Frontier Works has announced the three winning titles from the MyAnimeList × Honeyfeed Web Novel Contest 2025 – Twilight Frontiers, a global competition built around emerging English-language web novel writers. After a judging process that included reader voting from around the world, The Pale Horseman, Miss Kagayaki: Won’t the Ice Princess of K-Pop’s Childhood Friend Deem Her Worthy?!, and Intercity Excursions were selected for top honors.
Each winning author will receive a prize of USD 3,000. The contest was co-hosted by Frontier Works, MyAnimeList, and Honeyfeed, continuing the partnership’s push to connect international writers with readers interested in anime- and light novel-inspired storytelling.
Here’s what makes this year’s results especially interesting: the winning lineup spans cynical urban fantasy, celebrity romance, and violent supernatural action. Rather than focusing on a single genre, Twilight Frontiers divided its spotlight between stories designed to appeal to different corners of the global web novel community.
Three very different stories take the spotlight
The top title in the Urban Fantasy category is The Pale Horseman by Gemini Daydream. Set in a Tokyo where magical relics coexist with modern technology, the story follows a struggling journalist possessed by the Rider of Death.
Its central pairing is deliberately unusual: a ruthless god of death and an idealistic young woman forced into an uneasy partnership. Together, they confront the darker side of contemporary society while Death observes humanity’s often absurd path toward destruction. The premise suggests a sharp, cynical fantasy with plenty of room for social commentary alongside its supernatural elements.
The Spotlight Romance winner is Miss Kagayaki: Won’t the Ice Princess of K-Pop’s Childhood Friend Deem Her Worthy?! by obliviousbushtit. The story follows Kagayaki, a global K-pop superstar who transfers to a local high school while maintaining the carefully controlled image of an “Ice Princess.”
Her real objective is personal: she wants to reunite with her childhood friend and rival, Riku. Instead, she finds herself trapped in an agency-created fake rivalry, turning a potential reunion into a high-pressure battle involving fame, public image, and romantic tension. The result is framed as a youth survival story set against the artificial spectacle of the entertainment industry.
Rounding out the winners is Intercity Excursions by ennodaye, which received the Judges’ Special Award in Urban Fantasy. Its protagonist, Pisha, is an immortal girl who wants nothing more than to die. That wish becomes even more complicated when she is forcibly recruited into I.E., a special unit tasked with hunting people who possess supernatural abilities.
Pisha’s involvement draws her into the organization’s hidden secrets and the threat posed by the terrorist group Moroya. The story promises a high-speed blend of bloodshed, gunfire, psychological conflict, and questions about identity and purpose. At its core is a character who has been killed and resurrected repeatedly, yet still has to determine what her existence means.
A global contest for the next generation of web novel writers
According to the contest information, Twilight Frontiers was the third MyAnimeList and Honeyfeed writing contest held in 2025. The submission period ran from July 7 through September 29, 2025, with the competition inviting writers from around the world to build stories around fantasy, action, and romance.
That international focus is central to the contest’s appeal. Honeyfeed provides a platform for web fiction, while MyAnimeList gives the event a direct connection to one of the largest online communities devoted to anime and manga. Frontier Works, meanwhile, brings the project closer to the Japanese publishing and entertainment industry, creating a notable pathway for independent creators working outside Japan.
The winners were chosen following comprehensive judging and worldwide reader participation. While the contest’s categories are familiar to anime and light novel fans, the selected premises show how broadly those genres can be interpreted: urban fantasy becomes a critique of modern society, romance unfolds beneath the machinery of K-pop celebrity, and supernatural action is filtered through an immortal protagonist’s despair.
What happens next for the winning novels?
For now, the three titles remain early-stage web novel projects rather than released books. Frontier Works notes that official cover illustrations are not yet available because the winning works have not been published, and the artwork associated with the announcement is being used for illustrative purposes only.
That makes the next phase worth keeping an eye on. The prize money gives Gemini Daydream, obliviousbushtit, and ennodaye direct support as they continue developing their work, while the contest places their names and concepts in front of an international audience. Fans interested in original fantasy, celebrity romance, and supernatural thrillers will want to watch for further announcements about the novels’ future publication plans.
Sources
honeyfeed.fm
