Creative Writing Wizard

• Theme – “A light in the darkness”
• 100 word minimum (not inclusive of the title)
• 5000 word maximum (not inclusive of the title)
• Any genre will be accepted, the only limit is your imagination. Don’t fit yourself into a box, just write
• We will accept entries with inclusion of challenging themes, providing that it does not glorify, promote or support dangerous or illegal acts and behaviours
• Please include content warnings where appropriate in the Google form
• Layout/file type/font/spacing
  • 1 inch (2.5cm) margins
  • 12 point Times New Roman font
  • Each first line must be indented
  • double-spaced lines, 
  • and half-inch (1.25cm) first line indents for paragraphs
• Please ensure that the file name includes the following format: “Genre_Title”
• File types of one of the following: .doc, .docx, or .rtf
• Your entry must be the final and edited version of your story
• Please do not include any graphics or images in your entry

• All entries to this contest must be your OWN work. No copied or plagiarized work will be accepted. Any entries found to be plagiarized will be automatically disqualified, with the entrant informed via email of their removal from the contest. 
• Entries to this contest must NOT have used AI for any part of their creation. This includes writing, editing or formatting of any element of the story. 
• Entry into StarPath Creatives – Writing Contest 2025 is FREE, and no purchase is necessary or required in order to enter a story into this contest or to win any of the prizes.
• Copyright and publishing rights remain with the author of the work submitted into this contest. We will not and cannot publish work without explicit permission from the author/copyright owner. The title of the work will be published when announcing winners and progression throughout the contest.
• This contest is open to entries from US/Canada
• All contestants must confirm that they are 18+ years of age when submitting 
• For this contest, we are only able to consider stories written in the English language
• We will not be accepting co-authored entries for this contest
• The contest open and closing dates may be subject to change if the minimum number of entries are not met, until such time that they are met. The minimum number of entries will be set at 50 story entries
• In the result of a tie, the first round judges who have not read the stories will impartially score each story to reach the final decision. 
• You may submit one entry per person
• We will not be able to provide feedback for each entry, however we will advise any entries whether they are moving forward to the next round via email from saffronasteria@gmail.com and social media announcements from Danika, Glen and Saffron
• If entrants would like to withdraw from the contest at ANY TIME, they can email Saffron directly at saffronasteria@gmail.com. Please ensure that the email subject states “Contest Withdrawal” and include your pen name, the email address you submitted with and the title of your story. You are NOT required to provide a reason for withdrawal and are free to do so at any time. 
• Any entries must NOT be published elsewhere during the time that the contest is running. 
• All entries must be submitted through the designated Google Form.
• Submissions are accepted between 14th of July until August 29th at 00:00 (midnight) CST.

There will be three rounds to decide on the winners of first, second and third place. 

Round 1

Dani, Saffi, and Glen will review submissions against the guidelines sorting them into their respective genres. Those following the guidelines will progress to round 2.

Round 2

Each of our volunteer judges will be assigned submissions to read through and rate on a scale of 1-5 in four categories (total score of 20 possible points):

• Content
• Theme
• Structure/Flow
• Spelling/Grammar

The top 10 scoring stories of Round 2 will progress to a final round. 

Round 3

Dani, Saffi, and Glen will read all of the top 10, rating it in the same categories with greater depth and range of scores (total score of 100 possible points, with a greater weight given to content and theme). The scores for each submission will be averaged, giving a final score.

The top 3 will be selected as winners, first, second, and third place.

All submissions from round 3 will be provided feedback notes and explanation of their scores in each category via email. 

There are a total of 12 judges, the 3 of us in StarPath Creatives (Danika, Saffron, and Glen) plus 9 of which are our guests in this writing contest. You can read about them here or connect with them on socials:

Sean M. Tirman

• Instagram
• Threads

With his breakout debut novel, Hounds of Gaia, Sean established himself as an excellent horror and scifi (cyberpunk) author. But it doesn’t stop there, with his latest release, Dreamweavers LLC, he S showcases his ability to mix humor in with the mythological and the psychedelic.

Ria Parisi

• TikTok
• Instagram
• Threads

Turning fanfic into fantasy, Ria took her roots in cosplay and fanfic to debut with an excellent entry in the YA Fantasy realm with, Of Wolves and Stags. Her use of unique magical systems and plus-size heroine representation makes her work one you can’t miss!

E.S. Raye

• TikTok
• Instagram
• Threads

Author, Screenwriter, and Editor (to name a few things), E.S. not only makes a name for himself with his imaginative science fiction, like his upcoming debut novel Gas Giant Gambit, but also looks to lift up other authors in SciFi and Fantasy with his Indie Magazine, Perseid Prophecies.

Sora Sullivan

• Threads
• X
• Bluesky

Writer of the epic ‘Interdimensional Bachelorette – A burlesque homage’ and co-host of Strangers in Fiction! Sora is an avid consumer of the written word and enjoys diving into immense worlds.

Jan Miklaszewicz

• X

A teacher whose works of fiction and stunning poetry immerse readers in thought provoking scenarios. His contributions to the writing community are much needed!

Marc Anthony

• X

Marc is an avid reader, host of TheBookLounge and a huge supporter of indies. He uses his platform to lift authors up by reviewing and creating spotlights to showcase their talents.

K.R. Fryatt

• Instagram
• Threads

Opera-singer-turned-author K.R. Fryatt (@author_k.r.fryatt) knows how to capture the hearts and minds of an audience. Her timeless stories weave dark, gritty fantasy with the raw emotion of Gothic romance. Of Moths and Stones, her debut epic romantasy set to release in October, brings that world to life with beautiful prose and compelling characters. K.R. also uses her writing to shed light on mental health and chronic illness.

JJ Larkey

• Instagram
• Threads

JJ Larkey, Archivist of Elvish Shenanigans, never takes herself too seriously. The hilarious, sometimes irreverent, and always heartwarming stories she writes entwines everyday life in a modern world with the timeless allure of fairy tales. Whether hustling on social media, preparing her debut series, The Faerie Lute Chronicles, for launch in the fall, or cheering on other indie creatives, JJ is a breath of fresh air in an otherwise chaotic and messy world.

Ariadne Elise

• TikTok
• Instagram
• Threads

Ariadne Elise (@author.ariadne.elise) was born to write romance, whether fantasy or a spicy and suspenseful contemporary. She captures the essence a love story with her lyrical style and a talent for delving deep into the hearts and souls of her characters. A business writer and a romantic at heart, she takes time to hone her craft as an avid Beta and ARC reader/reviewer in her genres. She enjoys discovering why and how a story works.

• All decisions made by the judges regarding the winners are final
• Each of the organisers have donated the below services as prizes for the winners! 
• There will be 1st, 2nd and 3rd places awarded. 
• Prizes are as follows: 

1st place – first choice of ONE of the below prizes

2nd place – second choice of ONE of the below prizes

3rd place – will be allotted the remaining prize

Each of the StarPath Creatives hosts have provided the following options for prizes for the winners to choose from:

Danika Rose Lynn

Option A – Choice between a full-color, full body digital painting with simple background -or- a sketch-tier character sheet (including 1 full body action pose + full body front, back, side pose + 4 busts showcasing different emotions).

Option B – Standard Book Cover Design – Formatted for e-book and paperback (front cover only). Includes simple, illustrated graphical elements (drawn by me) and/or a spot illustration + book title, author name, and tagline (if available).

Danika’s Art Gallery: https://danikalynnbooks.com/art-gallery/

Glen Weatherhead

Option A – Personal Writing Wizard for Two Months

• Helping you to achieve your writing goals (finishing a draft, finishing an edit, crossing a writing milestone) with encouragement and practical guidance to make progress or get unstuck
• 1 x 30 minute Intro Call
  • We’ll dig into your writing goals and come up with a plan that fits you, whether you’re starting fresh or in the middle.
• 3 x 30-min Progress Calls
  • Scheduled every couple of weeks to check in, encourage, troubleshoot, and share practical strategies.
• Check-ins via Email or Chat in between calls.
• Open DMs or Email for light support in between

OR

Option B – Voice-Over / Narration recording

• Narration recording of your winning story, read by Glen, to be given to you to use where you’d like (optionally, to be shared via Glen’s socials to promote your work)
• Allowing some input on preference of style or voices to use
• In the case of a shorter submission winning, may include other works to be recorded at a total length of less than 5000 words total

OR

Option C –  Social Media Analysis 

• 30min virtual call with Glen to discuss your social media goals and challenges 
• Glen will then do 1h of researching your socials for analysis 
• and finally email a summary report of his findings to help you progress towards your goals 
• Example of Glen’s work: What Works on Social Media: Analyzing the Data

Saffron Asteria

• A guest spot on BOOKED (The official podcast of Indiosycrasy)
• A banner on the front page of Indiosyncrasy celebrating their win for an entire calendar month.
• 100 full colour bookmarks either with an existing design, or Saffron will design for you
• Saffron’s Site: https://indiosyncrasy.com/

The winner will be announced on November 1st 2025, and the winners will be emailed shortly thereafter.