// THE RULES
RULES
Eligibility
You must be 18 or older to enter or accept a prize. One account per person. No bot, ghost, or shared accounts.
Entry fees
Entry fees are listed per arena. 75% of each entry fee goes directly into the prize pool. 25% covers platform, moderation, and AI grading. All sales are final — once your story is submitted to a arena, you cannot withdraw or refund.
Submissions
Original work only. You retain all rights to your story. By submitting you grant us a non-exclusive license to display the story for the duration of the arena and to feature winning stories on the public site and Demo Day.
AI use
AI-assisted writing is allowed. AI-generated submissions where the writer added little to no creative direction are not. We run an AI-likelihood + plagiarism pass on every submission; flagged stories are reviewed by a moderator.
Scoring
Combined score = (moderator score x 10) + (average reader rating x 5), computed only over approved submissions. Ties broken by earlier submission time. Top 3 win cash; in Hollywood-demo arenas they also get a Demo Day invite.
Reader payouts
Top 3 readers on a arena's leaderboard split a reader pool 60/25/15. Standing is based on AI-graded helpful feedback you submit during the arena.
Moderation
Moderators may approve, reject, or flag submissions and feedback. Decisions are final. Egregious abuse, hate, or doxxing is grounds for permanent ban without refund.
Payouts
Payouts are mock-recorded today and paid out via Stripe Connect once the writer/reader completes onboarding. We hold winnings up to 60 days while onboarding is completed.
Demo Day
Demo Day is held quarterly in Los Angeles. Invited winners present a logline to industry guests. Travel and lodging are not provided unless explicitly stated.