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NightCafe Select

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.

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RunwarePrompt Magazine

submitted an entry to NightCafe Select

PRO
Posted 3 months ago

Somewhere Along the Way, Hope Found Me

This is a story about hope. About how I used to feel alive, inspired, hopeful, curious. But somewhere along the exhausted journey of life, I lost that part of myself. But I'm not ready to give up on finding it.
A tiny wanderer once carried a golden light.
It filled the world with wonder. It made distant paths feel possible and dark nights feel less lonely.
But one day, the light slipped away and disappeared into the unknown.
Though many told the wanderer to forget it and move on, she couldn't. Something inside her remembered what it felt like to shine, and she just couldn't let go of it.
So she followed its fading glow through ancient forests, forgotten places, and dreams long left behind.
Along the way, she discovered beauty where she expected emptiness, hope where she expected despair, and pieces of herself hidden in places she had never thought to look.
At the edge of the world, and the edge of her exhaustion, she finally found the lost light.
But it was no longer something she could hold in her hands.
It had become a star.
And in that moment, the wanderer understood:
The light had never been waiting to be found.
It had been teaching her how to find her way back to herself.
When she turned towards home, the light within her burned brighter than ever before.
Not because she had recovered what was lost.
But because she had become whole enough to shine again.
You don't need a reason to shine. You glow simply because of who you are.
Anonymous User
PRO
@nanahwang

  • 0Creations
 
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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

Gully Ahmed

NightCafe community member

About the panel · How it's judged

FAQ

Discuss NightCafe Select

PRO
@nanahwang

  • 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

Gully Ahmed

NightCafe community member

About the panel · How it's judged

Discuss NightCafe Select

PRO
@nanahwang

  • 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

Gully Ahmed

NightCafe community member

About the panel · How it's judged

FAQ

Discuss NightCafe Select

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

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

FAQ