RAIN
March 2026 Short-Form Writing Challenge
The March Rain challenge runs from 1–31 March. Sign up in advance and, at midnight on 1 March (London time), you’ll receive the prompts. From there, you have one month to write and submit a 1,000–6,000 word unpublished story by 23:59 on 31 March.
Taking part means committing to the full process: writing your story in March and reviewing two other submissions in April. This isn’t just about producing work — it’s about showing up for each other’s craft as well.
How it works
Sign Up
March – Writing Month
On 1 March 2026 at 00:00 (London Time), you will receive an email containing this year’s Rain prompts and a link for submission.
From that moment, you have until 23:59 on 31 March to write and submit your story.
Stories must be between 1,000 and 6,000 words.
Choose a prompt. Write the story. Send it in before the deadline.
This is the list of potential 'rain' prompts; on the 1 March participants will recieve an email with instructions for submission and the final three randomly-selected prompt choices from this list:
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For this Event, it’s raining cats and dogs.
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For this Event, rain interrupts something important and alters its outcome, welcome or otherwise.
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For this Event, something fragile is damaged or destroyed by rain.
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For this Event, your story is timed on the rain, e.g. begins when the rain starts and ends when it stops, or rain is imminent and the story ends with the first drops, or something long-awaited finally arrives with the rain.
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For this Event, your character gets wet, e.g. they choose to stay in the rain rather than seek cover or get caught in the rain without proper shelter.
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For this Event, rain reveals something that was previously hidden, e.g. a memory, a treasure, a horror
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For this Event, rain is relentless, e.g. your character is waiting for the rain to end—and it doesn’t, or the rain becomes impossible to ignore.
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For this event, the sound of rain is pivotal, e.g. the constant noise on a window/roof or a rain drum divination.
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For this event, a character really hates the rain.
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For this event, the rain is other, e.g. it’s not water, or it turns people into monsters.
Format
All submissions must be written in English.
Please use Times New Roman or Arial, size 10 or 12, single spaced, with standard margins on all four sides. Paragraphs should be indented (except for poetry), and scene breaks marked with one empty line.
Keep the formatting simple and readable.
Title and Anonymity
Place the title at the top left of the first page.
Do not include your name or any identifying information anywhere in the document. Submissions are read anonymously.
Stories must be previously unpublished. “Unpublished” includes personal blogs, social media, Wattpad or similar platforms, online magazines or journals, and any publicly accessible website. If it has appeared anywhere before, it is not eligible for this challenge.
File Types
You may submit a .doc, .docx, or .rtf file, or provide a Google Docs link with download access enabled.
We do not accept .pdf files, locked or permission-restricted documents, or submissions pasted into the body of an email. If we cannot download and open your file, we cannot consider it.
Name your file using this format: Title of Piece – March 2026 Rain (for example: Pride and Prejudice – March 2026 Rain.docx)
Submit one piece per file.
Content
All work must be original and written by you.
We do not accept fanfiction, religious or political writing, erotic content, or AI-generated material for this challenge.
April – Review Month
April is review month. Writers who submit a story will read and review two other submissions.
Each review should be between half and one page in length and follow the JCW review structure.
The review stage is part of the challenge. It strengthens both your own craft and the wider group. Please do not sign up if you are unable to complete the required reviews in April.
Redraft
After April, we encourage you to redraft your story and bring it to a Pterosaur Table session for further feedback before final collation. This stage is optional.
Collation and Publication
In the final quarter of the year, stories from all three events — March Rain, June River, and September Ocean — will be collected and published. (The platform for publication will be confirmed after a member vote later in 2026).
Writers retain full rights to their work and are free to publish elsewhere after the challenge. Any money generated will go back into Jurassic Coast Writers to support admin, upkeep, and future events.