Zootopia Minibang

• The minimum word count for your fanfiction will be 3,000 words and the maximum word count will be 6,000 words. Your fanfiction cannot go under 3,000 words and it cannot exceed 6,000 words. This challenge is for short fanfiction.
• You need an Archive of Our Own (Ao3) account.
• You can work with another author to write your fic. You will be considered co-authors. When you sign up, you will indicate who you will be working with. Both of you must fill out a form to sign up. Archive of Our Own (Ao3) allows for multiple authors.
• Your fanfiction must be written in English. If you would like to translate your fanfiction to another language, you can, but your submissions to us must be in English.
• Authors will submit a summary of their fanfiction and 1 draft of their work before it is posted. The summary will be submitted via a Google Form which will be available on the ZNN website. Your draft will also be submitted via Google Form which will be available on the ZNN website as well. You can copy and paste your work from whatever program you are using to write your fanfiction (Google Docs, Microsoft Word, Pages, etc) onto the Google Form. Please be mindful of the due dates. The Google Forms will be available for one week before the due dates to give you ample time to fill them out.
• Authors will also be required to complete a check-in via Google Form. On this check-in, you can also express any concerns that you may have. You can express if you are having a major issue with your partner there. It will be available on the ZNN website for one week as well.
• If you fail to complete the check-in and do not respond when we contact you afterwards, you will be dropped from the challenge.
• You cannot submit a fanfiction that you have posted prior. While your fanfiction can technically be a sequel to something you have written, you need to make sure that it is something that can stand alone on its own.
• All completed fics MUST be uploaded to Archive of Our Own (Ao3). You must have an Ao3 account to participate. A collection will be created on Ao3. We will create the collection. You can either upload the fanfiction to the collection yourself under the “Associations” section by typing in the name under “Post to Collections/Challenges.” The collection should appear and you will be able to add your fic. If you have difficulty with that, we will send you a request to add the fic to the collection. Due to concerns about AI, we will be allowing authors to choose to restrict their work to registered users only.
• There will be two rounds. When you sign up for the event, you will indicate which round you would like to sign up for, or if you are available for both. It will be on a first come, first serve basis. We will try to have an equal amount of fanfiction release in the first round and then in the second round. You have more of a chance of being selected for the challenge if you are available for both rounds.
• You may not commission another artist to make art for your fanfiction. This is a not-for-profit challenge. You will be working with the artist who you are paired with. You must contact your artist partner within 48 hours of being matched. If you do not hear from your partner within that time frame, please contact us immediately at [email protected].
• Ideally, you should start collaborating with the artist once you have started writing and submitted your summary.
• You may not upload your fanfiction for the challenge to any other fanfiction website (Ex: Fanfiction.net, Wattpad).
• You may speak with other authors, artists, and mods about your work for the challenge in the designated channel on the ZNN Discord Server. The moderators on the ZNN Discord Server will assign participants of the challenge a role, so that they can access the designated channel. Please refrain from posting previews of your fanfiction in other places besides for the designated channel. This includes on your various social media accounts. Your work has to be kept a secret from anyone not involved in the challenge until your work is posted.

• The fic may be rated for General Audiences or Teen and Up Audiences. Think about it this way—your fanfiction should, at maximum, be PG-13. All content in the fanfiction should reflect these ratings.
• The fanfiction must take place after the events of the first film which was released in 2016. It is up to you when it will take place. Some examples include a fic that takes place right after the Gazelle concert, or a fic that takes place 20 years in the future. You can also write something that takes place during the sequel. It is all up to you! We just ask that it does not take place during the original film. You may use spoilers, leaks, or actual material from the sequel fic to inspire your work.
• The fanfiction must center around canonical characters which means characters that exist already within the franchise. These characters can be from Zootopia, Zootopia+, and/or Zootopia 2. The exception to this will be Jack and Skye. Either or both of those characters can be the main characters of your fanfiction.
• Original characters (OCs) are allowed, but as stated above the fanfiction must center around a pre-existing character in the Zootopia universe.
• The fic can include romance if you would like. There is no requirement about ships. You can write about any ship you would like, or not include any ship at all. Just remember that a canonical character must be the focus of the fanfiction. Be mindful of the rating.
• The fic must be complete when you upload it to the collection. If you would like to create a series based on your fanfiction, you must do so separately. You will have to upload any sequel fanfiction as a separate work that is not part of the collection.
• If one of the main characters dies in your fic, you must use the Ao3 major archive warning for character death when you upload your fanfiction.
• It is highly recommended that you use a beta reader before you upload your completed fic. A beta reader can help you with several things such as characterization, grammar, and the overall pacing. It is not required, though. Sadly, we will not be able to assign you a beta reader, but you can try to connect with someone on the ZNN Discord server. Moderators will look at your drafts, when you submit them, but will not be able to beta read, due to our many responsibilities for the project.

• Each artist must create one piece of art to depict the fanfiction. (Creating more is optional, to be agreed with your author partner.)
• You must contact your writer partner within 48 hours of being matched. If you don’t hear from them, email [email protected] immediately.
• Your art must be an original illustration.
• Your art may be in any style or medium (digital or traditional).
• The final size and orientation are your choice.
• While you may get feedback from others, the artwork itself must be created by you.
• You may upload your art to the platform of your choice, but it must be embedded into the Ao3 collection under “Associations > Post to Collections/Challenges.”
• Artists must complete a check‑in via Google Form (available on the ZNN website for one week) to share any concerns, including partnership issues.
• If you fail to check in and don’t respond to follow‑up, you will be dropped from the challenge.
• Artists must submit one sketch via Google Form (available for one week before the due date).
• Moderators and ZNN staff will assist with embedding your art into the fanfiction if needed.
• You may be paired with an unfamiliar character or ship—that’s part of the challenge!
• Your published art should remain public for at least six months post‑challenge. If you later decide to disassociate, inform your author partner.
• If sign‑ups leave us short on artists, we’ll ask interested “pinch hitters” (from form responses) to take on extra projects. This is voluntary and not guaranteed.

• Treat fellow writers, artists, and mods with kindness and professionalism. Remember this is a collaborative project and we all love Zootopia.
• When working with your partner or speaking with other participants in the challenge, constructive feedback is welcome, but unkind, dismissive, or rude comments are not tolerated.
• Harassment of any kind (including based on race, gender, orientation, age, ability, or beliefs) will result in immediate removal from the challenge.
• Communicate clearly and respectfully with your partner, the moderators, and any other participants of the challenge.
• All fanfiction and artwork must be original and made by you.
• AI-generated writing or images are not allowed in this event. This is a celebration of your creativity.
• Moderators reserve the right to remove participants who break these rules.
• If you have general questions, there will be a forum on Discord for those; most FAQs are in the FAQ section. Specific or private concerns should be emailed to [email protected]. Please do not DM moderators on Discord.
• Do not post previews of your writing or artwork for the challenge on social media. You may share previews only in the designated ZNN Discord channel.
• Remember that you may be paired with someone unfamiliar with a particular character or ship—this is part of the challenge. Treat each other kindly and respectfully.
• All deadlines must be met. If you have an emergency, notify the moderator team as soon as possible at [email protected].

🛑 Important Notes:

• You may sign up for both roles (writer + artist), but you cannot make art for your own fanfiction or write for your own art; you’ll be matched with someone else.
• You cannot request a specific match—pairings are random to keep things fair for newcomers.
• In addition to the Ao3 collection, the ZNN team will feature all stories on the ZNN website.

Consequences for Violations:

• First offense: Warning from moderators
• Second offense: Removal from the event
• Severe behavior (e.g. harassment, hate speech): Immediate removal and potential ban from future events.

• Artists and authors will sign up via a Google Form which will be posted on the ZNN website. You will be asked for the following information:
• Your author or artist name that you use in fandom. This is how we will refer to you and how you will be credited when your work is published on ZNN.
• Whether you are 18 years or older, or younger than 18 (but at least 14).
• An email that you check regularly and is safe to use for fandom activities.
• The role you would like in the project: author, artist, or both.
• If you are an artist, whether you are interested in taking on more than one project as a “pinch hitter” if we are short on artists.
• If you are interested in being a moderator for the project (must be at least 18 years old). Responsibilities include:
  • Checking that drafts and sketches are submitted on time.
  • Answering participant questions and concerns.
  • Reaching out to participants if submissions are late.
  You may be both a participant and a moderator. Some current moderators will also participate. A Discord account is required for moderators.
• Your Ao3 username (required for authors).
• Your Discord username (if you have one). Required for moderators.
• Any other social media used for fandom activities (e.g., X, Bluesky, DeviantArt, Tumblr). Artists without an Ao3 account must provide at least one fandom-related social media account.
• Note: All provided information will be shared with your partner.
• You will indicate which posting round you are available for:
• Round 1: January 12, 2026 (12:00 AM EST) – January 18, 2026 (11:59 PM EST)
• Round 2: January 19, 2026 (12:00 AM EST) – January 25, 2026 (11:59 PM EST)
• Both Rounds: Selecting this option increases your chance of participating.
• We aim to evenly distribute participants between rounds. Posting slots are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, but we will do our best to accommodate everyone’s needs.