Romantasy 2026 Finalists
Thank you to everyone who participated in this challenge, and congratulations to everyone who placed!
We received almost 700 submissions (whoa!) and had the best time diving into the worlds you created for us.
Everyone who submitted a story will be receiving feedback, regardless of whether or not the story placed.
And now for the winners!
Drumroll please . . .
First Place
Alla Piazza By J.N. Kindig
Raffaele Cavalli, the last surviving vampire in Firenze, commissions an artist to paint his portrait. When she’s kidnapped by the hunters determined to rid Firenze of its vampires, Raffaele must decide whether to wait until nightfall or withstand the sun to save her.
Second Place
The Night Washerwoman By A.J. McClendon
When the love of her life is marked for death by an otherworldly being, Malina must leave him and the life she knows to save him. Years later, they meet again.
Third Place
How to Write a Romantasy Bestseller By Jane Stecyk
A romantasy writer is kidnapped by her characters, and things get weird(er).
Fourth Place
The Tower & the Dark By Jacynta Clayton
I crossed half the kingdom to find her, only to be undone at the last hurdle. Bound by a family curse to a tower on the edge of the sea, Rosalie battles the dark spiralling beneath her while I struggle to climb toward her, paralysed by my fear of heights. Suspended between sky and shadow, we learn that bravery is not the absence of fear, but the willingness to face it together.
Fifth Place
The Gift By Hannah Balty
Hestia, the goddess of hearth and home, feels like a sheep among wolves on Mt Olympus. Eager to escape Apollo’s advances, she requests an audience with Zeus himself. But when she meets a man whose love for humanity rivals her own, she learns that what she fears is not companionship.
Sixth Place
Of the Water By H L Maas
A deeply wronged woman gives herself over to destructive rage. She meets someone who needs her as much as she needs him.
Seventh Place
Lessons in Criminality By Malori Bigler
Khari is gone. Their stolen jewels have seemingly been stolen again. And Isha is having a very bad day. It gets even worse when she’s forced to work alongside Atticus, the snarky and better-than-everyone Magicker of the crew.
Eighth Place
Brighthearts By Teresa Hearn
Harlan Grey has mastered the art of vanishing. There’s just one problem; In her haste to escape her father’s plans, she didn’t learn how to undo the spell. Lowell is the only person who can see her. Together, they set off to heal what is broken, relying on each other to recover parts of themselves they didn't know were missing.
Ninth Place
This Is Not That Night By Sara Dovewick
When a legendary city of fire resurfaces and returns the lover she lost, a woman must confront the fear that once destroyed her world to keep it from taking him again.
Tenth Place
Where the Gale Gathers By Madison Newbro
When Emerson ventures into the forest to find his lost dog, he meets a drifting spirit and discovers a budding love forbidden by nature that lingers forever.