ONC 2026 HONORABLE MENTION A pro hockey player and Hollywood princess form an unexpected bond amidst the scrutiny of the public, growing into a wildfire they both can't tame. ***** Larissa Hepburn, who goes by her stage name "Nova", is a triple threat in Hollywood. A talented singer, dancer, and actress, there seems to be nothing she can't do. In the eyes of the world, she's the model of a perfect human being. However, underneath the glamor, the smiles, laughter, and wall of illusions lies a darker truth - a woman on the brink of losing the tether she holds to this world. And on top of everything, she lost her best friend years ago to fame, a friendship she wants to mend as the final goal in her life. Then she meets Rhys Melton, a pro hockey player addicted to the world of hockey and himself broken in more ways than one. Brutal on the ice, he doesn't have time for romance or sexual relationships, especially after losing someone from his past. And posing as the charming playboy to the public eye is the only way to shield his pain from the world. But one single glance and a hilarious encounter changes both their lives in the most unexpected ways. What begins as an escape from the paparazzi turns into an unlikely friendship that forms in one single night. And as they spend more time together, the more they discover the disastrous truth that lies underneath their armors, one that bonds them into a scandalous romance. Even the brightest souls can hide the darkest thoughts. But what happens when two broken people, one more than the other, cross paths? Will they save each other from the darkness consuming them? OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2026

When a Phoenix Queen of Heaven must decide between two human lovers, one of whom is destined to destroy her, sparks will fly! #ONC2026 Shortlist, Round One, and Round Three Winner! Based on prompt 115: a prophecy claims that you will love two people. One destined to save your life and the other destined to destroy it. The trouble is, you have no idea which is which. Copyright 2026 by AAHZ38

In the bustling port city of Busan, seven-year-old Park Jeong-min is drowning in the silence of his father's death. Half a world away, in the emerald forests of the DRC, Kimya watches the horizon for the smoke of a civil war she is too young to understand. Linked by a simple pen-pal exchangeㅡ a pair of white sneakers for a wax cloth braceletㅡthe two children share a desperate, whispered wish: to be anyone else. ​Then, they wake up in each other's skin. ​The magical escape becomes a lifelong haunting. At seven, ten, and fourteen, the swap yanks them across continents into each other's trauma. Jeong-min learns survival in a war zone; Kimya navigates South Korea's academic pressures. ​When a violent spiritual intervention at age fifteen severs their connection. The swaps end. Jeong-min is left in Seoul, haunted by Kimya trapped in a conflict he can no longer see. ​Driven by a debt he cannot name, Jeong-min builds a life of cold, medical precision, hoping to find her through the very systems that keep them apart. From the high-stakes world of a Korean medical residency to the front lines of a global refugee crisis, he is looking for his phantom limb. ​Jeong Min doesn't know Kimya is searching for him, too. #onc 2026 main prompt: 29 prompt mix: 73 #blackhistory #history #koreanhistory #worldheritage

🏆 ONC 2026 Honorable Mention 🏆 ''Nothing is what it seems in dreams.'' In the depths of a dark and twisted forest, Aris, crown prince of Lancaster, is tormented by recurring nightmares of the Tainted--monstrous creations of the black fae, a corrupting force that seeps into all who live within its woods. Relentlessly hunted in the dreams, he finds unexpected aid from a mysterious girl named Elara, and with her help he is able to elude the creatures each time, breaking free from the nightmare's clutches. But when Aris is wounded by one of the Tainted, the line between dream and reality begins to blur. When a weapon deadly to the black fae appears in his grasp from the dream, Aris and his sisters--Tamryn, Maeve, Maeril, and Aine--must race against time and his failing health to uncover the ancient truth behind the forest's curse, or face the imminent threat of the black fae and its vengeful master, the guardian of the dark forest, Erebus Nocturne. ✧☽ ✧ ☼ ✧ ☽ ✧ Cover design by Aravis Brightspell ✧☽ ✧ ☼ ✧ ☽ ✧ If you are reading this story on any platform other than Wattpad, you are very likely to be at risk of a malware attack and reading a plagiarized copy of my work. If you wish to read this story in its original, safe form, please go to https://www.wattpad.com/user/Aravis-Brightspell.

ONC 2026. Prompt 19. "When you accidentally spill coffee on someone, the moment that should have been ruining your day becomes the beginning of surprising and life-changing friendship, in our case, romance." She remembers every time they've met. He remembers none of them. She is immortal, as long as she does not interfere. He is human, and without knowing it, he is changing everything. One meeting altered their destinies forever. She has spent lifetimes turning back time to save him, losing pieces of her immortality each time she fails, becoming more human with every loss. Every version of his story ends the same way. Him dead. This is her last chance. To save him, she may have to attempt the one thing she has never tried before: let him go. Because loving him might be the very thing that kills him.

In a world where individuals with otherworldly abilities walk among their less gifted counterparts, an organisation called the Watchers exists to ensure that the two worlds keep their peace. Hiding behind their mask of providing security services is a widespread web of assassins and spies. They have always made sure to eliminate anyone who was too dangerous for the ordinary police to handle. Faolan Devoe has become one of their best with his sheer hard work and skill, just an ordinary man among a sea of extraordinary powers. When he's called in for a top-secret mission, he expects to assassinate a public figure or something along those lines. What he doesn't expect is to be sent undercover to babysit a killer's child. The catch? The kid is no normal human, and if his father gets his hands on him, it might lead to the end of the world. TW: violence, death, gore, strong language |ONC 2026 HONORABLE MENTION, ROUND 3 AMBASSADOR PICK & ROUND 3 WINNER||1X FEATURED|

For the Open Novella Contest, based on Prompt 65: On the way to collect a soul, the Grim Reaper is distracted by a stray puppy. Instead of completing the task, he decides to find the puppy's owner, much to the frustration of his assistant. ***** The Grim Reaper has seen everything, really. From the beginning of humans living in caves, all the way to modern-day humanity. These days, he's mostly a figurehead, going through a handful of cases a week that no other reaper wants. While floating through the mortal world, unseen by anyone, he comes across a dog that seems to be able to see him. Despite his over-achieving assistant begging him to return to his duties, Grim decides to seek out the puppy's owner, and in doing so meets Jeremiah. Miah is an accountant who loves numbers but hates the monotonous tone his life is taking. The rescuer of Miss Trixie, his dog, is an unusual but interesting man that he decides to strike up a friendship with... although is it just him, or is Grim a bizarre name for a person?

[ONC 2026] SHORTLIST LONGLIST ROUND 1 AMBASSADORS PICK When her best friend vanishes without a trace and the police refuse to look closer, she decides to handle it herself. What she doesn't expect is to cross paths with the city's most dangerous man. Now standing at the edge of something far bigger than she anticipated, will she walk away while she still can, or step deeper into the shadows? **** Kenna Sato is a florist with a quiet life, a love for true crime documentaries, and a loyalty streak that often overrides caution. Tenacious and determined, she refuses to sit still when someone she loves disappears. But chasing answers in a city built on secrets comes at a cost. Nikolai "Niko" Volkov rules the underground with cold precision and an iron grip. Feared, calculating, and always several moves ahead, he does not tolerate interference. Yet when fate throws him into Kenna's path, their worlds collide in ways neither of them expected. As danger tightens its hold and betrayal lingers in the air, an unlikely connection begins to form. In a game where trust is fragile and power is everything, can two people from opposite sides survive the storm they are about to face? Or will the darkness consume them both? [Story only slightly edited / proofread] Copyright © 2026 All rights reserved.

Three teenagers in Scarlet Bay have gone missing, and all fingers are pointing at 28-year-old Milena Scarlat. While Milena tries to find the teenagers and the person who framed her, she receives a text from someone from her past---someone who's supposed to be dead. Former covert operative Flynn Ward knows he's on countless criminals' hit lists. When his best friend, Chase Knight, goes missing and he receives an ominous message, he knows the past is finally catching up with him. Reunited by a common enemy, Milena and Flynn must deal with unresolved feelings and, with the help of a resourceful teenager and a (possibly) genetically enhanced cat, race against time to find the missing people.

2026 ONC HONORABLE MENTION (Top 40) - When a killer feral hog invades Verity State Park, Officer Rylee Harding quarantines the entire area until the threat can be eliminated. She soon discovers doing the right thing isn't easy, because summer has just begun, and the livelihood of Verity's residents depends on the seasonal flood of tourist dollars. Facing opposition from town officials, her neighbors, and even members of her own family, Rylee stands firm in her decision and risks her life and the life of her unborn child to face down the remorseless monster. This story is written for ONC2026 using prompt number 78: You begin to realize that nothing is quite what it seems. Jowls, Copyright ©2026 by Dennis Royer, @dennisroyer All Rights Reserved. Cover art by Deviant Art / ArtVixen0520. Used by permission.