Rules

Challenge Rules

The HumanWriMo Challenge is an opportunity to make writing a priority for a month, alongside other writers all over the world. The challenge extends throughout the month of November. To participate in the challenge, the only rule is: Write without the support of AI tools.

That’s it.

Free for Everyone

HumanWriMo has partnered with Charon, which provides the writing tools and community space for the challenge.

Participation is completely free, and no payment information is required to create an account.

All participants receive free access to the Charon Author tier through January 1, 2027.

You can focus on writing your novel without paying for the software you need to complete it.

Contest Rules

Recognizing Outstanding Writing

Completing a 50,000-word manuscript is an accomplishment in itself. We also want to recognize some of the exceptional stories that emerge from the challenge.

HumanWriMo Contest Prizes

HumanWriMo also rewards human writers with the generous help of our partners through a contest with real prizes. Winners will receive recognition on the HumanWriMo.org website, and cash prizes and/or free digital services will be awarded.

Outstanding Genre Work

Winners for outstanding work in each of the following genres will also be awarded a 1-year Author tier subscription to Charon:

Romance, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Science Fiction, Horror, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Contemporary & General Fiction, Action & Adventure.

Important Dates

• Challenge dates: November 1–30, 2026
• Submission deadline: November 30, 2026, at 11:59:59 p.m. PST
• Winners announced: December 23, 2026

1. Eligibility

1. The competition is open to writers anywhere in the world.
2. You must be 18 years old or older.
3. Your work must be at least 50,000 total words.
4. Only original works written by the submitting author are eligible.
5. Your work must be written entirely without any AI assistance.

For the purposes of this contest:

1. AI assistance is defined as text created wholly or partially by artificial intelligence. This includes any content produced by generative AI during the creative or editorial process, such as dialogue, descriptions, scenes, or entire chapters, regardless of whether the author subsequently edits or revises that content. This includes using AI to brainstorm ideas, develop plots or characters, suggest dialogue, rewrite passages, improve prose, correct grammar, provide editorial feedback, or translate text.
2. Writing is considered AI-assisted even when the final manuscript contains no directly generated AI text if AI contributed to its creative development or revision.
3. Permitted tools: Traditional dictionaries, thesauruses, reference materials, and non-AI spelling and grammar checkers are permitted.

6. Entries must be completed and submitted before the competition deadline.
7. Each participant may submit one novel.

2. Manuscript Requirements

1. Each novel must contain at least 50,000 words.
2. All writing must take place within Charon during the competition.
3. Copying, pasting, uploading, or importing manuscript content from another application is strictly prohibited.
4. Manuscripts written partially or entirely outside Charon are ineligible.
5. Previously written manuscripts cannot be entered, even if the author originally wrote them.
6. There is no maximum word count, but additional length does not provide a competitive advantage.
7. All genres are welcome.

Zero tolerance: Any violation of the manuscript creation requirements results in immediate disqualification.

3. AI Prohibition

This is a human-writing competition. AI-generated and AI-assisted writing are strictly prohibited. The author must independently conceive, write, and revise the entire novel.

Any use of generative AI in the creation or development of the submitted work constitutes grounds for disqualification.

4. Authorship Verification

Charon maintains writing-history and provenance records that can be used to verify manuscript creation.

By entering, participants agree that Charon may examine relevant records, including:

• Manuscript creation timestamps.
• Writing and revision history.
• Text insertion and editing activity.
• Authorship provenance records.
• Other available evidence relevant to compliance with competition rules.

Suspicious activity may trigger a manual review.

Attempts to circumvent authorship verification, conceal imported text, or misrepresent the manuscript's creation will result in disqualification.

5. Judging

1. The winning novel will be selected based on storytelling quality, including originality, plot, characters, pacing, and overall narrative impact.
2. Word count beyond the 50,000-word minimum provides no competitive advantage.
3. The competition is not based on popularity, reactions, or engagement. The best story wins.

6. Free Access to Charon

1. Creating a Charon account is completely free (no credit card required).
2. To give everyone an opportunity to participate, the Charon Author tier is available free of charge through January 1, 2027.
3. No paid subscription is required to enter the competition.

7. Author Rights

Authors retain full ownership and copyright of their manuscripts.

Participation does not transfer publishing, distribution, adaptation, or other commercial rights to Charon.

Authors remain free to publish, distribute, sell, or otherwise use their works after the competition.

8. Competition Administration

Charon reserves the right to:

• Verify eligibility and compliance with the competition rules.
• Investigate suspected violations.
• Disqualify participants who violate the rules.
• Withhold prizes from entries determined to be ineligible.

Prize recipients may be required to provide information necessary to receive payment.

Participation constitutes acceptance of these rules.

Additional Conditions

1. Submission does not grant Charon publishing or distribution rights.
2. Charon reserves the right to disqualify entries that violate the competition rules.
3. The judging decision is final.