Hello writers!

A while back, I started a project called Make It Count with the goal of creating an open-source sci-fi universe for aspiring artists, writers, and musicians to build on for fun (similar to how SCP was initially handled).

We’ve had many talented artists and musicians join in, and had a brief but strong sprint of idea workshopping and concepting… but hit a dead end, as we found that in order for it all to work, we really need a strong writer at the helm—alongside the artists.

We are looking for someone who is passionate about world-building and characters, and who also enjoys sci-fis like HALO, Half-Life, Gundam, or anything else that is remotely sci-fi, to help steer this universe in the right direction.

To see if you have the gumption and talent, we want to judge via a short story contest!

We will also give you money!

(1st place $70, 2nd place $40, and 3rd place $20, you must have paypal to qualify)

The Deets:

1. The story has to be at MOST 6,500 words and at least 1,000 (if you wrote like 978 or whatever, that’s fine—we’re not teachers)
2. The story has to be a snapshot of two characters in a sci-fi setting
3. The setting has to be new — no Star Wars, no Metroid, all new!!!
4. It cannot be a utopia — there needs to be war of some kind (whether the war is happening on-planet or somewhere else, it has to be a factor)
5. Your target audience is 15+
6. Horror, drama, and adventure are recommended but not required (you can make a romance or a comedy, but they’ll be uphill battles…)
7. No ChatGPT usage
8. No re-using a story you already made, this has to be a brand-new story

The Judging Criteria:

1. Worldbuilding, originality, and attention to detail
2. Writing style
3. Overall quality of storytelling (was it a good read?)

Deadline and Submission:

• Deadline: June 16th, 2025
• Submit by sending a Google Docs sharing link to me via DM here on Newgrounds
• (make sure “anyone with the link can open” is enabled)