The 5k began as an off-season complement to a big bang. Between rounds, we wanted to keep our writers engaged without the strain of a 20k minimum, and the 5k was born! Since that bang centered around tropes, we challenged the writers to create compact AUs.
The original Mid-Winter 5k ran for two rounds and went on hiatus along with its parent bang. In 2020, I reached out to my co-mod for her blessing to evolve the event into an all-fandoms format.
The 5k welcomes all fandoms, all ships, and original fiction. The 2026 round will be our seventh!
<aside> 🍍 Here’s the pretty link for sharing this info: https://tinyurl.com/theficwip5k
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<aside> 🍍 Submit your finished 5k! Link available in August
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<aside> 🍍 Sign up
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<aside> 🍍 Schedule
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<aside> 🍍 Rules
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<aside> 🍍 FAQs
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<aside> 🍍 Posting
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<aside> 🍍 Questions
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2020
fics: 40 authors: 28 words: 143,163
2021
fics: 52 authors: 43 words: 181,785
2022
fics: 76 authors: 63 words: 276,420
2023
fics: 88 authors: 80 words: 314,158
2024
fics: 186 authors: 123 words: 509,687
2025
fics: 148 authors: 115 words: 506,680
2026
fics: authors: words:
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Sign up any time, even on the last day of posting! The 5k is a public event and takes place on tumblr, bluesky, and AO3.
You can start working on your 5k at any time, even before the event officially opens for the year. No waiting on approval! It’s 100% your decision what you make.
<aside> <img src="/icons/arrow-right_orange.svg" alt="/icons/arrow-right_orange.svg" width="40px" /> Sign up for the 2026 5k
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Not sure if you’re signed up? Check the list
June 27: Sign-ups open early on International Pineapple Day
August 1: Posting opens 🍍
August 31: Last day to post & submit your work to the official list!
September 1: I close the collection, tally some stats, and we all take a nap 😴 (kidding, kidding, the server will begin Level Up 2026, what are naps?)
Eligibility: The 5k is open to writers who are 14 & up. Writers of all experience levels are welcome!