KADOKAWA Launches Global Search For Next Isekai Hit With $5,000 Grand Prize
KADOKAWA CORPORATION is teaming up with MyAnimeList and Honeyfeed to launch a global writing contest in search of the next major isekai light novel hit, offering a $5,000 grand prize and a potential publishing deal in Japan.
Titled MyAnimeList x Honeyfeed Writing Contest 2025 – THE ISEKAI presented by KADOKAWA, the competition is being co-hosted with qdopp Inc. and MyAnimeList Co., Ltd.
The contest aims to discover a new work that can stand alongside titles like Overlord, Re:ZERO − Starting Life In Another World −, Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, The Rising Of The Shield Hero, and Sword Art Online.
The submissions will be accepted from July 7, 2025, and will be held on Honeyfeed, a novel platform operated by qdopp.
The contest prompt focuses on stories about protagonists reincarnated into, transported to, or drawn into game-like fantasy worlds, with their roots in the real world before finding their potential in a new setting.
Writers should submit the story in the English language.
The Grand Prize winner will receive US$5,000 and will be considered for Japanese publication by KADOKAWA. Two additional winners will each receive US$3,000. If no Grand Prize is awarded, up to three winners may be selected for the secondary prize instead.
Winners will receive professional support, including the assignment of a KADOKAWA editor and a professional Japanese light novel author to their work. This team will collaborate with The Hivemind Literary Agency to revise the manuscript. The Japanese translation will be crafted by a professional light novel author to ensure it captures the authentic style of the genre.
English language digital publication will also be considered.
The contest schedule is as follows:
- Submission Period: July 7 – Sep 29, 2025
- Judging Period: Sep 30 – Nov 16, 2025
- Public Voting: Nov 17 – Dec 15, 2025
- Winners Announced: Feb 9, 2026
This initiative is part of KADOKAWA’s Global User-Generated Content (UGC) Publishing Project, an effort to discover and nurture overseas authors who can craft light novels that resonate globally.
Aneko Yusagi, author of The Rising Of The Shield Hero, will serve as a guest judge for the contest. Yusagi will also provide feedback to the winners.
Satoshi Arima, Project Manager and Editor in Chief of MF BOOKS, commented on the contest’s significance:
In recent years, Japanese anime has seen a surge in global popularity. Many of these popular anime titles originate from light novels. At KADOKAWA, we are constantly seeking new talent to create the next big hit. Amid this trend, an increasing number of stories styled after Japanese light novels are being posted on overseas novel submission platforms. These platforms are emerging as hubs for content and creators with the potential to achieve widespread success not only in Japan but around the world.
He added that this writing contest marks the first step in the company’s broader Global UGC Publishing Project, launched under KADOKAWA’s Global Business Acceleration Program.
The program supports new initiatives targeting international markets, with future projects including a Traditional Chinese writing contest on the KadoKado platform operated by KADOKAWA TAIWAN CORPORATION, and publication of selected titles from the JNC Original Light Novel Contest organized by M12 Media LLC.
Full contest guidelines and submission information are available at MyAnimeList.
Source: Press Release