Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
Sat Jun 29th - Sat Aug 3rd

Worldbuilding Summer Camp 2024

Build your world, achieve your goals, GAIN UNLIMITED INSPIRATION!
This event has ended!
Scroll down to see all submitted entries to each prompt
  During Worldbuilding Summer Camp, we challenge you with 4 waves of worldbuilding prompts to get you motivated, inspired, and ready to worldbuild! Take part, grow your world, and win prizes!   Make sure you read the rules carefully so you know how everything works! To get the prompts before anyone else, get inspired, and win goodies in the raffles, tune in to our livestreams on Twitch every Saturday at 10am Pacific/6pm UK  

The Prompts

Click on a prompt to write your response.
Let the games begin!

Location

A tumultuous region prone to natural disasters

Law

An environmental or other large-scale natural disaster

Sponsored by Ademal
Prize: $50 gift card for Kobold Press, World Anvil, Cantrip Candles, DriveThruRPG or HeroForge. Additionally, a pen and colored pencil doodle related to your work, and 5 MidJourney-generated illustrations of your request
Person

A character who goes through a great change or metamorphosis

Sponsored by Dimitris Havlidis
Prize: $500 USD (32 Completed Articles required to be considered)
Condition

A sickness that caused societal upheaval

Document

A document that changed the course of history

Sponsored by Tillerz
Prize: $50 USD gift card for a variety of online stores, including Kobold Press, Hero Forge, Paizo, and more.
Ethnicity

A displaced people in your world

Sponsored by Morgan Berry
Prize: $100 USD Gift Card from Amazon, World Anvil Store, Hero Forge or Norse Foundry
Militaryconflict

A conflict that involved a changing environment

Sponsored by Haly the Moonlight Bard
Prize: GenCon Prize Package or $50 World Anvil digital gift card (winner's choice)
Vehicle

A vehicle that, when introduced, caused social upheaval

Wild Card
Myth

A myth about food

Wild Card
Building

A building associated with joy and fun

Settlement

A settlement considered a refuge

Sponsored by Michael Chandra
Prize: $50 USD gift card for a variety of online stores, including Kobold Press, Hero Forge, Paizo, and more.
Technology

A technology used for defense or protection

Sponsored by Kwyn Marie
Prize: 1-year Grandmaster Subscription to World Anvil
Location

A naturally sheltered place

Sponsored by Lady Wynter
Prize: $50 gift card for World Anvil merch
Building

A building considered a refuge against the world

Sponsored by AsterVela
Prize: Wonderdraft and Dungeondraft
Formation

A unit dedicated to guarding someone or something

Sponsored by Marjorie Ariel
Prize: 15 oz. WA mug & shirt (designs of winner's choice) & a "from scratch" quilt inspired by the winning article
Item

A personal item that keeps you safe

Sponsored by George Sanders
Prize: Digital Code ($50) for a writing or TTRPG class with Storytelling Collective.
Ritual

A tradition that gives comfort

Sponsored by Deleyna Marr
Prize: Winner's choice between $100 credit towards a class at No Stress Writing Academy or a $100 gift card for World Anvil merch
Species

A species with protective anatomy

Sponsored by Dragon
Prize: World Anvil Hoodie and animated chibi art
Wild Card
Ethnicity

A sub-culture considered larger-than-life by some

Wild Card
Organization

A charity or other organization focused around doing good

Organization

A faction of an organization built around belief

Sponsored by Barron
Prize: Grandmaster Membership for a Year or 100$ World Anvil gift card (winner's choice)
Myth

A myth, urban legend or conspiracy theory believed by many to be true

Sponsored by Amy Winters-Voss
Prize: Ebook copies the Liminal Chronicles book series (all books available) and audiobooks of Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman and Myths and Legends: A Guide to Their Origins and Meanings by Philip Wilkinson
Person

An evil spirit or divine antagonist

Sponsored by John Millington
Prize: Custom Illustration of the winner's character of choice (art samples).
Document

A document of spurious or controversial attribution

Sponsored by Rachel Bentz
Prize: A High-quality Hodded Scarf of Holding
Item

A relic or symbol of belief

Sponsored by Elijah Hemlock
Prize: Letters from Whitechapel boardgame
Language

Slang or a language associated with a religion or belief

Sponsored by Ondo
Prize: Winner's choice between: Root: A Game of Woodland Might and Right (base boardgame with no expansions) or Root RPG Core Rulebook + GM Accessory Pack
Rank

A leader or high-ranking person in an organization

Sponsored by LexiCon (WordiGirl)
Prize: $100 credit to be used in her Ko-Fi shop
Ritual

The practices and ceremonies of worship

Sponsored by Tlcassis Polgara | Arrhynsia
Prize: 2 year subscription for Inkarnate
Wild Card
Settlement

A settlement that's known as a party town or pleasure city

Wild Card
Species

A hybrid species intentionally bred

Myth

A myth or prophecy about the end of the world

Sponsored by Laura VanArendonk Baugh
Prize: $40 USD contribution toward a commission by the artist of your choice for your world!
Material

A material that is resistant to decay

Sponsored by Blue Fairy 74
Prize: 50 $ voucher for a shop of the winner’s choice between World Anvil, World of Dice, Speechless Bard, and Scribe Forge
Profession

A profession that is considered dirty

Sponsored by Jaime Buckley
Prize: 1 Year Subscription to Life Of Fiction
Organization

An organization fighting corruption

Sponsored by Rumengol
Prize: Deck of worlds + 1 extension of the winner's choice
Ritual

A tradition that represents moral decay

Species

An animal or plant that feeds on decay

Sponsored by Elven Obsidian Arts
Prize: A story prompts deck from the Story Engine and a custom-made illustration related to the prompt.
Condition

A degenerative disease

Sponsored by spleen
Prize: Custom WorldAnvil CSS theme commission (Complete package)
Technology

A piece of tech that prevents decay

Sponsored by Absinthe
Prize: $100 USD gift card for an online store of your choice
Wild Card
Person

A storyteller, author or bard in your world

Wild Card
Location

A geographical region that is expanding

Wild Card
Item

Food often eaten by travelers

Wild Card
Building

A building that was meant to be temporary

Join the Race!

Do you want to get your worldbuilding skills up to scratch? Join the fun!

CREATE YOUR FREE ACCOUNT

How it works

  • We release 4 waves of prompts! Every Saturday in July at 10am Pacific/6pm UK, new prompts are revealed first on stream then here on the challenge page.
  • Each prompt wave has 8 themed prompts and 2 Wild Card prompts. Prompts are sponsored and judged by community members who applied during June.
  • Click the buttons under the prompts to create articles (min 300 words). Submit prompts (in any order) from the article editing interface.
  • Win a Copper (any 8 prompts), Silver (any 16 prompts), Gold (any 24 prompts), or Diamond (any 32 prompts) badge at the end of Summer Camp (plus prizes too!)
  You must enable Competitor mode if you want to get ANY prizes other than virtual badges. Enable Competitor mode from your Feature settings!   Read the rules for more details!  

Raffle Prizes

There will be a big raffle among everyone who completes at least 8 prompts; the more prompts you complete, the higher the chance to get something. Here are the prizes offered by World Anvil:  
You must be 21 years old or older and have all the required documentation to travel. The prize includes one interior cabin for 2 people with premium passes included (which include D&D sessions with professional GMs). The cruise will start in April 24, 2025 from Port Canaveral with stops in the Bahamas.
Multiple merch products will be raffled, one per raffle winner.
 

Community-sponsored raffle prizes

Some amazing anvilites have offered prizes for the raffle too! Delivery for these prizes will be managed by each community sponsor, but the raffle system will be the same.  
Includes a unique dice set, a new board game premiered in the convention, and more.
6-month subscriptions to Life of Fiction
The bundle includes physical and PDF copies of the Deck of Worlds and its 3 Genre Expansions.
Can be used for anything sold on our store!
 
$50 gift cards
(sponsored by Tillerz)
Gift cards valid for: World Anvil Shop, Cantrip Candles, Hero Forge, Paizo, and more (winner's choice)
Can be used for anything sold on our store!
Can be used for anything in the Ko-Fi shop.
$50 gift card
(sponsored by Michael Chandra)
Gift cards valid for: World Anvil Shop, Cantrip Candles, Hero Forge, Paizo, and more (winner's choice)
  Click to see the badges!
Here's a preview of the completion badges you can get!
Complete 8 prompts and you've won Summer Camp with a copper badge!
Complete 16 prompts and you've won Summer Camp with a silver badge!
Complete 24 prompts and you've won Summer Camp with a gold badge!
Complete 32 prompts and you've won Summer Camp with a diamond badge!

Additional Badges

These are the additional badges that will be awarded in the Summer Camp Awards Ceremony on August 31st! Some will be chosen by the community voice, and others are awarded by Janet and Dimitris, World Anvil's founders.
Most Improved

Awarded to an Anvilite voted as showing great progress with the quality of their worldbuilding!
Most Helpful Camper

Awarded to an Anvilite voted as helping, guiding, and encouraging others in the community!
Most Inspiring World

Awarded to the world votes as the most inspiring worldbuilding during Summer Camp!
Human of the Match

Awarded by World Anvil to an all-round good spirit of Summer Camp — we see you!


Please note that the additional badges are NOT influenced by prompts completed, likes, or any other metric! (Read the FAQ for more info). We encourage you to help others and to only compete against YOURSELF! Grow your world, become a friendly face in the community, and be your best self! Now grab your hammer, and GO WORLDBUILD!
 

Join the community!

One of the best things about Summer Camp is the community support - everyone rallies together on multiple platforms! You can find our community on Facebook, Reddit, and Discord.  
  • Use the hashtag #WASummerCamp to share ideas and find one another!
  • Stream your Summer Camp! Join the Discord server and use the #anvilite-streams channel to promote your streams (DM @worldbuilding/Secondhand on Discord for access). If you stream 21 days over Summer Camp, you'll win the Iron Gorge challenge and get a special shiny profile badge!
  • Want to fly the Summer Camp colours? Download the Summer Camp branding & streaming pack and use them wherever you want!

Rules

Timescale

Challenge begins: 29th June 2024, 7pm UK time/11am Pacific time
Challenge ends: 3rd August 2024, 7pm UK time/11am Pacific time  

The Basic Rules

  • Complete the prompts in any order you like. The challenge deadline is final.
  • You must use the indicated worldbuilding template for each prompt.
  • Each article must be new (created during the challenge period—see above), and created using your own original content.
 

The Detailed Rules

  • 300 words per article. Articles must have 300 words or more before they can be submitted to a prompt. There is no maximum wordcount.
  • New original content only. All content must be your own worldbuilding, and articles must be created during the active challenge period (see timescale above).
  • No art theft. You must have permission to use any art you post publicly on World Anvil, and all art must be credited using the artist credit fields or in the article footer.
  • Only one account per person may enter the Summer Camp. Note that the use of multiple accounts is against the World Anvil Terms of Service. There can be multiple submissions from the same world (in collaborative worlds) and you can submit articles from different worlds.
  • Only worldbuilding is allowed. Meta, blog, meme and other non-worldbuilding content is not elegible for the challenge.
  • World Anvil retains the right to arbitrate and/or change the rules where necessary to uphold the spirit and integrity of this event and the community. We will communicate changes as necessary.
  • As always, World Anvil claims no ownership over your original work.
 
 

Questions & Feedback

If you've read through all the rules, checked the FAQ section at the bottom, and still have questions or feedback, here are some ways you can reach us!  

The Awards Ceremony

In August 31st, we'll throw an AWARDS CEREMONY! If you've won a prize, this is where you'll hear about it. The event will also feature raffles and the traditional Beautiful People event!

Resources & Guides

Feeling stuck and need some inspiration? We've got you covered:     Additionally, if you're looking for ways to get free art or images for your articles, check out these resources:  
 

FAQ

Click on each question to get the answer!   What are Wild Card prompts?
Eight of the prompts in every prompt wave follow a theme, but two of them, marked as Wild Card, don't. You can use these prompts if some of the themed prompts don't fit your world. They will still count for the completion badges, but there isn't a specific badge for them—they are 100% optional!
 
  How can I see my article's wordcount?
If you're a Guild member, every time your article saves, the wordcount will be updated at the top right area of the article.
 
  How do I reset the date of a stub article?
If you have a stub article (i.e. an article under 50 words) created before Summer Camp, you can reset its date using the following method:
  • View your stub articles by going to Articles & Categories, then clicking "Stub Articles"
  • Open a stub article in the edit interface, and expand "Open Advanced Tools & Options" on the right side.
  • Click the "SPECIAL ACTIONS" tab to reveal the Reset Date button. Clicking this will update the creation date of the article to the current date. You can then fill it in and submit as normal.
 




 
  Can I write my articles in a language other than English?
Yes! If you become eligible for a prize, we'll use automatic translation to check that it falls within the rules and is eligible for the prize.
 
  Can I submit NSFW articles?
Yes, as long as you mark them as NSFW and follow the Community Etiquette. Keep in mind that, because judges are free to decide how they pick their winner, they can choose not to judge any NSFW entries.
 
  When can I make my submitted articles private? And what if I want to delete them?
If you wish to be eligible for prizes and badges, your articles will need to remain public until the Summer Camp 2024 Awards Ceremony on August 31st. Private articles will result in winners losing their prizes, as we cannot verify their work falls within the rules.
 
  Can I keep editing my submitted articles?
You may continue editing your submitted articles until the deadline. Edits made after the deadline and before the Summer Camp Awards Ceremony may disqualify you from prizes. Make sure the articles stay over 300 words and public to stay eligible. After the Awards Ceremony (August 31st) you can do whatever you like with your articles!
 
  How do I remove my entry?
Edit your article, and remove it from the challenge the same way that you added it! You can then enter a different article, if you wish.
 
  Do I have to use the specific prompt templates?
Yes, but you can use them however you like! You can write only in the vignette—the main section of the template—if you don't want to answer the different fields on the template.
 
  How do I win in a prompt category?
You can only win if you have Competitor mode enabled! Enable Competitor mode from your Feature settings!   Prompts are sponsored by community members, who are free to choose their judging method and their prize. World Anvil has vetted the judges and their prizes, but the community judges are the sole responsibles for their decision.
 
  I won a prize! How do I claim it?
On August 31st, tune into the Awards Ceremony on World Anvil's Twitch channel to find out if you won! We'll also be releasing the complete list of winners in the events area of the Learn section, containing full instructions to claim your prize.
 

How to submit

The submission button will appear once your article is:
  • 300 words or more
  • public (not private)
  • published (not draft)
Uncollapse the Community Challenge panel on the right side of the edit screen to reveal the Summer Camp panel, which includes buttons with eligible prompts for your article. Click your chosen prompt to submit your article!   If you don't see the submit button, check that you have Community Features enabled in your account's Feature Settings!