Once Upon Now

Once Upon Now contest FAQs

What does "an engaging story about modern life or modern love that in some way alludes to or uses elements of a fairy tale or a myth" mean?

We're trying to leave the contest somewhat open to interpretation since authors always come up with the best ideas, but since we've gotten a few questions about this, we'll try to help clarify...

By "fairy tale or myth" we're thinking mostly along the lines of stories with characters we have all (more or less) heard before, like Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, the Ugly Duckling, the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Hercules, the Easter Bunny, and anything else in the popular culture. (Stories from other countries' mythologies are eligible as well.) Straight-up vampire or werewolf stories wouldn't really apply because those are general types of monsters, rather characters in well-established stories like Sleeping Beauty.

By "modern life" we're talking about the time period in which we've all been alive. Near-future and SFF stories would be acceptable as well. Basically, don't set your story back in the time when the original myth was set. We want to see our current or future world transformed by fairy tales and myths!

By "alludes to or uses elements of" we're saying, for example, your story can either literally be a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood set in modern-day New York City, complete with Big Bad Wolf and everything, or it can be a story that uses the Little Red Riding Hood story as a metaphor. Perhaps there's a girl named Red and some mean guy is trying to steal her lunch and bullying her grandmother? (We're just guessing here—you all are the true creative ones.) So you can either retell the fairy tale or myth, or you can reference it in some way that lets readers know that's what you're doing.

What if my story is part of a larger book I'm writing?

As long as the work you enter adheres to the theme and reads like a complete story on its own (has a beginning, middle, and end), then that is okay. However, just posting Chapter One of your story for the contest is not going to be a very enjoyable reading experience for those people discovering it in Target, so make sure you're telling us a complete story, even if you leave the door open for more later on.

Do I have to reside in the USA to be eligible to win?

Unfortunately, given the difference in all the various nations' laws, we have to limit eligible entries to the US only. Anyone worldwide is allowed to tag their story with the OnceUponNow tag and share it, but it won't be eligible to win, we're really sorry to say.

How old do I have to be?

The Writing Contest is open only to anyone who at the time of entry is at least 13 years of age or older—if you are at least 13 years of age but are still a minor in your jurisdiction of residence, you represent and warrant that you have permission from your parent or legal guardian to enter this sweepstakes and they have read and agreed to these official rules on your behalf.

What languages can my story be written in?

The story must be in English. We love all languages, but the editorial staff is really only capable of reading English in a proficient manner.

How do I enter?

The only way to enter is to tag your story with the tag OnceUponNow – emailing us a link to your story or anything else will not be considered an entry.

When do I vote for my favorites?

Between June 14 and June 21, all stories will be eligible for voting upon by the Wattpad community. You can vote by hitting that little "vote" star icon in Chapter One of the story or stories you like. Only votes cast during this time will be counted.

After that, Wattpad and the Gallery Books editors will review the Top 25 vote getters and from that chose 10 to offer contracts to so that they can be included in the October 2016 print edition of Once Upon Now.