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 National Novel Writing Month.

Active challenges

Community Jams

These jams and challenges are created and curated by the community, with different requirements for each jam.

• W1K Writing Jams: List of community driven jams where you can live chat with other writers.

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.
• 6 Months, 6 Novels: Write a novel every other month, starting in January. Possibly retired.
• A Round of Words in 80 Days: Write to your own goal, update your blog with your goal and progress and update the community on Twitter using #ROW80. Each 'round' is 80 days, and there are four per year, but you can join at any time.
• Book in a Week: Participants write a book during the first full week of each month.
• Draw 100 Somethings : Create a series of 100 different concept drawings/illustrations of one subject (boats, planes, robots, aliens, etc.).
• Drawn & Quarantined: Spend up to one hour drawing online from a prompt. Two prompts are given daily.
• FaunaFocus: Create artwork inspired by the featured animal of the month. Includes a competition; entries are judged live on Twitch.
• National Journal Writing Month: Write a journal entry every day for a month with optional extra challenges. Takes place in January, April, July, and October.
• National Novel Writing Day: Write a novel in a day. Self-organized, but people have done it.
• SongFight!: Write a song with the given title. Listeners vote, the winner gets bragging rights. New title posted every ten days or so.
• SongFu: Write a song based on monthly prompt. The deadline is two weeks from the prompt posting.
• Steve The WriMo Forum: Do a NaNo-style challenge every month for writing, planning, plotting, editing, etc., and hangout/have fun with fellow writers. The *new home* of FebNoWriMo (Note: link expired), MarchNoWriMo (Note: link expired), National May Writing Month (NaMayWriMo), SeptNoWriMo, and NaNoPlotMo.
• Write-a-book-in-a-day: Write, edit, illustrate, and bind a children's book in 12 hours. There is a fee to enter officially.
• Kick 365: Create a daily sketch for 365 consecutive days
• Kick 52: Create a weekly drawing for 52 consecutive weeks.
• TinkerSketch: Prompts are given on a monthly basis for participants to create a sketch daily. Sets of prompts may be random or thematic.

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.
• 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. Note: This is the resurrected JanNoWriMo forums, open as of November 30th, 2016. The old, no longer accessible forums, was here. Possibly retired.
• January Blue Drawing Challenge: Make happy blue themed drawing every day in January to counteract the effect of blue January. Possibly retired.
• Creatuanary: Draw a creature per day in January in order to start the year with good artistic vibes.
• Sketchjanuary : Draw a sketch per day in January. Possibly retired.
• Art Journal January : Create an illustrated journal page every single day throughout January.
• Quick Kick January – Daily Photo Challenge : Take one abstract photo a day throughout the month.
• Aqua January - Watercolor Challenge : create a daily watercolor painting throughout the month. Optional art prompts available.

February

• 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. Challenge has moved to Steve The WriMo Forum, but old data is still accessible at February Novel Writing Month (Note: link expired).
• 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.)
• Faeriefeb: Create one drawing/sketch/illustration of a Fairy every day in February.
• National Model Horse Painting Month (NaMoPaiMo): Paint a model horse, or any three-dimensional model equine, in February.
• Landfebruary : Draw a landscape every day in February.
• MonthOfLove: The Month of love is a weekly art challenge created by Kristina Carroll the month of February for revolving around the subject of “Love”. (The rules and the challenge lists can be found on their page here)

March

• March Novel Writing Month (MarNoWriMo) : Set your own goal to write or rewrite in March. Challenge has moved to Steve The WriMo Forum, but old data is still accessible at MarchNoWriMo.
• March of Robots : Create one robot drawing/illustration every day in March.
• AnimalMarch : Draw animals every day throughout the month of March.

April

• Camp NaNoWriMo: Write a 50,000 word (or other goal) project in a month. Run by National Novel Writing Month.
• National Poem Writing Month (NaPoWriMo): Write a poem a day for the month of April.
• Blogging from A to Z Challenge: Blog thematically through the alphabet posting every day in April except Sundays.
• AprilArtJourney: Draw or choose a tarot card on 22 days of April to inspire a sketch, drawing or painting. Possibly retired.
• BuildApril: Create any structures and buildings of any type in any media throughout April.
• AprilShower: Draw pictures with the theme of rain during the month of April. Possibly retired.
• Game of Tomes: Tourney of Tales: Writers choose a house to represent and cumulate their word count totals towards their houses over the course of the month in Game of Tomes writing streams on Twitch.

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. Possibly retired.
• National May Writing Month (NaMayWriMo): Write a novel in May. Set your word count goal. Write a new novel or work on a WiP. Challenge has moved to Steve The WriMo Forum, but old data is still accessible at NaMayWriMo.
• Mer-May: Create one drawing/illustration of a mermaid every day in May.
• MaySketchADay: Draw a sketch per day in the month of May.
• MoveMay: Create any form of transport or movement in any media throughout May.
• The Writer's Games: A series of 6 events (5 + 1 practice one) held over six weeks in which a random prompt is given to a group of writers and they have 72 hours to plot, write, edit, and submit for feedback from several judges and a chance for publication in the anthology 72 Hours of Insanity.

June

• 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. Possibly retired.
• JuNoWriMo: Write a novel of at least 50,000 words in June.
• GrowJune: Create any natural forms of plants, trees & vegetables etc. throughout June.
• JourneyJune: Sketch or draw a Hero's Journey themed art challenge for the month of June!
• JuneFae: Draw all things Fae: Fairies, Pixies, Brownies, Hobgoblins, etc. during the days of June.
• Junicorn: Draw unicorns during the month of June.
• JuneBug: Draw bugs during the month of June.
• Kaijune: Create one drawing/illustration of a monster every day in June.

July

• Art Fight: A month-long event in which you earn points for your team by drawing other peoples' characters.
• Camp NaNoWriMo: Write a 50,000-word (or other goal) project in a month. Run by National Novel Writing Month.
• 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.
• The 50/90 Challenge: Write fifty songs in 90 days, usually between 4 July and 1 October.
• FigureJuly: Create anything to do with the human figure using any media throughout July.
• Game of Tomes: Tourney of Tales: Writers choose a house to represent and cumulate their word count totals towards their houses over the course of the month in Game of Tomes writing streams on Twitch.
• Julycanthropy: Draw werewolves for an entire month.
• July Novel Writing Month (JulNoWriMo): Write a novel of at least 50,000 words in July.
• World Anvil Summer Camp: During Worldbuilding Summer Camp, World Anvil challenges you with 31 worldbuilding prompts to get you motivated, inspired, and ready to worldbuild! Take part, grow your world, and win prizes!

August

• 31 Plays 31 Days: Write 31 plays in August.
• Smaugust: Create one drawing/illustration of a dragon every day in August.
• Pawgust: Draw anything with paws during the month of August. Possibly retired.
• Drawingaugust: A drawing or sketch a day or as many as you can manage throughtout August.
• Witchgust: It did not start as a drawing challenge, but as the title of a Spanish short story book by Celia Año aka @brujadelteatro, but it ended up being a drawing and writing challenge about witches during the month of August. Possibly retired.

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): An offshoot of the original SeptNoWriMo. Participants set their own planning, writing or editing goals for September. Challenge has moved to Steve The WriMo Forum, but old data is still accessible at September Novel Writing Month.
• Sketchtember : Create one digital or traditional sketch every day in September. Possibly retired.
• Paintseptember: Painting of any kind in any painting media or digital throughout September.
• The Writer's Games: A series of 6 events (5 + 1 practice one) held over six weeks in which a random prompt is given to a group of writers and they have 72 hours to plot, write, edit, and submit for feedback from several judges and a chance for publication in the anthology 72 Hours of Insanity. (Usually May and September but there was only a single session in 2021, so next session will be May, 2022.)
• SHIPTember: Build a spaceship out of LEGO at least 100 studs long. No central coordination site found, but still active as of 2021

October

• Spectober!: A mixed bag writing and NaNo prep challenge .SpecNoWriMo - Write any type of speculative fiction during October. Any goal. NaNoPrepMo - A whole bunch of fun activities and challenges to help you prepare for NaNoWriMo during October! Spectober 2014 is now up!
• 24 Hour Comics Day: Create 24 consecutive comic book pages in 24 hours.
• Gothic Novel Writing Month (GothNoWriMo): Write a novel of the gothic literature genre in October. Participants set their own word count goal.
• October Poetry Writing Month (OctPoWriMo): Write 31 poems in October.
• Inktober: Create one ink drawing every day in October.
• Drawtober: Create one digital or traditional drawing every day in October.
• Drawlloween: Create one digital or traditional Halloween drawing every day in October. Possibly retired.
• Goretober: Create one digital or traditional gore themed drawing every day in October.
• MonthOfFear: The Month of Fear is a weekly art challenge created by Kristina Carroll an co-run by Jenna Kass for the month of October revolving around the subject of “Fear”. (The rules and the challenge lists can be found on their page here)
• PaintOctober: Any sort of handmade print in any subject or media throughout October.
• CuteGirltober: Create one digital or traditional cute girl based on the prompt every day in October. If all 31 entries are completed, they may be submitted to a google form for a raffle prize as well as a free print and sticker.
• InktTober: Create one traditional or digital tattoo-style illustration based on the daily prompt.
• Creamtober: Create one ink drawing every day in October; specific alternative to Inktober.
• Witchtober: Create one witch themed drawing every day in October based on the prompts.
• Monstober: Create one monster themed drawing every day in October based on the prompts.
• OCtober: Draw one OC every day of the month.
• Orctober: Draw an orc themed drawing every day in October based on the prompts.
• Darktober: Create one digital or traditional dark drawing every day in October.
• Plastober: Follow the daily or weekly prompts to create a digital or traditional drawing during October.
• Spooktober: Create one digital or traditional drawing of the specified prompt and monster every day in October.
• Flufftober: Create one digital or traditional cute drawing every day of the month of October.
• Catober: Create one ink drawing of a cat every day in October; specific alternative to Inktober.
• Gobtober: Draw a goblin themed drawing every day in October based on the prompts.
• Pumpkintober: Create a digital or traditional drawing for every day of the month, incorporating a pumpkin into each piece.
• October SciComm Challenge: Create a digital or traditional "lifeology" drawing every day of the month of October.
• CuddlyOctober: Draw a digital or traditional cute animal themed drawing every day of the month.
• ThinkInInk: Create one ink drawing every day in October; specific alternative to InkTober. Possibly retired.
• Ghostober: Create one digital or traditional ghost drawing every day in October.
• Spookyween: Create one traditional or digital drawing based on the prompts every day of the month of October. The challenge is run by instagram user mxshlee. Use hashtag #mxshleespooks. Linked prompt list is for 2022.
• Charactober: An alternate prompt list for Inktober. Create a character based on the theme each day of the month of October. The challenge is run by instagram user peachy.doodle. Linked prompt list is for 2022.
• Tea Party: An alternate prompt list for Inktober. Any medium is allowed. Create a drawing based on the prompt every day of the month of October. The challenge is run by instagram user lanylevendula. Linked prompt list is for 2022.
• Hazytober: An alternate prompt list for Inktober. Create a drawing based on the prompt every day of the month of October. The challenge is run by instagram user byloishannah. Linked prompt list is for 2022.
• PatternPrintTober: An alternate prompt list for Inktober. Create a pattern based on the prompt every day of the month of October. The challenge is run by instagram users sabinawgustrin and cecilia__pettersson. Linked prompt list is for 2022.
• LunaryTober: Create a drawing based on the prompt between the given timeframes. The challenge is run by instagram users tepps_design, silka.art, laurens_scribbles, and maya.96k. Linked prompt list is for 2022.
• Fanartober: Alternate prompt list for drawtober. Create a piece of fanart based on the prompt on the given days. The challenge is run by instagram user shobian.art. Linked prompt list is for 2022.
• FroggyFall: Draw a frog based on the prompt every day of the month of October. The 2022 challenge is made in collaboration with Frog Con 2022, an online con event for frog lovers to meet and discuss frogs. The challenge is run by instagram user munespice, and Frog Con is hosted on its official instagram, frogcultorg. Use hashtag #froggyfall. Linked prompt list is for 2022.
• Cozytober: Create a drawing based on the prompt every day of the month of October. The challenge is run by instagram user nikiillustrates. Linked prompt list is for 2022.
• Magiktober: A magic themed prompt list for the month of October. The challenge is run by instagram user threeleaves_artwork. Linked prompt list is for 2022.
• Calmtober: Create a drawing every other day of the month of October. The challenge is run by instagram user inspiredbykriksis. Linked prompt list is for 2022.
• Once Upon A Haunted Forest: An October drawing challenge where you create a character to use for each prompt thereafter. The challenge is run by instagram users moonbound.studio, kneeleyp, and mysticlovesmuse. Any medium is allowed. Linked prompt list is for 2022.
• Dashtober: An October drawing challenge where you can choose to draw 9, 16, or 31 days. The challenge is run by instagram user lucydash_art. Linked prompt list is for 2022.

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 Solo Album Month (NaSoAlMo): Write, play, and record an album of at least 29:09, though participants can set their own goals.
• National Nonfiction Writing Month (NaNonFiWriMo): Complete a work of nonfiction in 30 days.
• Mapvember: Draw a fictional map every day.
• Dinovember: Make a drawing each day of a dinosaur or a photo with toy dinosaurs recreating scenes with them in the month of November.
• PortraitNovember: Portraits of various kinds in any media throughout November.
• Huevember: Create one drawing a day with a main hue per day in November.
• Game of Tomes: Tourney of Tales: Writers choose a house to represent and cumulate their word count totals towards their houses over the course of the month in Game of Tomes writing streams on Twitch.
• Slowvember: Create one drawing over the course of the month. Participants are allowed to create other pieces in the meantime.
• Posevember: A figure drawing challenge for the month of November. Run by KickintheCreatives. Any medium is allowed, but graphite or charcoal are suggested. Use hashtags #kickinthecreatives and #posevember.
• Kick Collage Challenge: Experiment with collage work every day of the month of November. Collages can be made entirely from other images and paper which have been torn up, or can be collaged paper which is painted on directly. Optional prompts are provided. Use hashtags #kickinthecreatives and #kickcollage.
• Quick Kick November Drawing Challenge: Create a drawing every day of the month of November without sketching. Optional prompts are provided. Use hashtags #kickinthecreatives and #quickkicknovember.

December

• Drawcember: Create one drawing/sketch/illustration every day in December.
• dELFcember: Create a drawing/illustration of an Elf every day in December.
• StillDecember: Create any form of still life in any media throughout December.
• Illo_Advent: Create your own advent calendar illustrating each day a Christmas themed drawing until December 24.

Defunct and retired challenges

• National Novelists Exercising Month (NaNoExMo): Exercise for at least ten minutes a day in December.
• World Poetry Writing Month: Write a poem every day in February. Appears to be defunct.
• Script Frenzy: Write 100 pages of script in April. Run by the Office of Letters and Light. Retired after the 2012 event.
• National Novel Continuing Month (NaNoCoMo): Continue a novel you've started.
• Southern Cross Novel Challenge (SoCNoC): Write 50,000 words in June. Run by Kiwi Writers.
• Write a Damn Novel in June: Write a 50,000-word novel in June.
• Science Fiction Writing Month (SciFiWriMo): A set-your-own-goal challenge for science fiction and fantasy writers.
• Write Here Right Now: Write a novel in a month. This challenged happened with BBC Radio Scotland from 2006 to 2008.
• National Novel Publishing Year (NaNoPubYe): Prepare and submit a novel for publication in a year. Appears to be defunct as of October 2015.
• Story-driven Game Writing Month (StoGaWriMo): Write 20,000 words of rules, worlds, and flavor text in a game in the month of January. Link leads to error page.
• NaNoPlanMo: Plan your NaNo Novel for 25 hours. September 1-October 20. Retired after the 2013 event.
• Album-a-Day: Write, perform, and record a musical album in a single day.
• National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo) Post in your blog every day for a month. Originally in November, but now you can participate year-round.
• Script Race: Write a script in a month. This happens every month.
• ScrivenerScreed: Compose a short story associated with the given prompt and within the word count. $5 entry, token cash prizes available, and publication on the site.
• 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.
• Choose-Your-Own Novel Month: Create and finish a choose-your-own-adventure or interactive fiction game in January.
• Januart: Draw everyday in January.
• Thing A Day: Participants make a thing a day in February and post it to a collective blog.
• Wikiwrimo Writing Month: Edit thirty pages on this wiki during the month of February.
• National Novel Editing Month (NaNoEdMo): Edit for at least fifty hours in March. No current site.
• April Fools: Set your own goal to write in April. Any form of writing is accepted.
• Refrigerator Poetry Writing Month (RePoWriMo): Write a poem using refrigerator magnets every day in April. Retired.
• AstroApril: Make drawings of galactic and space themes during the days of April.
• 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. Retired.
• 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.
• 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.
• 24 Hour Writing Contest: Compose a short story associated with the given prompt and within the word count.
• Shiptember: A recent challenge that started in 2016, it encourages participants to draw a ship per day through the whole month of September. Prompts were just included in 2018.
• National Playwriting Month (NaPlWriMo): Write a play of at least 75 pages in November.
• 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 eBook Writing Month (EBookWriMo): Write an eBook in 30 days.
• 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.