WHITECLOUDPRESSWhitecloud Press presents
2 exiles. One world.
A witness who remembers how humanity began.
No entry fee · International entries welcome · Ages 18+
The challenge
Adam and Eve have been cast out of Eden. The garden is sealed behind them, yet they are remembered as the beginning of humanity.
Tell us what happened next through the eyes of a witness who was there.
Your witness may be an angel, demon, animal, spirit, river, tree, force of nature, ancient creature, or something entirely your own.
Read before entering
These rules protect your work and keep the contest fair. Select any section to read it.
Write an original short story explaining how Adam and Eve became the origin point of mankind without humanity arising through incest. The story must be told from the perspective of a witness who observed the event.
The witness may be human or nonhuman and must have a meaningful reason to be present and a distinct perspective.
Entries must be received by October 31, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Late submissions will not be considered.
The winner receives one $200 USD Amazon gift card and may be invited to discuss paid future writing opportunities. Future work is not guaranteed and would require a separate agreement.
This contest is not sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Amazon.
There is no entry fee. No purchase is necessary.
Open to writers age eighteen or older. International entries are welcome where lawful. If Amazon.com cannot reasonably be redeemed in the winner’s country, an equivalent regional Amazon gift card may be provided.
Employees, contractors, judges, and immediate family of anyone involved in judging are ineligible.
Preferred length is 2,500 to 3,500 words. The absolute maximum is 4,000 words. Longer entries may be disqualified unread. Title and author information do not count.
The entry must be original fiction, in English, previously unpublished, told from a witness’s perspective, explain the beginning of humanity without incest among Adam and Eve’s descendants, and be a complete story.
The solution may not rely upon:
Biblical tradition, mythology, fantasy, speculative fiction, folklore, and original cosmology are welcome. Existing fictional canon is not required.
The story must be the submitting writer’s work and not publicly published. Private critique groups, workshops, beta readers, and private manuscript exchanges are allowed.
Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but the story must be withdrawn if accepted elsewhere before winner selection. Plagiarism, unauthorized adaptation, or another person’s work results in disqualification.
The entrant must write the story. Generative AI may not draft or rewrite prose, generate scenes, passages, characters, dialogue, descriptions, or plot solutions, expand outlines into narrative, or substantially edit the manuscript.
Ordinary spelling correction, grammar checking, formatting help, and non-generative proofreading are permitted. Entrants may be asked to confirm compliance.
One story per writer. Multiple versions or identities may disqualify all associated entries. Minor corrections may be accepted before the deadline; substantial replacements are at the organizer’s discretion.
Email ronancaislean@gmail.com with the subject:
FIRST WITNESS SUBMISSION: Story Title
Include legal name, preferred name, story title, word count, country, preferred contact email, confirmation of age 18+, and confirmation of originality and AI-policy compliance.
Attach a Word or PDF file named LastName_StoryTitle. Do not put personal contact information inside the manuscript.
The strongest entry will make the reader feel the moment the world changed. Decisions are final. Individual critiques and scores are not guaranteed.
The winner will be contacted by email and must respond within fourteen calendar days. Failure to respond, verify eligibility, or comply may result in another winner being selected. The accepted winner’s preferred name and story title may be announced. No story will be posted without permission.
Entrants retain all copyright and ownership. Submission grants only a limited, nonexclusive right to receive, store, copy, and review the story for judging and administration.
No publication, adaptation, film, merchandising, or ownership rights are granted. Commercial use requires a separate written agreement. The contest premise, prompt, judging criteria, and independently created projects remain their creators’ property. Similar ideas do not automatically establish infringement; entries are judged on original expression.
The organizer may contact the winner or other promising entrants about paid work. Winning does not guarantee employment, publication, representation, or a contract. Separate discussions create no obligation.
Grounds include a late entry, over 4,000 words, violating the premise or AI policy, plagiarism, another person’s work, false information, multiple entries, unreadable files, harassment, manipulation of judging, or unlawful conduct. Violations discovered later may still disqualify an entry.
Personal information will be used only to administer the contest, verify eligibility, communicate when needed, and deliver the prize. Entrants are not added to a mailing list and their information will not be sold.
The organizer may modify, suspend, extend, or cancel due to fraud, technical failure, legal concerns, insufficient eligible entries, or circumstances preventing fair administration. Significant changes will be communicated through the contest’s promotional channels.
Email ronancaislean@gmail.com with the subject FIRST WITNESS QUESTION.
By submitting, the writer confirms they have read, understood, and agreed to these rules, and that the entry is original, eligible, and compliant.
Your witness is waiting
Subject: FIRST WITNESS SUBMISSION: Story Title