The risks we take to create stories and safely ferry them to ancient libraries are not without reward.

Every writer who participates in the Open Novella Contest is recognized and celebrated for their amazing contributions, regardless of whether they finish among the top winners. We applaud each word count milestone as an immense achievement.

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Round 1 Qualifiers & Winners

Every participant who writes 2,000 words for their novella will receive a 2,000-word count sticker for their story's cover.

Round One winners will receive a winner sticker specifically for that round. They will also receive a shoutout from the Open Novella Contest Profile and a feature in our Ambassador Newsletter posted on the Ambassadors profile.

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Round 2 Qualifiers & Winners

Every participant who writes 8,000 words for their novella will receive an 8,000-word count sticker for the cover of their story.

Round winners will receive a winner sticker specifically for that round. They will also receive a shoutout from the Open Novella Contest Profile and a feature in our Ambassador Newsletter posted on the Ambassadors profile.

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Longlist Qualifiers

Every participant who writes 20,000+ words for their novella will receive a 20,000-word count sticker for the cover of their story.

There are no official "Round Three" qualifiers or winners, but there are longlist qualifiers!

Participants who make the Longlists will receive an ONC Longlist 2025 sticker to add to their novella's cover, and their novella will be added to the official ONC 2025 Longlist reading list for 12 Months.

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Shortlist Qualifiers

Participants who make the Shortlists will receive an ONC Shortlist 2025 sticker to add to their novella's cover, and their novella will be added to the official ONC 2025 Shortlist reading list for 12 months.

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Top 5 Finalists + Grand Winner

The top 5 Finalists for Open Novella Contest 2025 will be awarded with:

> Exclusive winner's stickers.

> Shoutouts from the OpenNovellaContest and the Ambassadors profiles.

> A feature in our Ambassador Newsletter posted on the Ambassadors profile.

> Featured on an exclusive reading list on the OpenNovellaContest and the Ambassadors profiles.

In addition, the Grand Winner of the Open Novella Contest 2025 will receive:

> A Grand Winner Graphics Kit for their story and profile.

> A personalized review of the winning novella.