ADRIFT IN A SEA OF STARS
Genre: Science Fiction / Cosmic
The Challenge
Someone is adrift in a sea of stars but to drift is not always to be lost.
Perhaps they are searching for something. Perhaps they are escaping something. They may be completely alone—or about to discover that they never were. Their journey could be one of survival, discovery, loss, wonder, transformation, or something no one expects.
Where they came from, how they became adrift, what exists beyond the familiar, what they encounter, and whether they ever intend to return are entirely up to you.
Take us somewhere we haven't been before.
Create exactly three images that together tell a complete story.
Each image must meaningfully advance the narrative rather than simply show three variations of the same scene.
3 Images. 1 Journey. Your Story.
No written explanation. Let the images tell the story.
Creative Inspiration — Optional
Want a spark to help creativity and guide you into the unknown?
Listen to “Adrift in a Sea of Stars” by John Vivolo, featured on the Dark Waters Rising YouTube channel.
🎧 Listen to “Adrift in a Sea of Stars”
Let the music, imagery, atmosphere, or emotion inspire your interpretation of wonder and awe.
Watching or listening is completely optional and has no effect on judging.
AI Tools — Explore, Experiment & Create
StoryForge encourages you to experiment with as many AI tools as you want. Generate in one platform, refine in another, combine techniques, edit, enhance, and explore different creative workflows. You might use ChatGPT Images, Midjourney, Adobe Firefly, Google Gemini, Leonardo.Ai, Ideogram, Recraft, FLUX, Stable Diffusion, Canva AI, Krea AI, Freepik AI—or something entirely different.
There’s no preferred platform and no advantage to using a particular tool. Mix them. Experiment. Push them. Make the final creation your own.
Human creativity leads. AI amplifies
DON’T LOOK BEHIND YOU
Genre: Psychological Horror
The Challenge
Every night, something in the room moves a little closer.
At first, it might be easy to dismiss. Something isn't quite where you remember leaving it. A shape seems different. A reflection doesn't look right. Then it happens again.
And again.
What is moving is entirely up to you. So is the reason it's getting closer. It could be something you can see, something you only think you see, or something far stranger. The terror might be supernatural, psychological, or rooted in something very real.
The only certainty is that eventually, it will be close enough.
What happens then is your story.
Sometimes we're scared of the dark for a reason.
Create exactly three images that together build and tell the story. Each image must meaningfully advance the narrative and the growing sense of dread.
3 Images. 3 Nights. Something Is Closer.
No written explanation. Let the images tell the story.
These feel much more like actual creative briefs now. They provide inspiration and possibilities without giving entrants a storyboard—which is exactly where you want the difficulty to be.
Creative Inspiration — Optional
Want to step into the darkness before you begin?
Watch and listen to “The Path of Woe” by John Vivolo, featured on the Dark Waters Rising YouTube channel.
🎧 Watch & Listen to “The Path of Woe”
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Let the music, imagery, atmosphere, and sense of unease spark your imagination. You don't need to follow the video's story or recreate anything you see. Use the darkness as inspiration—and take the nightmare somewhere entirely your own.
Watching or listening is completely optional and has no effect on judging.
AI Tools — Explore, Experiment & Create
StoryForge encourages you to experiment with as many AI tools as you want. Generate in one platform, refine in another, combine techniques, edit, enhance, and explore different creative workflows. You might use ChatGPT Images, Midjourney, Adobe Firefly, Google Gemini, Leonardo.Ai, Ideogram, Recraft, FLUX, Stable Diffusion, Canva AI, Krea AI, Freepik AI—or something entirely different.
There’s no preferred platform and no advantage to using a particular tool. Mix them. Experiment. Push them. Make the final creation your own.
Human creativity leads. AI amplifies