In the brutal universe of Warhammer 40,000, anything is possible—except certainty. War, betrayal, and fleeting hope define the galaxy.
In our Fast Fiction competition, aspiring scribes test their storytelling skills by crafting gripping, character-rich tales within 1,000 words – delivering fast-paced fiction that captures the brutality, heroism, and intrigue of the 41st Millennium.
Submission deadline is October 31, 2025 @ 11:59 PM PT
Not every war is waged across trenches or void‑choked battlefields. Some begin in silence — in the corners of the soul, in whispers behind locked doors, in the moment a sworn oath begins to crack. This is the war of conscience and corruption, where loyalty unravels from within.
This contest calls for stories of internal fracture — betrayals that ignite inside a single faction, not between factions. Show us a protagonist who must navigate this collapse: will they commit the betrayal, endure it, or be destroyed by it?
What we want: Stories that capture the moment loyalty collapses from within — devotion curdling into resentment, rival creeds tearing apart brotherhood, or survival demanding a blade turned against kin.
What we don’t want: Defections to other factions or stories about external espionage. Keep the conflict personal. Let the betrayal erupt from the bonds of trust, not from across enemy lines.
We’ve gathered some of the most common questions from our Discord about The Enemy Within theme to help clarify what we’re looking for — and what falls outside the scope of the contest. This section is meant to guide your creative choices, not restrict them; think of it as guardrails to keep the focus on internal fracture, personal betrayals, and the tensions that erupt within a single faction or bond of trust.
Q: Does “Enemy Within” have to be about an entire faction turning on itself, or can it focus on one person’s inner struggle?
A: A single individual’s crisis of loyalty is absolutely what we want, and fits the theme. The heart of The Enemy Within is about fractures from within — that can mean a brotherhood splintering apart, or one person wrestling with doubt, corruption, or divided loyalties that drive them to betray (or be betrayed by) those closest to them. The key is that the conflict originates inside the bonds of trust, not from an external foe.
Q: Can my story explore conflicts that involve members of different factions (e.g., a gue’vesa serving the Tau)?
A: Yes — as long as the betrayal itself remains internal to the group your story focuses on. The theme is about fractures within a faction’s loyalty or belief system, not defecting to or allying with another faction. A gue’vesa questioning the Greater Good or sowing mistrust within their Tau unit works; a gue’vesa abandoning the Tau to return to the Imperium would not. Aim for stories where loyalty breaks down from within, even if the character’s origins are elsewhere.
Q: Can the story be about a character defecting to another faction?
A: No. The betrayal should stay within the same faction — it’s about trust breaking apart from the inside, not someone leaving to join an enemy.
Q: Can the story include combat, or should it be purely psychological?
A: Both work! The heart of the contest is internal fracture, but that can manifest as tense dialogue, paranoia, or all‑out civil war. As long as the conflict starts from within, you’re on theme.
Q: Can the betrayal be personal rather than ideological?
A: Absolutely. Power struggles, jealousy, survival instincts, or love can fracture trust just as much as clashing doctrines or prophecies.
Q: Could the “enemy within” be literal, like a possession, psychic parasite, or daemon?
A: Yes, provided it still drives internal conflict — for example, a character hiding their corruption or doubting their own mind, leading to mistrust in their allies.
Dive into the universe of Warhammer 40,000 and tell your story within its vast, grimdark setting.
Weave your story according to the theme - as told through the subtext, environment, characters, or conflict.
This isn't world-building: Fast Fiction stories must have a beginning, middle, and end and come in at under 1,000 words. No cliffhangers!
Review your submission for grammar and spelling. Formatting details can be found below.
Create someone new! We prefer original, distinct characters that grow and change through the story.
Participants in the contest are limited to one submission each.
To foster creativity and diverse storytelling, each competition enforces a Faction Restriction List. This prevents repetition and encourages writers to explore lesser-seen narratives. A restriction means your narrator, protagonist, or POV character cannot be from the banned faction. Questions? Ask in our Discord.
☑️ WHITE = Allowed | 🟢 GREEN = Recently added & allowed | 🚫 RED = Not allowed
✅ Step 1: Format your story using the Cold Open Stories Submission Template with British English spelling (Oxford Style Guide). Fast Fiction entries must be 1,000 words or less.
✅ Step 2: Save as .docx or .doc and attach it to an email.
✅ Step 3: In the email body, include:
✅ Step 4: Set the subject line as: 📩 FAST FICTION THE ENEMY WITHIN 2025 SUBMISSION – [Your Story Title]
✅ Step 5: Send to coldopenstories.editors@gmail.com
The Cold Open Stories Discord is a great place to get feedback on your entry before submitting, or to scope out your competition.
Colyn DeGraaff (He/Him) is a communications director, intercultural advisor, and designer living in Canada. He launched Cold Open Stories with the goal of merging Warhammer’s setting with the presentation of old time radio, and to tackle the stigma behind fan fiction and give amateur authors a place to explore non-canon stories.
Terms & Conditions
COLD OPEN STORIES is a place for authors to share their talents, get seen, and celebrate fandom. We are committed to helping new and emerging voices get recognized, and no money exchanges hands through our site. We believe that diversity in fiction in an excellent way to find new voices and stories. We want this to be reflected in our content and welcome submissions from every race, nationality, gender, and sexual orientation.
Want to learn more about how your Short Fiction submission will be presented, promoted, and potentially adapted into an audio drama? Expand one of the categories below for more details.
Reply Process
1. Upon submission, writers will receive an email confirming that their entry has been received.
2. If the piece does not meet submission criteria, the writer will receive an email explaining why the piece has been rejected. If the writer does not receive a letter of rejection at this point, then the piece has met all submission criteria and will be passed on to the editing team for review. (This review process may take some time, potentially several weeks depending on the size of the amount of submissions received during any given period.)
3. Once the piece has been reviewed, the writer will either receive a letter of rejection if the piece needs more work, or an offer to continue with the revision process in preparation for publication.
4. Upon acceptance, the writer will work closely with the editing team in order to further revise the piece and come up with an end product that all parties are satisfied with.
5. Once the piece is ready, both parties will sign a contract allowing Cold Open Stories permission to publish the piece. More about this process can be found below.
Our average initial response time is one to three days, however the tides of the Warp are ever-changing and some astropathic emails may be missed! If you haven’t heard back from us after a week, feel free to contact us as coldopenstories.editors@gmail.com.
Publishing
1. The Author grants Cold Open Stories permission to reproduce and publicly distribute the short story in digital form on the Cold Open Stories website (http://www.coldopenstories.com).
2. Authors maintain the ability to publish their work with other partners or websites, blogs, subreddits, but a “First published on www.coldopenstories.com” is greatly appreciated.
3. The Author agrees that the short story was written by them as an unofficial fan work and was made for non-commercial entertainment.
4. The Author agrees that any edits to the short story’s content will be offered for review and consideration, and that creative control over these edits remain with the Author. Control over these edits are waived for formatting requirements necessary for posting on the Cold Open Stories website (font size, colour, page breaks).
5. The Author will maintain ownership of the short story. Publishing, submission, and selling rights remain with the Author if the story goes to print or it is shown there is a demand for it.
6. The Author will receive written credit on the Cold Open Stories website with a “Written By” acknowledgement preceding the short story. The Author will receive links to their social(s) and website (if available) and will provide Cold Open Stories with a brief biography to include on the site.
Promotion
1. The Author assigns to Cold Open Stories the permission to promote the short story across social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) for the purposes of directing traffic, generating readership, and reader entertainment.
2. The Author grants Cold Open Stories the permission to include extracts or passages of the short story in promotional materials.
Adaptation
1. The Author gives Cold Open Stories the option to adapt the story into an audio drama or dramatized narration (digital format) which would include dialogue by actors, composition of original music, and sound design. Creative control to make edits or changes to the short story to fit this adaptation is understood. Authors have the option to opt-out if they are not comfortable with this.
2. The Author grant Cold Open Stories permission to publish, reproduce, and publicly distribute the produced audio drama or dramatized narration across streaming services (Apple Podcast, Soundcloud, Podbean, Spotify, YouTube) in serialized and completed formats.
3. The Author will receive verbal and written credit in the Cold Open Stories adaptation with a “Story By” acknowledgement.
4. The Author agrees that Cold Open Stories receives an exclusive first right of refusal for other proposed fan audio adaptations.
Financial
1. The Author agrees that the work performed in writing the short story was done on a volunteer, non-commercial basis and acknowledges that there is no employment relationship, remuneration, or salary offered by Cold Open Stories for the actions of publishing, promoting, or adapting the short story online.
2. Individuals or organizations who are interested in financially supporting Cold Open Stories or the Author will be directed to support the Author directly on their website or social accounts, or to donate to a charitable organization, identified by Cold Open Stories, which is committed to improving accessibility for multi-barriered populations.