAL)
MyAnimeList is one of the world’s largest communities and databases for Japanese anime and manga, with 16 million registered members from 240 countries and regions worldwide. An indispensable site for tracking anime and manga progress, it holds over 1.2 billion records of viewing and reading big data. Founded in 2004, MyAnimeList has become a crucial source of information for overseas fans, especially among Generation Z in North America. For more about MyAnimeList, please visit myanimelist.net.
Source: Official Press Release