List of timed artistic challenges

NaNoWriMo has inspired many timed challenges within and outside of writing. Except as noted, all challenges are unofficial and not sanctioned by the Office of Letters and Light.

Active challenges

Year-round

These challenges happen throughout the year and are not a year in length.

• 48 Hour Film Project: Make a film in 48 hours. The 48 Hour Film Project team tours different cities year round. There is a fee to enter officially.
• National Novel Continuing Month (NaNoCoMo): Continue a novel you've started.
• Book in a Week: Participants write a book during the first full week of each month.
• National Novel Writing Day: Write a novel in a day. Self-organized, but people have done it.
• National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo): Post in your blog every day for a month. Originally in November, but now you can participate year round.
• Album-a-Day: Write, perform, and record a musical album in a single day.
• Script Race: Write a script in a month. This happens every month.
• 100 Sketches, 100 Days: Draw one sketch a day for 100 days and upload them if you wish. You can begin this challenge whenever you want to.
• National Novel Plotting Month: Set a plotting goal (characters/plot/full novel, etc.) and finish it in a month. This happens every month.
• SongFight!: Write a song with the given title. Listeners vote, winner gets bragging rights. New title posted every ten days or so.

Year-long

These challenges start at various times throughout the year and last for a full year.

• WriYe: Write several novels in a year, often involving setting your own goals.
• National Novel Publishing Year (NaNoPubYe): Prepare and submit a novel for publication in a year.
• 6 Months, 6 Novels: Write a novel every other month, starting in January.
• Milwordy: The quest to write a million words in a year.
• The 365 Project: Take a photo every day for a year.

January

• January Novel Writing Month (JanNoWriMo): Write 50,000 words (or another goal) in January.
• Story-driven Game Writing Month (StoGaWriMo): Write 20,000 words of rules, worlds, and flavor text in a game in the month of January.
• Historical Novel Writing Month (HistNoWriMo): Choose any word goal write a historical novel in one month. Many different genres available.
• Random Genre Month: Write a 50,000 word novel of a randomly chosen genre.
• January Animation Month: Create 31 animations in January
• Fantasy Novel Writing Month: Choose your own word count goal and write a fantasy novel in January.

February

• Thing A Day: Participants make a thing a day in February and post it to a collective blog.
• February Album Writing Month (FAWM): Write fourteen songs in the month of February.
• February Novel Writing Month: Write a novel in February. Set your word count goal. Write a new novel or work on a WiP.
• RPM Challenge: Record a ten-song or 35-minute album in February. Writing is encouraged to happen in February.
• National Haiku Writing Month: Write a haiku every day in February.
• Lettermo: Write and mail 24 physical letters in the month of February. (Why 24? There are four Sundays and one US holiday in February.)
• Wikiwrimo Writing Month: Edit thirty pages on this wiki during the month of February.

March

• National Novel Editing Month (NaNoEdMo): Edit for at least fifty hours in March.
• March Novel Writing Month (MarNoWriMo) : Set your own goal to write or rewrite in March.

April

• Camp NaNoWriMo: Write a 50,000 word novel in a month. Run by the Office of Letters and Light. Camp NaNoWriMo 2013's first session will happen in April.
• April Fools: Set your own goal to write in April. Any form of writing is accepted.
• National Poem Writing Month (NaPoWriMo): Write a poem a day for the month of April.
• Refrigerator Poetry Writing Month (RePoWriMo): Write a poem using refrigerator magnets every day in April.

May

• May Novel Writing Month (MayNoWriMo): Write 50,000 words in May. A spinoff of NaNoPubYe.
• National Epic Poetry Month (NEPMo): Write a 5,000-line epic poem in May.
• Story-A-Day in May: Write a short story every day in May.
• Noveldom and Beyond (No&Be): Read over 10,000 pages in 93 days; No&Be starts on May 1st and continues until July 31st.

June

• Southern Cross Novel Challenge (SoCNoC): Write 50,000 words in June. A half-SoCNoC is also available.
• NaNoMangO: Participants draw thirty pages of sequential art. The June challenge is for those who want the extra challenge or can't participate in November.
• Write a Damn Novel in June: Write a 50,000-word novel in June.
• Solo Photo Book Month (SoFoBoMo): Take at least 35 photos and create a photo book in a "fuzzy month". SoFoBoMo 2010 goes into July, depending on when you begin.

July

• Camp NaNoWriMo: Write a 50,000-word novel in a month. Run by the Office of Letters and Light, Camp NaNoWriMo 2013's second session will occur in July.
• LoCoWriMo: Write a sizable piece of original fiction in a conlang. LoCoWriMo started in October 2009, with the second and third LoCoWriMos taking place in July.
• July Novel Writing Month (JulNoWriMo): Write a novel of at least 50,000 words in July.
• The 50/90 Challenge: Write fifty songs in 90 days, usually between 4 July and 1 October.

August

• August Novel Writing Month (AugNoWriMo): Set your own prose writing goal for August.
• National Noir Writing Month (NaNoirWriMo): Write a 50,000 word novel of dark fiction or in the mystery genre during August.

September

• Three-Day Novel Contest: Write a novel in three days. Conducted on Labor Day weekend. There is an fee to enter officially and have a chance for publication because of the contest.
• September Novel Writing Month (SeptNoWriMo): Participants set their own writing or editing goal for September.
• September Writing Month: An offshoot of the original SeptNoWriMo. Participants set planning, writing or editing goals for September.

October

• 24 Hour Comics Day: Create 24 consecutive comic book pages in 24 hours. 24 Hour Comics Day will take place on October 20, 2012.
• Gothic Novel Writing Month (GothNoWriMo): Write a novel of the gothic literature genre in October. Participants set their own word count goal.
• Science Fiction Writing Month (SciFiWriMo): A set-your-own-goal challenge for science fiction and fantasy writers.
• October Poetry Writing Month (OctPoWriMo): Write 31 poems in October.

November

• National Novel Writing Month: Write a novel of at least 50,000 words in November. Run by the Office of Letters and Light.
• National Playwriting Month (NaPlWriMo): Write a play of at least 75 pages in November.
• National Solo Album Month (NaSoAlMo): Write, play, and record an album of at least 29:09, though participants can set their own goals.
• The original NaNoMangO challenge.
• NaNoDrawMo: Draw 50 pieces in a month.
• 30 Characters Challenge: Design 30 new characters in 30 days.
• National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo): Publish one post on your personal website or blog every day.
• National Nonfiction Writing Month (NaNonFiWriMo): Complete a work of nonfiction in 30 days.
• National eBook Writing Month (EBookWriMo): Write an eBook in 30 days.

December

• National Novel Finishing Month (NaNoFiMo): Write at least 30,000 words and to finish a novel in progress in December.
• International Plot Writing Month: Participants write a plot in December.
• International Story a Day Group: Participants write a story a day for the month of December.

Defunct and retired challenges

• National Novelists Exercising Month (NaNoExMo): Exercise for at least ten minutes a day in December. Appears to be defunct.
• World Poetry Writing Month: Write a poem every day in February. Appears to be defunct (site no longer exists).
• Script Frenzy: Write 100 pages of script in April. Run by the Office of Letters and Light. Retired after the 2012 event.