Welcome to the Checkmated Challenges, a place where you can strut your literary stuff! From time to time, the Witches' Council will issue writing challenges, which we hope will not only increase everyone's writing skills, but will also increase everyone's love of writing.

We firmly believe that the more a person writes, the better writer they become. With that in mind, the challenges are there to, well, challenge you. Each will have a certain rules set that will need to be followed, in addition to our regular submission guidelines.

To participate, go to our open challenge page and choose one of the challenges that is currently open. If you've got a submission ready to go for a challenge, all you need to do is add a story in the normal way, and use the pull down menu to choose which challenge you want your story added to.

a. Checkmated's regular Submission Guidelines apply to all challenges.
b. A story entered into the challenge may still be declined if it does not follow our Submission Guidelines.
c. All entries must encompass the mandatory elements of the Challenge they are entering. Entries that do not have all required elements will be declined.
d. All ratings are acceptable. Stories with a rating of NC-17 will be archived in the Bed Chamber, as per usual archiving practices.

a. No cheating. Our policy on plagiarism is strictly enforced at Checkmated.
b. Any entries found to be plagiarized are subject to the same penalties as outlined in our ToS.
c. The entry will be disqualified and removed from the challenge

a. The regular beta services for checkmated will be suspended for any stories entered in a challenge.
b. Stories are submitted "as is" and will not be assigned a beta.
c. If the story has too many grammar or spelling flaws the story cannot be entered into the challenge.
d. If an author wishes to submit their story to Checkmated, out side from the Challenge, they will need to follow the regular submission process and work with a beta.

a. As a general rule, each challenge will be open for a three-week period.
b. Late entries will not be accepted. The end date for the entry is very clear, and no exceptions will be made.
c. If the Council believes a Challenge is not sustaining interest, the Council may shut down the Challenge before the deadline date by giving a three (3) day notice, so that authors may finish and submit their Challenge stories before the Challenge is shut down.

a. Any council member who is entered into the challenge is not eligible to win the Challenge, as the Council will be judging entries.
b. An author who has gained first place in our challenge three times will no longer be eligible to win the Challenge, although they may still submit.

a. Only Council members will judge entries.
b. Once the Challenge is closed, the Council will have two weeks to decide the winner rankings.
c. If the Council is unable to complete judging in the allotted time, a notice will be posted with the projected winner reveal date.
d. The judging criteria will include, but will not be limited to:

i. Originality
ii. Characterization
iii. Spelling and grammar
iv. The inclusion of all required Challenge elements
v. Compliance with Submission Guidelines
vi. All other aspect the Council deems noteworthy

a. Rankings include a:

i. First place winner
ii. Second place winner
iii. Third place winner

b. The Council may choose to give honourable mentions to those fics they feel are also deserving.

a. Prizes, if any, are yet to be determined.

a. All Challenge entries and authors are subject to these rules.
b. The Rules are subject to change without notice.