The judging process is technically in phase 3, but it will occur concurrently with phase 2 as stories get completed one by one.

Review grading criteria is based on three major areas, adopted from my review shop:

- Plotting: Foundation/ World-building (20), Characters (10), Progress to resolution (30), Resolution (10)

- Delivery: Style (20), Vocabulary (5); Grammar (5)

- Adherence to prompt: graded by increment of 10 from 10 to 50 (10: there is little to no links between the prompt and the story plot; 20: the linkage between prompt and plot is loose, or is not the major part of the story; 30: the linkage between story and plot is apparent; 40: the prompt is well corporated in between the plot elements and presented through-out; 50: the prompt is taken and brought to the author's own interpretation and is creatively corporated in the story.)

Total: 150.

Looking at the grade distribution, you get the gist that adhering to the given prompt is very important to win this contest, but I do not discourage any author who wants to write whatever their heart desires. As long as you enter, any story is greatly appreciated!