Hello Writers!

The Page Masters have returned once again, this time with the ONC 2025 Short List!

From 347 completed entries in Round 3, 244 stories made it onto the Long List. Now, after careful reading and scoring by our judging team, we've narrowed it down to the top tales for the Short List.

These 127 selected stories impressed us with their creativity, captivating characters, immersive worlds, and powerful storytelling. Each one brought something unique to the table, and we're proud to present them here.

A huge congratulations to all the writers whose tales made it to the Short List!

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_marmoris_ ◘ THE WORDS WE BURN

0liviaRose436 ◘ Echoes in the Dark

0liviaRose436 ◘ The Outside of In

3miry90 ◘ Corrupted

abbeyberning ◘ Steps of Temptation | ONC 2025

abbeyberning ◘ The Broken Prince | ONC 2025

AidenHaust ◘ Throwing Down With Time

AliKatMeow ◘ Blood Under Oath

amaryll28 ◘ When the Swallows Come

anitaleroux1975 ◘ The Matchmaker's Error

Annamitamuscaria ◘ A Storm Of Ashes And Blood - ONC 25'

AnnSepino ◘ Astray

AnOtherFantasyGirl ◘ Jaeger

ArielMLongee ◘ Bewitched Canines

avadel ◘ Of Marriageable Age

AwgawinFiresnap ◘ SPOREFALL

Cave_MarieWrites ◘ The Ink of Our Souls

ChennayaDeangel ◘ Love Is a Closed Door || ONC 2025

Coffeelover_antara1 ◘ DEFIBRILLATE MY HEART

CroodsGirl ◘ What's New Scooby-Doo: The Ghost of Ontario

CrystalScherer ◘ Once Upon A Selkie

cynicalchristian ◘ Heal Like an Egyptian ONC2025

cynicalchristian ◘ Retired for Reasons ONC 2025

DCVBookfan ◘ The Ink of Our Souls|ONC2025

donnaf1828 ◘ Little Help Home Services

DoNotLookAtTheSun ◘ Welcome to SereniTea Shop | ONC2025

DreeDoesStuff ◘ Legacy of Ruin

edanmorez ◘ Still I Rise

eleeyjs ◘ Portal │ ONC 2025

eliana_elf ◘ The Area 51 Heist

elizabethdashwood114 ◘ The Society of Page Travelers

ellakas102 ◘ What Watches Back

Emmian_ ◘ Blackthorne Manor

ErinTink ◘ Faking It

EvelynHail ◘ Returnal

Exequinne ◘ How Do You Die, Agatha Fairbard

Exequinne ◘ Jet & Ash

Exequinne ◘ Never Say Die, Alyson Gardner

Fairytale_Fabler ◘ Life is but a Vale of Tears

Falling-Rivers ◘ The Pen Doesn't Lie

FoxLock34 ◘ The Lighthouse's Reflection

FoxLock34 ◘ Wolf in the Woods

GeoffreyHarrison ◘ The Concorda Files

HeideHunt ◘ A Heart for the Clockwork Curse

High_Priestess_Elena ◘ Oak's Tea Room

imalando ◘ Habibi Face | Lando Norris

ink3dverse ◘ KAPALA TANTRA

ink3dverse ◘ THE LAST KEEPSAKE

JanGoesWriting ◘ The Last Duty

Jeannette_M_C ◘ The Bride, The Blade, and The King

jinnis ◘ My Kind of Magic

K_Blackwood ◘ A Cup Of Forever

kae-ruby ◘ Wynne Can't Swim

KC_Han_writes ◘ The Matchmaker's Magic Match

keepthywits ◘ Northward

Keira-008 ◘ 20 days of freedom

KessandraRenee ◘ Blood and Thorns

Kid_Kia ◘ The Hunted; The Beginnig of the End

kinalhariya ◘ The Cursed Library

Kitty_H_Wright ◘ Ink and Fire

Kookaain ◘ Inferias - Moon Children

KPMadden ◘ Unusual Kin, Or the Monster's Hunter

LizzieAuburn ◘ A Spell Too Sweet [ONC2025]

lorainejd ◘ Hymn for the Shattered Kingdom

-lostillusion ◘ The Last Paper Crane

LottieJacobs ◘ A Wicked Magic

luna_rion ◘ Stay Human: The Final Countdown

lupe6583v ◘ NOWHERE TO RUN

Lyssagirl7686 ◘ The Portals of Daera

M_A_Hartman ◘ A Flame Upon Still Water | ONC 2025

Maeve-Ashford ◘ Caught in the Tides

marakaragianni ◘ A Breath Between Worlds

minewton ◘ The Blood That Binds Us

MiniMoxx ◘ Brewtiful Souls

MiniMoxx ◘ En Pointe

mirielleansel ◘ The Library of Lost Stories

mirielleansel ◘ Thornbound: The Stray and The Summoner

MizukiAisuru ◘ Whiskers and Whispers

Mochi711 ◘ Breaking The Stereotype || An ONC Novella

Monrosey ◘ Girl in the Mirror

MusicalKehleigh ◘ Stranded Among Stars

ND_Noir ◘ Bound by Fate: The King's Obsession

NickyZaizen ◘ Buried in the Archives

nochillno ◘ the art of touch

NomsaNommy ◘ Until The Last Beat

obliviablack ◘ Surrounded by Idiots (ONC 2025)

only_zara ◘ Page Turners and Pom-Poms

OutOfMyImagination ◘ Hide & Seek (With Benefits)

OutOfMyImagination ◘ Silent Sins

Philouwrites ◘ The Jester and the Queen

pixelmum ◘ Charlie

QueenChaotic ◘ The Chorus Of A Raven

QuinceArchFortes ◘ Haggard

Quinn-the-Writer ◘ Running With the Devil

Red_Leasia ◘ CODE: BLACK | ONC 2025

red_sky97 ◘ How to Find your Way in the Incomplete Archives

Renaissance1111 ◘ Of Steel and Flesh | #ONC2025

rhakos ◘ Days of Blue

rhymeswithfry ◘ Before You Knew Me

Ririzzaly ◘ Crown of Scales and Fangs

RJGlynn ◘ Something Wicked

sammiscribbles ◘ The Demon of the Woods

sargasso8 ◘ Catching Hemlock

ShadowMaven ◘ Terminal Effects

SierraScott ◘ Zoddiaac

SilverSable ◘ The Recall Order

SilviaKrpatova ◘ Of Love Tales And Rabbit Tails

skyebmewrites ◘ A Song Untamed

Snickerdoodle63 ◘ Do You Really Want to Know?

Spelunkadunk ◘ Windsor Lane

StephanieProchaska ◘ Your Story Has Been Deleted

Sumorides ◘ Sighs and whispers || ONC 2025

sup3r_n0va_ ◘ Cheerleader

The_Ivoryy ◘ Lethal Intentions

The_Ivoryy ◘ To Kill, Love a Demon

TheConfusedTurtle ◘ Silvering

ToriHope- ◘ Salt's Guide to Resurrecting a Goddess

ToWolfKin ◘ Where the Star Weeps

Troublesome_Wench ◘ Bloodhound (ONC 2025)

violadavis ◘ Warm Hands

WakeWriteWrath ◘ The Cursed and the Damned || ONC2025

WinterSleep85 ◘ Sister of the Conqueror

WriterAnimated ◘ The Gambit

Wuckster ◘ Unbridled Fury (and Relentlessly Furry)

xJadesx ◘ All I Ask

xxsoteria ◘ Oops! We Died?

Yvanung ◘ Abduction License