Write Hook Rules

Last Updated: January 25th 2026

Write Hook is a fight night–style writing competition where storytellers square off for cash prizes, bragging rights, and a shot at the championship. Whether you’re a seasoned wordsmith or an underdog on the rise, there’s a division for you. Every contest brings a fresh opportunity to move up, throw your best lines, and win big.

This is a contest of skill, judged by your peers using a structured rubric. There are no elements of chance in determining winners.

By entering, you confirm that you have read and agree to the rules outlined in this document.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS

  • Participants must be at least 18 years of age.
  • Entries must be primarily in English.
  • A valid email address is required.
  • Stories must be original works created specifically for this contest. Plagiarism or recycling of published works is not allowed.
  • Content that is hateful, inciting, discriminatory, or sexualises minors is strictly forbidden. Stories with excessive graphic sexual content, violence, or gore may be disqualified at the organisers’ discretion.
  • Disruptive behaviour, attempts to manipulate results, or violations of contest integrity may result in disqualification and banning.
  • Use of AI tools for generating creative writing (e.g. ChatGPT, Jasper, Sudowrite) is strictly prohibited. Grammar tools (e.g. Grammarly) are allowed.
  • Stories must not be shared with potential judges before the debrief date or published publicly before results are announced. You can, however, share with people competing in the same contest group as you, as they will not be judging your work, and you may also privately share with people not involved in the contest if you require constructive feedback.
  • Collusion or attempts to influence judging unfairly are prohibited.

ENTRY & FORMATS

  • Entry fee: €15 per contest.
  • Contests run regularly, and there are four divisions to choose from:
    • 100 words
    • 250 words
    • 500 words
    • 1000 words

PRIZE MONEY

Championship Contest Winner: €200

Gold Contest Winner: €170

Silver Contest Winner: €150

Bronze Contest Winner: €120

Note: If you are in the Inaugural Joker Tournament, the prize money is €100 per contest, but entry is free.

CONTEST FORMAT

  • Each contest includes up to 16 participants.
  • Each of the 16 participants receives the same three writing prompts.
  • Participants have a minimum 48 hours to write and submit their story based on the prompts provided.
  • The 16 participants are divided into 8 one-on-one contests, structured in a knockout format.
  • Round of 16 matches will be assigned two peer judges, randomly drawn from one of three other contest groups happening on the same weekend. Quarter Final matches will be assigned up to four peer judges under the same conditions, Semi Final matches will be assigned up to eight peer judges, and the final will have up to 16 peer judges assigned. The last writer standing will be declared the winner.
  • While submissions are being judged, each participant will score between 5-9 stories from another contest group. The judging will be spaced out so judges only have to judge two stories every few days. They will not be allowed to judge anything from their own group.
  • Judges have a set amount of time to complete their scores. Those who fail to submit their scores by the deadline will incur a -5 point rubric score penalty for their own contest. If a story manages to advance despite a point penalty and the writer has also failed to submit their second round of judging, they will again incur a -5 point penalty in the next round. This method is applied to every round thereafter.
  • In the event of non-submission or disqualification, byes will be awarded. The initial bracket drawings will determine the receiver (s) of the bye. If the bye is a result of a lack of numbers, then the bye will be awarded to the highest seed. If there is no highest seed, it will be awarded to the earliest ticket purchaser.
  • If fewer than 4 tickets are purchased for a contest, the number of contests running may be reduced. If there is an uneven number of contests, the bottom-ranked contest will no longer be peer-judged. Instead, the result will be determined by the organisers of the Write Hook contest. If this should produce a conflict of interest for particular contests, judging will be outsourced to a volunteer or paid judge of Write Hook’s choosing to remove the conflict of interest.
  • If an entrant has been sorted into a contest that has been cancelled due to lack of numbers, they will be re-sorted into the next bracket up. This will increase the brackets to above 16 to accommodate and 1 or more first round matches may feature 3 stories competing against each other insted of the usual 2. The lowest seeded entrants or entrants with no previous contest history will be sorted into the 3 person first round matches. This will still lead to a final 8 after the first round.
  • In the event of a judge not submitting scores in the round of 16, Write Hook organisers will act as judge in their stead. This will only apply to the round of 16. In later rounds, Write Hook organisers will step in as judges only if fewer than two scores are submitted for a match-up. If two judges fail to submit in the round of 16 for the same match-up, the score provided by the Write Hook organisers will be the deciding factor. If a volunteer or paid judge has been asked to step in over a conflict of interest, then their scores will be the deciding factor.

DIVISIONS & SEEDING

  • Three divisions: Gold, Silver, Bronze.
  • Division placement is based on past performance and is used to determine matchmaking and what level of prize money an entrant is eligible to compete for.
  • Entrants are sorted by:
    1. Division
    2. Time of ticket purchase
  • Overflow or shortages in any division may result in temporary promotions or demotions, with people competing out of their seeding.
  • Prize money is determined by the match’s designation, not participant divisions. (e.g. If a Bronze-seeded entrant is sorted into a Silver-designated match, they will compete for the higher Silver prize, and if a Gold-seeded entrant is sorted into a Bronze match, they will compete for the lower Bronze prize. We only guarantee that the prize competed for will be between €120 and €200. Earliest entries will get priority in the event of shortage and overflow. So sign up early!
  • Promotion: Top 5 of 16 move up.
  • Relegation: Bottom 5 move down.
  • Middle 6 stay where they are.
  • Top 5 is made up of the 4 semi-finalists, plus the highest average scoring Quarter Finalist.
  • Bottom 5 is made up of the lowest average-scoring contestants that failed to progress past the round of 16.
  • Suppose you are temporarily promoted to a higher division to make up for a shortage. In that case, you will not be relegated from your lower division for placing in the bottom 5 of a higher division. But you will earn a promotion if you manage to avoid the bottom 5.
  • Suppose you are temporarily relegated to a lower division because of overflow. In that case, promotions for placing in the top 5 of a lower division contest will not apply, as you are already in a higher division. But placing in the bottom 5 of that division will trigger relegation from your higher division to the next division down.
  • Divisions are word-count specific. You can be Gold in 100-word but Bronze in 500-word. You can’t carry division perks across word counts.
  • First-time entrants begin in Bronze.
  • The individual contests also have their own internal seeding. Those with the best average placing from previous contests of that word count will receive the highest seeds and be matched with the lowest seeds or first-time entrants. In the event of a contest with insufficient seeding information, the brackets will be drawn at random.
  • If you are competing in a division for the first time following a promotion, your average placing will not be factored, and you will be seeded at the bottom of all like colours until you register at least one placing in that division. You will still be seeded above anyone from lower divisions that may be competing out of their division.

CHAMPIONSHIP SYSTEM

  • Each word count has its own World Champion.
  • Champions defend titles monthly.
  • Champions are automatically entered for their next title defence.
  • While champion, the champion receives free entry for title defences only.
  • Missed defence = forfeiture. The championship is vacated and awarded to the next Championship match winner. There will be no rescheduling of championship bouts to suit the champion’s schedule.

CONTEST SCHEDULE (GMT)

WEEK 1

  • Friday Evening: YouTube show at 11pm (GMT) first reveals prompts. Prompts then posted on site, socials, and e-mail by 11:59pm (GMT)
  • Saturday: Writing
  • Sunday: Writing
  • Monday 7 AM: Story submission deadline
  • Tuesday: Round of 16 judging assignments released

WEEK 2

  • Friday 7 AM: Round of 16 judging deadline
  • Saturday: Quarter Final judging assignments released
  • Monday 7 AM: Quarter Final judging deadline
  • Tuesday: Semi-Final judging assignments released

WEEK 3

  • Friday 7 AM: Semi-Final judging deadline
  • Saturday: Final judging assignments released
  • Monday 7 AM: Final judging deadline, debrief opens

WEEK 4

  • Friday Evening: Winners revealed

PROMPT SELECTION

  • Upon entry, contestants submit 3 potential prompts they’d like to see:
    1. Genre
    2. Character or Setting
    3. Object or Word
  • Prompts are vetted by Write Hook staff. Vetoed prompts are discarded without replacement.
  • Accepted prompts go into a random draw. The 3 prompts drawn will become the official prompts for the contest.
  • Prompts not submitted by Thursday 7am (GMT) the day before the contest launch may be discarded.
  • Additional prompt draw balls can be purchased as an optional add-on at entry, limited to 1 purchase per category per contestant. These prompt balls will double up the prompt submitted at application and do not guarantee selection.

THE WRITING

  • 48 hours (minimum) to complete the story.
  • Must adhere to the assigned word count.
  • Every word over the word count will incur a -1 point penalty per word on every judge’s rubric.
  • Official word count is determined by the lowest total from given Microsoft Word and Google Docs.
  • No identifying information about the author can be present within the story.
  • Missed deadlines or rule violations = disqualification, no refund or credit issued.

THE JUDGING

  • Stories are peer-judged anonymously.
  • All judges use the same scoring rubric.
  • Judges failing to submit scores receive a -5 point penalty to their own entry.
  • Judges are drawn at random from a pool of 3 contests with up to 48 judges available for selection.
  • If a judge has already judged a drawn story in a previous round, their score from that round will be carried forward, and they will not be required to judge the story again.
  • Authors may apply content warnings, but by entering this contest, you agree to read assigned stories in your role as a peer judge. Write Hook takes no responsibility for the creative work of others.
  • Extreme rule violations or highly inappropriate content should be reported for the organiser’s review.

JUDGING RUBRIC

Peer judges will assess each story and score it 1-5 across 8 categories to determine a total score out of 40. The categories are:

  • Prompt Adherence
  • Originality & Creativity
  • Technical Accuracy & Readability
  • Plot & Structure
  • Characterisation
  • Style & Voice
  • Pacing & Flow
  • Overall Impact (Emotional Resonance)

TIE BREAKING

Winners are first determined by the number of judges scoring in a story’s favour. Should that number be tied, we will then move to the highest total score when all of the judges’ scores are added up. If it should still be tied after that, we will then go by individual categories and add up those scores until there is a winner. We will proceed in the following order: Prompt Adherence, Overall Impact, Plot & Structure, Originality & Creativity,  Characterisation, Style & Voice, Pacing & Flow, Technical Accuracy & Readability. If we somehow still have a tie after going through each category, then Write Hook organisers will step in and pick the winner.

END OF YEAR AWARDS

  • 4 x €100 prizes awarded to the best stories of the year (1 per word count).
  • Judged by Write Hook organisers based on a rubric.
  • To qualify, each contest winner is read by the Write Hook organisers and the best story for the week is chosen. That story will then be 1 of 52 competing for the end-of-year prize in that word count.

THE DECK OF 52 – POKER HAND MECHANIC

  • Each winner receives a virtual playing card. With enough wins, a participant can build a hand.
  • Poker hands grant rewards:
    • Pair: Automatic division promotion (any word count)
    • Two Pair: Automatic championship match, skip divisions (any word count)
    • Three of a Kind: Free bonus prompt ball for object or word category.
    • Straight: Free bonus prompt ball for character or setting category.
    • Flush: Free bonus prompt ball for genre category.
    • Full House: Free entry
    • Four of a Kind: 4 free entries
    • Straight Flush: Double prize money for next match (must win to receive, prize will also be available to your fellow competitors)
    • Royal Flush: €120 cash
  • To redeem a poker hand, you must notify Write Hook by email at admin@getwritehooked.com before the contest starts. Redeeming a hand sets you back to zero cards after the reward is granted.
  • Highest unredeemed hand at year-end = €120 prize (unless Royal Flush was already claimed). In the event of people having the same highest hand, the prize will be split evenly between them. If no contestant has a playable hand, the highest card wins.
  • Hands reset annually, so use them before they expire if you are not in the running for the top prize.

DEBRIEF FORUM

  • After judging closes, participants may post their stories on our forum for feedback.
  • Posting before judging completion = disqualification.
  • Forum rules apply.

STORY RIGHTS

  • Authors retain full ownership.
  • Winning stories will be shared on Write Hook’s website and social channels and may be read on our podcast with attribution.

PRIZE PAYMENTS

  • All prize payments are processed exclusively through Stripe Connect. Entrants must have or create a Stripe account and complete any required identity verification steps to receive payment.
  • Winners will be provided with instructions to connect their Stripe account. All required steps must be completed within 90 days of the notification email.
  • If a winner fails to complete Stripe onboarding or provide the necessary details within the specified timeframe, the prize will be considered forfeited, and no alternative payment method will be offered.
  • Prizes are paid in Euro (€). Winners are responsible for any currency conversion, bank fees, or taxes that may apply on their end.
  • Prizes will be paid out within 30 days of the official result announcement.

COMMUNICATION

  • Write Hook communicates via the email provided at entry.
  • Participants are responsible for checking deadlines and messages.

BETA READERS

  • Allowed only if not participating in the same week or if they are in the same group of 16.
  • Sharing details with potential judges is prohibited.

REFUNDS

  • Refunds only before the contest begins.
  • No refunds for disqualified entries or missed deadlines.
  • If you have purchased a bundle deal, refunds are only available before the first credit is used. No partial refunds will be issued after the first credit has been redeemed.
  • In the event of an unforeseen circumstance cancelling an event, all tickets will be refunded, and the poker card for that week will be awarded to all entrants.

FEES & TAXES

  • Write Hook is not responsible for any transaction fees or tax liabilities associated with prizes.

RULE ENFORCEMENT

Write Hook organisers will review all rule violations. Sanctions may include disqualification, forfeiture of prizes, and temporary or permanent bans.

QUESTIONS? Please consult the FAQ or reach out via admin@getwritehooked.com.

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