The challenge: Write an AU for any fandom using no more than 5,000 words

<aside> 🍍 **EVENT UPDATES

The documentation is updated for 2024! Sign-ups will open in June, but you can get started any time.**

The 2023 stats

The 2023 AO3 collection

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The 5k began life as an off-season complement to a big bang. We wanted to keep our writers engaged (and our discord active!) without the strain of a 20k minimum. That bang centered around tropes and AUs, so the 5k was—from its start—an AU-focused event challenging long-form writers to keep things short.

The original Mid-Winter 5k ran two rounds and went on hiatus along with its parent bang. (We brought it back in 2021 to mark the end of Supernatural.) In 2020, I reached out to my co-mod for her blessing to evolve our 5k event into an all-fandoms format. The 2024 round will be our fifth!

<aside> <img src="/icons/verified_red.svg" alt="/icons/verified_red.svg" width="40px" /> Sign up

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<aside> <img src="/icons/calendar_orange.svg" alt="/icons/calendar_orange.svg" width="40px" /> Schedule

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<aside> <img src="/icons/reorder_yellow.svg" alt="/icons/reorder_yellow.svg" width="40px" /> Rules

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<aside> <img src="/icons/star-outline_green.svg" alt="/icons/star-outline_green.svg" width="40px" /> FAQs

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<aside> <img src="/icons/crayon_blue.svg" alt="/icons/crayon_blue.svg" width="40px" /> Posting

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<aside> <img src="/icons/thought-dialogue_purple.svg" alt="/icons/thought-dialogue_purple.svg" width="40px" /> Questions

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📈 S T A T S !

2020

authors: 28

words: 143,163

2021

authors: 43

words: 181,785

2022

authors: 63

words: 267,534

2023

authors: 80 words: 314,158

2024

authors: ? words: ?

Sign up

Sign-ups don't close until the event ends. You can sign up any time, even on the last day of posting!

Discord members will receive the 5k role for @ notifications.

<aside> <img src="/icons/arrow-right_pink.svg" alt="/icons/arrow-right_pink.svg" width="40px" /> Sign ups open in June

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2024 Schedule

June 1: Sign-ups open

July 5: 30-second check-in sent out

July 7: 30-second check-in due

August 1: Posting opens

August 31: Sign ups close & last day to post!

September 1: We all take a nap

Can’t remember if you signed up? [the list will be available in June!]

Rules

• Write an AU for any fandom using no more than 5,000 words
• Open to writers 14 years old or older. If you will be under 18 at posting time, keep your rating from General to Teen
• What you submit must be new, unpublished, and human-made (by you)
• Write one fic OR multiple, separate fics for the challenge. Co-writing is also okay!
• What you write should be complete when you post it and be able to stand alone. No one should have to read a 50k prequel for it to make sense
• As long as the work can be read on its own, it can be a prequel, sequel, or otherwise related work. It can even be related to another 5k fic you write, as long as they can be read and understood on their own as independent stories.
• Open to all fandoms and ships. Original fiction is also welcome
• We have no content restrictions. Anything not strictly canon universe is welcome. So are crossovers, fusions, and all genres and tropes. Please see FAQs for more
• No need to keep what you’re working on a secret (tag teasers #ficwip or #ficwip5k on Twitter), but please don’t post the whole thing anywhere until August
• We welcome fic written in all languages. Please see FAQs for more
• Beta readers suggested
• Post any time during August to the site(s) of your choice. We don’t require AO3. You can post to your own blog or another website. We have more posting info below
• You will need to be signed up for the 5k in order to add your work to the masterlist. Sign-ups will stay open, so you can join any time—even on the very last day of posting
• What you submit for the 5k may not be cross-submitted to another event such as a bang, zine, fic bingo, prompt meme, ship week, hashtag event, etc. (But filling a private prompt from a friend is fine.)