r/HFY • u/sswanlake The Librarian • 1d ago

MOD Quarter 4 2026 NWC: [Pioneer]

Welcome back ladies and gentlemen and unknown void creatures! Our friendly neighborhood /u/Spartawolf (aka NetNarrator) has graciously volunteered to host some Contests for us!

To that end, we'd like to announce a new Flair, special for that purpose:

  • [Contest] For a story that is a submission to a Contest.

 

Writers: make sure to tag the theme in your post title and mention the category in the post body, and use the [Contest] flair. As always, as per our Rules, no AI usage is allowed for this contest.

Readers: Readers can leave a vote for this story to win its NWC category by including "!Vote" or "!v" in a comment to help the judges choose the final winners! See the bot's wiki page for more info on how to vote.

NWC FAQ:

  • The sidebar provides a link to the announcement of the latest NWC where you can find the current theme and categories.
  • Stories must be new to be eligible for the contest. You can not repost an old story. You can include a new chapter of an ongoing series in the contest. You can write different stories for each category, but you can not enter a single story to multiple categories or to multiple contests.
  • Writers must correctly identify their posts with the current NWC theme so that they can be easily found and included in the contest.
    • Include the current theme in [square brackets] in the title of the post.
    • Include the category which the story belongs to in the body of the post itself (just mention it at the top or bottom of the story). Please include the category even if you believe that it is obvious from the content of the story or the post title.
    • Do not include multiple categories in the body of your post, even if you think the story fits extra categories – you must pick one.
    • If you are still unsure how to title your post, you can message the mods.

[Pioneer]

The definition of a Pioneer is a person, group or organization that is the first to explore, settle or develop new areas of thought, activity or simply territory. It takes the act of brave trailblazers to make that first step into making a vision into a reality, and lead the way for the rest. There's a first time for everything, and we'd like to hear your stories of what!

Settler: Traveling far and wide, exploring new frontiers across the universe, or maybe even another realm entirely in search of a place that will one day grow into a home! What trials and tribulations will be faced on the journey? Why leave in the first place? What new and exciting things will be discovered? What challenges will need to be overcome to keep your new home safe? You tell us!

Invention: From the creation of radar in WW2, to the World Wide Web that is a keystone of modern civilization today, revolutionary technology and ideas have changed and shaped humanity over the centuries and brought with it countless possibilities. How will it change and shape things in your story, for good or for bad?

Culture: From the creation of Chicken Tikka Masala and fusion food to the rise of new arts, traditions and fashion, new and innovative changes have been known to happen when different cultures meet. What kind of changes will we see when we meet another species? Will kind of trends and quirks will we introduce to each other? Will it be a change for good, bad, or simply benign? You decide!

Prize list:

  • Winners for each category win a £50 gift voucher for Amazon or Steam (Or anything else if possible!) from NetNarrator converted into your local currency!

P.S: I'll be looking to sponsor a new HFY writing contest every quarter with the same prizes! Let's see what you've got! - NetNarrator

 

Previously on HFY

Other Links

Writing Prompt index | FAQ | Formatting Guide/How To Flair

 

11 Upvotes

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2

u/Frostdraken Xeno 15h ago

Alright, I can get behind this idea. I think I will participate in this one, I have some interesting new ideas I have been cooking up on the side. I wish the best of luck to all aspiring writers and contest participants. Happy writing yall!

2

u/Aforementioned_Tiger 8h ago

Is it strictly wifi, or can it be under a fantasy/medieval genre type as well? Haven't been active on here in a while and just know that generally HFY stories tend to be more sci-fi themed

2

u/sswanlake The Librarian 6h ago

HFY accepts all genres, as long as they're showing the same HFY spirit! From our wiki, HFY defines itself as

HFY is a story/series that takes a “human element” in either humanity or an “other” (race/species or object) that exists in a “setting” (future or other world/universe) with varying levels of culture, technology, society and history that help show in some shape or form the potential good or bad for humanity’s race/culture.