A competition for AI storytellers

Submit a Body of Work that tells a story from start to finish. Be reviewed by expert judges, and compete for a $1,000 grant and a feature in Prompt Magazine.

Edition 1 is now closed. Browse the winning entries below.

The Tree

[The Tree

I was never the tallest tree in the forest.

Nor the strongest.

Fire had carved itself into my bark long ago, leaving me twisted, scarred, and forgotten. The others reached proudly toward the sky while I stood alone, convinced I had nothing left worth seeing.

Then she found me.

She didn’t stare at my scars.

She traced them with gentle fingers, smiled, and whispered, “You’re beautiful.”

No one had ever said that before.

From then on, every morning belonged to us. She leaned against my trunk while the forest woke around us. We shared dreams with the sunrise, laughed with the birds, and watched the stars bloom across the night sky. Seasons came and went, but she always returned.

For the first time in my long life…

I wasn’t alone.

One evening, her smile faltered.

She told me the truth.

She was born into a family filled with magic, yet her own body rejected it. Day by day, an unseen illness quietly stole pieces of her away. She spoke of it softly, as though trying to comfort me instead of herself.

But all I could think was…

The forest would one day wake without her.

I couldn’t bear it.

So I searched for the High Elder, whose roots reached deeper than memory itself. I begged for another way.

She looked at me with eyes that had seen countless lifetimes.

“There is one path,” she said.

“For the girl to live…

you must become the life she needs.”

Fear wrapped around every branch I had left.

I had survived fire.

Storms.

Endless winters.

But I had never imagined a world where I no longer stood beneath the stars we watched together.

Still…

Love had already made the choice before I could.

“I accept.”

Golden light flowed through every scar I’d ever carried. They didn’t disappear—they glowed. The cracks that once reminded me of pain became the places where light escaped.

As I faded, my memories drifted through the forest like falling leaves.

Her laughter.

Her songs.

The warmth of her resting against my trunk.

The day she taught me that something broken could still be beautiful.

Then…

The wind carried the last piece of me away.

⸻

The Girl

When I opened my eyes, the forest felt unfamiliar.

Too quiet.

“The tree?” I whispered.

No answer.

The place where my friend had always stood was empty.

Only a small crystal bottle rested among the grass, catching the morning light.

A note hung from its neck.

Drink me.

My hands trembled.

I knew.

The tree had become my miracle.

Tears blurred the world as I held the bottle close.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

“I’m grateful.”

I drank.

Warm, golden light spread through me, filling every place the illness had emptied. My breath came easily. My heart grew strong. For the first time in years…

I felt alive.

The tree was gone.

Yet somehow…

it was everywhere.

In the wind that brushed my face.

In the sunlight filtering through the leaves.

In every flower that bloomed where it once stood.

Love had never left the forest.

It had simply taken root in me.

And from that day forward, every step I took carried a piece of the friend who taught me that the deepest love is not measured by how long it lasts—

but by how completely it changes the heart.]

Bellabean_CookieCat

@Bellabean

0Creations

View Artist Portfolio

Edition 1 Theme

The Architecture of Feeling

Pick a feeling - (wonder, longing, awe, the quiet kind of joy, it's up to you!) - and build a Body of Work that tells a story about it. Tell one story from start to finish, as a collection of images and/or videos, or as a single edited video. Think short film or mini exhibition, not a single image, clip, or mood board.

We want to feel it, not just see it.

Full competition details

Key Dates

Entries open

Jun 15, 2026

Entries close, judging begins

Jul 12, 2026

Winners announced

Jul 20, 2026

Competition complete.

Awards & Prizes

🏆
Best Overall$1,000 USD grant + 30,000 fast credits + feature in Prompt Magazine
📖
Best Storytelling15,000 fast credits + feature in Prompt Magazine + verified Select portfolio
✨
Most Creative15,000 fast credits + feature in Prompt Magazine + verified Select portfolio
❤️
Community Favourite15,000 fast credits + feature in Prompt Magazine + verified Select portfolio
🎖️
Highly Commended (×10)2,400 fast credits each + print copy of Prompt Magazine + Highly Commended badge

Full prize list

Judging Panel

Angus Russell

Founder, NightCafe

Sarah Impey

AI Community Manager, Runware

Marco Pittarello

Founder, Prompt Magazine

Gully Ahmed

NightCafe community member

About the panel · How it's judged

FAQ

Discuss NightCafe Select

Bellabean_CookieCat

@Bellabean

0Creations

View Artist Portfolio

Key Dates

Entries open

Jun 15, 2026

Entries close, judging begins

Jul 12, 2026

Winners announced

Jul 20, 2026

Competition complete.

Judging Panel

Angus Russell

Founder, NightCafe

Sarah Impey

AI Community Manager, Runware

Marco Pittarello

Founder, Prompt Magazine

Gully Ahmed

NightCafe community member

About the panel · How it's judged

Discuss NightCafe Select

Bellabean_CookieCat

@Bellabean

0Creations

View Artist Portfolio

Edition 1 Theme

The Architecture of Feeling

We want to feel it, not just see it.

Full competition details

Key Dates

Entries open

Jun 15, 2026

Entries close, judging begins

Jul 12, 2026

Winners announced

Jul 20, 2026

Competition complete.

Awards & Prizes

🏆
Best Overall$1,000 USD grant + 30,000 fast credits + feature in Prompt Magazine
📖
Best Storytelling15,000 fast credits + feature in Prompt Magazine + verified Select portfolio
✨
Most Creative15,000 fast credits + feature in Prompt Magazine + verified Select portfolio
❤️
Community Favourite15,000 fast credits + feature in Prompt Magazine + verified Select portfolio
🎖️
Highly Commended (×10)2,400 fast credits each + print copy of Prompt Magazine + Highly Commended badge

Full prize list

Judging Panel

Angus Russell

Founder, NightCafe

Sarah Impey

AI Community Manager, Runware

Marco Pittarello

Founder, Prompt Magazine

Gully Ahmed

NightCafe community member

About the panel · How it's judged

FAQ

Discuss NightCafe Select

Edition 1 Theme

The Architecture of Feeling

We want to feel it, not just see it.

Full competition details

Awards & Prizes

🏆
Best Overall$1,000 USD grant + 30,000 fast credits + feature in Prompt Magazine
📖
Best Storytelling15,000 fast credits + feature in Prompt Magazine + verified Select portfolio
✨
Most Creative15,000 fast credits + feature in Prompt Magazine + verified Select portfolio
❤️
Community Favourite15,000 fast credits + feature in Prompt Magazine + verified Select portfolio
🎖️
Highly Commended (×10)2,400 fast credits each + print copy of Prompt Magazine + Highly Commended badge

Full prize list