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Sat Jun 28th - Sat Aug 2nd

Worldbuilding Summer Camp 2025

Build your world, achieve your goals, GAIN UNLIMITED INSPIRATION!
Welcome to Summer Camp! In this online event, we challenge you with 4 waves of worldbuilding prompts to get you motivated, inspired, worldbuilding! Over the month, you'll write brand new facets of your world, and develop your setting in fascinating ways. Take part, grow your world, and win prizes!   To participate, read this page carefully to know how everything works.   Follow us on Twitch to get reminders of the prompt releases every Saturday at 10am Pacific/6pm UK!  

The Prompts

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

Myth

A myth about a legendary food or drink

Write Prompt List all Entries
Material

A substance known for its unique smell

Write Prompt List all Entries
Profession

A profession related to spirituality or philosophy

Sponsored by Tlcassis Polgara | Arrhynsia
Prize: $50 USD gift certificate to CZEPEKU (or another worldbuilder/gamemaster creative support product for your world)
Write Prompt List all Entries
Organization

A charity dedicated to helping those in need

Write Prompt List all Entries
Ritual

A ritual related to agriculture

Sponsored by Lady Wynter
Prize: Editing and feedback on four articles, plus $25 USD gift card to World Anvil
Write Prompt List all Entries
Species

A species that feeds through a symbiotic relationship

Write Prompt List all Entries
Condition

A condition you can get from eating specific foods

Sponsored by Barron
Prize: Editing of an article (below 2500 words) and a $100 USD gift card to Cantrip Candles
Write Prompt List all Entries
Item

A delicious staple found on every dinner table

Write Prompt List all Entries
Wild Card
Settlement

A city many people want to visit

Write Prompt List all Entries
Wild Card
Location

A place people aren't supposed to go

Write Prompt List all Entries
Organization

An organization rooted in controversial principles

Write Prompt List all Entries
Myth

A myth surrounding the birth of an important person in your world

Sponsored by Kat Bradbury
Prize: Winner's choice of a PDF rulebook: Daggerheart, Cyberpunk RED, Urban Shadows (2e), Traveller
Write Prompt List all Entries
Person

A character known for their numerous progeny

Write Prompt List all Entries
Document

A foundational document for a country, religion, or other organization

Sponsored by the World Anvil Team
Prize: A $30 USD gift card for the World Anvil Store
Write Prompt List all Entries
Item

A garment traditionally associated with a culture

Write Prompt List all Entries
Location

The place of origin of a people in your world

Write Prompt List all Entries
Language

An ancient tongue from which many common idioms spring

Write Prompt List all Entries
Militaryconflict

A war that resulted in the creation of something new

Write Prompt List all Entries
Wild Card
Building

A symbolic building

Write Prompt List all Entries
Wild Card
Ethnicity

A diaspora spread around the world

Write Prompt List all Entries
Settlement

A settlement that has been rebuilt several times

Sponsored by Imagica
Prize: Winner's choice between a bundle of Wonderdraft and Dungeondraft, or a $50 USD gift card to either the World Anvil store or Hero Forge.
Write Prompt List all Entries
Location

An ever-changing location that requires its inhabitants to adapt

Sponsored by The World Anvil Team
Prize: A $30 USD gift card for the World Anvil Store
Write Prompt List all Entries
Ethnicity

A subculture that appeared due to social changes

Sponsored by Tillerz
Prize: $50 USD gift card for an online store, including the World Anvil shop, Paizo, Kobold Press, HeroForge, and much more.
Write Prompt List all Entries
Law

A transformation caused by a celestial body

Write Prompt List all Entries
Formation

A formation known for its adaptability

Write Prompt List all Entries
Technology

A technology invented to prevent or delay a transformation

Sponsored by Deleyna Marr
Prize:Any class taught by Deleyna at No Stress Writing Academy, or $50 WA gift certificate.
Write Prompt List all Entries
Ritual

A ritual that's changed meaning throughout the years

Sponsored by AsterVela
Prize: Master Guild Gift Membership to World Anvil (or equivelent guild extension!)
Write Prompt List all Entries
Species

A species that undergoes a metamorphosis

Write Prompt List all Entries
Wild Card
Person

An animal celebrity

Write Prompt List all Entries
Wild Card
Profession

A job many people aspire to but few achieve

Write Prompt List all Entries

Join the Race!

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

CREATE YOUR FREE ACCOUNT

How it works

  • Complete the prompts on this page in any order!
  • Click a prompt button to create your article (min 300 words) then submit your article.
  • 10 new prompts are released every Saturday during the challenge! (Get them first on our Twitch channel.)
  • Win stuff, like participation badges, community sponsored prizes, and raffle prizes!
  You must enable Competitor mode if you want to get ANY prizes other than completion and community badges. If you win in a special prompt category, you'll get the Prompt Winner badge too! Enable Competitor mode from your Feature settings.   Read the rules for more details!  

Raffle Prizes

If you complete at least 8 prompts, you'll be entered into the Prize Raffle! Complete more prompts to raise your chance of winning.   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 5 day cruise starts April 23, 2026 from Cape Liberty, NJ (NY Metro) with stops in the Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda.
Deck yourself out with our Summer Camp Merch! We'll be giving away a variety of Summer Camp swag in the raffle!
 

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.  

The character and landscape illustrations are treated as different prizes and will go to different winners.


$20 USD gift card for a variety of online stores
(sponsored by Tillerz)
$50 USD gift card for a variety of online stores
(sponsored by Michael Chandra)
 
 

Community Sponsored Prompts

You'll notice most of the prompts have a prize and sponsor! These sponsors are incredible members of our community, who donate their time to adjudicate their sponsored prompt AND deliver the winner an amazing prize!   Make sure you have competitor mode enabled to be eligible for these prizes.   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 30th! Some will be chosen by the community voice, and others are awarded by Janet and Dimitris, World Anvil's founders.
Prompt winner

Awarded to every Competitor who wins in one of the special prompt categories! Prompt winners are chosen by community sponsors.
 
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 voted 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 #anvil-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 public assets pack!

Rules

Timescale

Challenge begins: 28th June 2025, 7pm UK time/11am Pacific time
Challenge ends: 2nd August 2025, 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, but you're free to interpret the prompt as you wish.
  • 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 it 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 somewhere visible.
  • 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. Co-authors can submit articles from the same world, 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 30th, 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?
Every time your article saves, the wordcount will be updated at the bottom area of the article editor.
 
  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 Old Version 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 2025 Awards Ceremony on August 30th. 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 30th) 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, you must answer each prompt using its assigned template. That said, you can use the template however you want! Use all the template-specific text fields, only some, or none at all—up to you! Using the right template is what matters for Summer Camp.
 
  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 solely responsible for their decision.
 
  I won a prize! How do I claim it?
On August 30th, 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

When editing an article, click on the trophy button at the bottom to submit! Make sure the article is public and published, and at least 300 words long.  

  If you don't see the submit button, check that you have Community Features enabled in your account's Feature Settings!