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ENTER THE COMPETITION

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.

Submissions are now open

Submit your entry before December 31, 2026 at 11:59PM MT.

COMPETITION THEME EXPLAINED

“In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only… love?”

Warhammer 40,000 is a setting defined by its unrelenting war, cosmic horror, and staggering death tolls. Yet, even in a galaxy consumed by blood and fire, humanity (and its alien counterparts) find things worth fighting, dying, or killing for.

For this Fast Fiction writing competition, we want you to explore affection, devotion, and connection through the lens of Storge, Philia, Eros, and Agape (more on those in the FAQ below!). We aren’t looking for cheap romance tropes or fourth-wall-breaking self-insert romances – we want the raw, tragic, bizarre, or profound bonds that bloom on the precipice of annihilation.

FAQ for "LOVE IN THE END TIMES"

In historical writing, the ancient Greeks came up with four terms for love – mostly because they didn’t have Bolters or the Inquisition to keep them busy.

  • Storge (Familial Devotion): Protective, instinctual love for your kin. In 40k, this usually means a Traitor Guardsman trying to keep their younger sibling alive for five extra minutes in a trench, or a Tyranid synapse creature tenderly ushering its gaunt offspring into a reclamation pool.

  • Philia (Comradely Friendship): Deep, battle-tested loyalty between equals. Think of two Heretic Astartes admitting their faults before committing horrific acts, or two Collegia Titanica operators bonding over mutual contempt for their Princeps, or Orks sharing a single, slightly crushed squig that they’ve come to admire.

  • Eros (Passionate or Obsessive Desire): Romantic, intense, or deeply questionable attraction. In 40k, this ranges from two Ministorum pastors sneaking a kiss behind a toxic sludge tank to a Slaaneshi daemon taking their love for extreme body modification a little too far.

  • Agape (Selfless Sacrifice): Unconditional love for a higher cause. Usually involves throwing yourself on a grenade, jumping into a Warp rift, or dying for an Emperor who doesn’t know your name (and wouldn’t care if he did.)

By “spicy” you mean two Kriegers holding hands through their hazmat gloves, right?

For this contest we recommend leaving the full-blown erotica at home. We are looking for connection, loyalty, and affection – and while some spiciness can be included, we don’t want baudy paperbacks you’d find in a Hive World librarium.

For sure! Two battle-brothers sharing a stoic moment is classic 40k – just know that the judges have read roughly six hundred variations of “I will cover your flank, Brother.” If you write it, we hope you’ll go deeper in the theme.

Technically yes, though it usually looks horrific to anyone else. A Nurgle cultist offering you a hug is expressing love, even if it melts your nervous system. A T’au preaching about the Greater Good is expressing love, even if it comes with mandatory re-education. Get creative with it.

Yes. Check the official Faction Restriction List on the submission page. If your favorite faction is banned this round, blame the people who wrote thirty identical stories about them last time.

Love in 40k isn’t about romantic candlelit dinners – it’s about giving someone your last clean canteen of water right before the wall collapses. But that doesn’t mean you have to kill everyone off in the end! Struggling with love, as is in our world, carries a lot of meaning after the love (or the other person) has passed.

If your definition of “love” includes screaming, flaying, and questionable music choices, then maybe?

We feel obligated to remind authors that Slaanesh is the god of excess and obsession. True love usually involves selflessness, whereas Slaanesh involves asking “how can I make this experience 300% louder and more painful for everyone involved?”

As a mandate as a publishing house, we’re encouraging people to explore the fringes of the fiction. It is a writing challenge to delve into unexplored areas of 40k – and Mechanicus, Administratum, Inquisition, Astra Militarum, and Imperial Civilians are too ‘easy’ and able to be found across Black Library fiction, which is why we’re doing something different.

You can read more about faction restriction lists below.

THE COMPETITION RULES

THE SETTING

Dive into the universe of Warhammer 40,000 and tell your story within its vast, grimdark setting.

Theme-based

Weave your story according to the theme - as told through the subtext, environment, characters, or conflict.

1000 Word limit

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!

Proof Your Work

Review your submission for grammar and spelling. Formatting details can be found below.

New Characters

Create someone new! We prefer original, distinct characters that grow and change through the story.

One Chance

Participants in the contest are limited to one submission each.

Authors must be in good standing with Cold Open Stories to qualify for publication.

FACTION RESTRICTION LIST

To foster creativity and diverse storytelling, each competition enforces a Faction Restriction List. This prevents repetition and encourages writers to explore lesser-seen narratives. If a faction highlighted we a red 🚫 icon it means your narrator, protagonist, or primary POV character cannot be from the banned faction. Stories that do not follow the restriction list will be disqualified. 

Looking for inspiration? Click one of the factions below for some tropes or ask questions in our Discord.

Chaos

Imperium

Xenos

HOW TO ENTER

✅ 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. That is a hard limit.

✅ Step 2: Save as .docx or .doc and attach it to an email.

✅ Step 3: In the email body, include:

  • Your name
  • Story title & word count
  • Social media/website (if applicable)
  • 100-word bio

✅ Step 4: Set the subject line as: 📩 LOVE IN THE END TIMES 2026 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.

Submit your story

Meet The Judges

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.

Guest Judge Announcement Soon

Guest Judge Announcement Soon

Terms & Conditions

Terms & Conditions

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

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

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

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

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

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.