The Warhammer 40,000 Summer Fest Exchange is back for 2026!
This fandom event is a Warhammer 40,000/Horus Heresy-focused gift exchange for fanart and fanfiction, hosted on AO3 – you can see previous years' gift collections here: 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025.
Sign up to write a fanfic or create a piece of fanart, and receive a story or artwork in return!
Schedule:
May 15–May 31: Nominate your favourite characters and pairings
June 1–June 14: Sign up for the exchange
June 14–June 15: Matching and assignments go out
August 2: Assignments due – deadline countdown
August 15: Works go live (unless delayed for pinch hits)
August 22: Creators are revealed; the collection will remain open for treats
All deadlines are 3:59pm GMT | 5:59pm CEST | 11:59am EDT | 8:59am PDT.
👉 You must be 18+ and have an AO3 account to participate.
For information on how to sign up and participate, see the AO3 exchange profile.
If I want to create a fic/fanart, but do not want my identity to be revealed, is it possible to do it entirely anonymously without creator identity being revealed?
It is not possible to be entirely anonymous, since the exchange moderators will see your AO3 username when you submit a work to the exchange collection.
However, AO3 exchange moderators are bound by AO3's confidentiality rules. We do not share participants' information or use it for any purpose other than administering the exchange and ensuring it runs as intended.
If you would like to remain anonymous to other participants and readers, you can submit your work to both the exchange collection and the AO3 anonymous collection. This ensures your identity will be visible only to the exchange moderators, and you will also be able to reply anonymously to comments on your work.
if someone signs up to write fic, will they only get paired to write for someone who requested one of the the chars/pairings/etc. that they offered? or is there a chance youd have to write for chars you might not know anything about?
You will only be matched with someone who has requested a character or pairing that you have offered. And only in the media and rating(s) that you have offered. 🙂
You can put as many offers as you like in your sign-up. You will only be matched on one character/pairing (although you and the person you're assigned to create a gift for may share several) and you will only be required to create one gift regardless of how many characters/pairings you match on. You can also choose to create a gift based on one of your recipient's requests that you didn't match on.
✨ Sign-up for the 2026 WH40K Summer Fest Exchange is now open! ✨
A quick recap of the sign-up rules:
You must be 18+ and have an AO3 account to participate in the exchange.
You need to request and offer at least 3 characters or platonic/romantic relationships to sign up; you are welcome to request/offer more.
You can choose to create and receive either fanfiction, fanart, or both, and works that are either Safe For Work (SFW), Not Safe For Work (NSFW), or both.
A Do Not Want (DNW) list is mandatory, containing things you don't want in a gift. DNWs should be phrased and understood to be value-neutral.
'No DNWs' is allowed but must be explicitly stated. Note that this opts you into all AO3 archive warnings, including Graphic Depictions of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Noncon, and Underage Sex.
Prompts, ideas, inspirations, vibes, and other details are optional (for both requesters and creators) but often helpful.
Helpful links:
Exchange AO3 profile with full rules/info.
Request Summary shows other participants' requests.
Overview of nominated characters and pairings by @psi-scribe.
The sign-up deadline is Sunday, June 14, at 3:59pm GMT | 5:59pm CEST | 11:59am EDT | 8:59am PDT (countdown).
Signing up: Important info and step-by-step guide 👇
If you do not have an AO3 account, you can request an invitation to join the Archive here.
Note: In case the mod team needs to reach out to you, AO3 shows us the e-mail address you use to log in.
If you end up unmatchable or if your creator sends us a question to forward to you, we will use this e-mail address. Be sure to be able to access it, check it regularly while the exchange is running – and, if your legal name is in it, change it if you don’t want the mod team to see it!
All e-mails from the mod team will be sent from [email protected] using the name Roboute Guilliman (he handles our paperwork) or through AO3.
How to sign up
Click on 'Sign Up'/'Sign-up Form' on the exchange's profile page (or click here) to fill out your requests and offers.
You must submit at least 3 requests for characters and/or relationships that you would like to receive fanfiction and/or fanart for.
Fill out Request 1, 2 and 3 with 1-20 characters or relationships from the exchange tag set. You can add extra request boxes, up to 10.
Choose whether you'd like to receive only fanfiction, only fanart, or both, and whether it should be Safe For Work (SFW), Not Safe For Work (NSFW), or both. You can choose different media and ratings for each request.
SFW works are rated for General Audiences (G) or Teen And Up Audiences (T).
NSFW works are rated Mature (M) or Explicit (E).
Linking to a 'dear creator' letter on an external website, i.e., a tumblr blog post, Google Doc, Dreamwidth page, etc. with further details about your preferences, is optional but welcome.
Note: The person assigned to you is not obligated to read your letter, but may find it helpful for inspiration. Please make sure your page is publicly available; some tumblr links can only be accessed by tumblr users and not all participants are on tumblr.
You MUST include a Do Not Want (DNW) list of anything you don't want in a gift, such as squicks and triggers.
The mods will check your gift to make sure it doesn't contain any of your DNWs, but we only check for those listed in this text box.
Your listed DNWs should, as a minimum, state whether you wish to avoid any of the four specific AO3 Archive Warnings: 1) Graphic depictions of violence, 2) Major Character Death, 3) Rape/Non-con, 4) Underage Sex.
You can have different DNWs for different requests.
In addition to your DNWs, you can use the text box for suggestions, optional prompts, and preferences.
Note: Non-DNW details are optional, so your creator is not required to stick to your suggestions.
But having a general idea of whether you like fluff/action/comedy/smut, the Great Crusade/Horus Heresy/M40/M42-era, your favourite tropes, art styles, etc. is very helpful to your creator.
If you are unsure about what to include in your DNWs or optional details, you can check out other participants' requests for ideas.
You must submit at least 3 offers for characters and/or relationships that you would like to create fanfiction and/or fanart about.
Your offered characters/relationships do not have to be the same as your requests.
Add 1-20 characters or relationships from the exchange tag set for each offer.
You have to fill out Offer 1, 2 and 3 with at least one character/relationship in each, but it doesn't matter how you group your offers otherwise. No one will see your offers except you and the mods.
You will only be matched with one other participant and required to create one gift regardless of how many offers you submit.
Choose whether you would like to create only fanfiction, only fanart, or both, and whether your work will be SFW or NSFW. You will only be required to make one gift for your assignment regardless of how many media and ratings you offer.
Please return to check before the sign-up deadline that your offers match at least one request by another participant in the exchange.
If your offers don't match anyone else's requests by the time of the deadline, the mods will e-mail you to ask if you would like to add additional offers. If you do not respond to this e-mail within 24 hours or decline to add additional offers, your sign-up will be deleted.
Once you have filled out at least 3 requests and offers, hit 'Submit' at the bottom of the page. You have now signed up to participate in the exchange and your requests will be visible to other participants in the Request Summary.
You can edit/add to your requests and offers by clicking 'My Sign-up' on the exchange profile page. Note: After the sign-up deadline, only the mods will be able to edit your sign-up details.
"What if there is someone participating that I don't want to be matched with?"
The best way to ensure a fun and enjoyable exchange experience is to keep an eye on the Request Summary and adjust your offers based on other participants' requests.
Maybe you'll see something that inspires you to offer characters or relationships you didn't consider before — or maybe someone requests something for one of your offers that you would rather not create, in which case it's perfectly fine to edit your offers so you won't match on that particular character/relationship.
If there is another participant that you very strongly do not want to be matched with, please e-mail us at [email protected] before the sign-up deadline and let us know:
Your AO3 username
The AO3 username of the participant you do not want to be matched with
Whether your Do Not Match request is for creating, receiving, or both
Thank you! We look forward to seeing you in the sign-ups! ❤
WH40K Summer Fest Exchange: Nominations are now closed
Masterpost | Ask | AO3 & Rules | 2026 Tag Set
827 nominations in the tag set! That's a new record! 🥳
The mod team is doing a final check of the nominated characters and pairings. If you've got any last-minute comments, contact us here or at [email protected].
WH40K Summer Fest Exchange: Nominations close in 12 hours
Masterpost | Ask | AO3 & Rules | 2026 Tag Set
Nominations for the WH40K Summer Fest Exchange close TODAY, Sunday May 31 at 3:59pm GMT | 5:59pm CEST | 11:59am EDT | 8:59am PDT (countdown).
Now's a good time to check if that popular pairing everyone loves was actually nominated or if everyone just assumed someone else would do it... You know the one! 👀
The tag set for the Summer Fest Exchange is now open for nominations!
Nominations close on May 31 at 3:59pm GMT | 5:59pm CEST | 11:59am EDT | 8:59am PDT (countdown).
If you are new to gift exchanges on AO3, here is a guide on how to submit character/relationship nominations to the WH40K Summer Fest Exchange tag set. 👇
What is the tag set for?
Put shortly, the tag set is our shared wishlist for characters and relationships we'd like to include in this exchange.
Like most exchanges on AO3, the WH40K Summer Fest begins with a two-step setup period:
During the nomination period (May 15–May 31), anyone can submit characters and relationships to the tag set created for the exchange.
During the sign-up period (June 1–June 14), participants submit requests and offers for characters/relationships from the tag set they would like to create or receive fanfic/fanart for. At the end of the sign-up period, the exchange mods will match participants based on their requests and offers.
You can only sign up to request or offer the characters and relationships contained in the tag set, so make sure to submit your nominations before Sunday May 31, 3:59pm GMT | 5:59pm CEST | 11:59am EDT | 8:59am PDT (countdown). After this time, the tag set will close and additional nominations cannot be added.
How to nominate
You'll need an AO3 account to participate in this exchange. If you do not have an account, you can request an invitation to join the Archive here – the wait time is currently around 8 days.
Find the link to the tag set in the info box at the top of the exchange's profile page (or click here).
On the tag set page, click 'nominate' in the top right corner.
Choose 'Warhammer 40.000' for the fandom.
All nominations go in the 'Warhammer 40.000' fandom category, even if they belong to other media, e.g., the Horus Heresy series, the Rogue Trader computer game, etc. Nominations are only used for matching participants; when you upload your gift to AO3, you can use the fandom tag(s) of your choice.
Both characters and relationships go in the 'relationship' box for matching purposes.
Add characters to the tagset by writing: Character: Name and finishing with a comma.
Add pairings by writing Name/Name (for romantic or sexual pairings) or Name & Name (for platonic pairings/friendships/enemyships – any specific characters you want interacting in a non-romantic/non-sexual way). If the tag has been used on AO3 before, you can choose it from the dropdown menu, otherwise finish with a comma.
You can nominate Original Characters as characters or in relationships. HOWEVER, note that it will be the creator's choice which OC to use; e.g., if you request "Saint Celestine/Original Female Character," the creator can use an OC you suggest in your sign-up but can also use their own idea. You may nominate original characters that specify an OC's faction ("Original Ultramarine & Original Tau Fire Warrior") and/or gender ("Original Transfem Sister of Battle/Original Nonbinary Imperial Guard").
You can also nominate 'Any' characters, e.g., "Sanguinius & Any Blood Angel(s)", "Ciaphas Cain/Any Canon Female Character", to give the creator freedom to choose which character(s) to include.
You can nominate up to 20 characters or pairings.
Once you are done, click 'submit' at the bottom of the page.
You can add more characters and pairings, up to 20, by clicking 'My nominations' on the tag set page, but once your nominations have been approved by the mods they can't be deleted.
If you nominate something that has already been nominated by someone else, or if the mods change the wording/order of names to match archive conventions (e.g., "Ulfar of the Space Wolves" ➡ "Ulfar Redmane"), it may continue to appear on your 'My nominations' page as unapproved. Click 'Expand All' on the tag set page to see a full list of all nominated characters/relationships and check if your nominations are included, possibly under a slightly different name.
It may take up to 24+ hours for nominations to be approved, so please don't delete your unapproved nominations.
If you have any questions about your nominations, contact the mods at [email protected] or here on tumblr.
Remember to follow this page for updates on nomination clarifications and more.
Apologies that it took me a few days to get this fest's spreadsheet up and going! As always I'll try my best to keep up with the nominations and adding them as they come along!
If you aren't sure if one of your fave characters or ships has been put up, check here ✨
The tag set for the Summer Fest Exchange is now open for nominations!
Nominations close on May 31 at 3:59pm GMT | 5:59pm CEST | 11:59am EDT | 8:59am PDT (countdown).
If you are new to gift exchanges on AO3, here is a guide on how to submit character/relationship nominations to the WH40K Summer Fest Exchange tag set. 👇
What is the tag set for?
Put shortly, the tag set is our shared wishlist for characters and relationships we'd like to include in this exchange.
Like most exchanges on AO3, the WH40K Summer Fest begins with a two-step setup period:
During the nomination period (May 15–May 31), anyone can submit characters and relationships to the tag set created for the exchange.
During the sign-up period (June 1–June 14), participants submit requests and offers for characters/relationships from the tag set they would like to create or receive fanfic/fanart for. At the end of the sign-up period, the exchange mods will match participants based on their requests and offers.
You can only sign up to request or offer the characters and relationships contained in the tag set, so make sure to submit your nominations before Sunday May 31, 3:59pm GMT | 5:59pm CEST | 11:59am EDT | 8:59am PDT (countdown). After this time, the tag set will close and additional nominations cannot be added.
How to nominate
You'll need an AO3 account to participate in this exchange. If you do not have an account, you can request an invitation to join the Archive here – the wait time is currently around 8 days.
Find the link to the tag set in the info box at the top of the exchange's profile page (or click here).
On the tag set page, click 'nominate' in the top right corner.
Choose 'Warhammer 40.000' for the fandom.
All nominations go in the 'Warhammer 40.000' fandom category, even if they belong to other media, e.g., the Horus Heresy series, the Rogue Trader computer game, etc. Nominations are only used for matching participants; when you upload your gift to AO3, you can use the fandom tag(s) of your choice.
Both characters and relationships go in the 'relationship' box for matching purposes.
Add characters to the tagset by writing: Character: Name and finishing with a comma.
Add pairings by writing Name/Name (for romantic or sexual pairings) or Name & Name (for platonic pairings/friendships/enemyships – any specific characters you want interacting in a non-romantic/non-sexual way). If the tag has been used on AO3 before, you can choose it from the dropdown menu, otherwise finish with a comma.
You can nominate Original Characters as characters or in relationships. HOWEVER, note that it will be the creator's choice which OC to use; e.g., if you request "Saint Celestine/Original Female Character," the creator can use an OC you suggest in your sign-up but can also use their own idea. You may nominate original characters that specify an OC's faction ("Original Ultramarine & Original Tau Fire Warrior") and/or gender ("Original Transfem Sister of Battle/Original Nonbinary Imperial Guard").
You can also nominate 'Any' characters, e.g., "Sanguinius & Any Blood Angel(s)", "Ciaphas Cain/Any Canon Female Character", to give the creator freedom to choose which character(s) to include.
You can nominate up to 20 characters or pairings.
Once you are done, click 'submit' at the bottom of the page.
You can add more characters and pairings, up to 20, by clicking 'My nominations' on the tag set page, but once your nominations have been approved by the mods they can't be deleted.
If you nominate something that has already been nominated by someone else, or if the mods change the wording/order of names to match archive conventions (e.g., "Ulfar of the Space Wolves" ➡ "Ulfar Redmane"), it may continue to appear on your 'My nominations' page as unapproved. Click 'Expand All' on the tag set page to see a full list of all nominated characters/relationships and check if your nominations are included, possibly under a slightly different name.
It may take up to 24+ hours for nominations to be approved, so please don't delete your unapproved nominations.
If you have any questions about your nominations, contact the mods at [email protected] or here on tumblr.
Remember to follow this page for updates on nomination clarifications and more.
Secret Sanguinala is an AO3-based fic and art gift exchange for Warhammer 40k fandom. The schedule is the same as in previous years, leading up to gifts revealing on December 25.
The first step is tag nominations, creating the pool of relationships and characters that everyone will be able to request and offer. Nominations run until October 15. Guidelines are as follows:
Every AO3 account can nominate up to 20 tags (either relationships or solo characters). Check the ones that are already accepted so you can use your nomination slots for others!
Canon characters from any official Warhammer 40k/Horus Heresy media are allowed: the tabletop game, the novels, the video games, the comics...
Unnamed original characters are allowed, and you're welcome to identify faction, rank, or similar traits to specify the kind of OCs you're thinking about: Original Drukhari Wych/Original Sister of Battle, for example, or Original Night Lord & Original Flayed One.
For relationships, nominate by AO3 standard tagging: use / for relationships with romantic or sexual elements, and & for relationships without those elements.
For individual characters, use the prefix Solo: (e.g., Solo: Sanguinius).
Alright as always I got a spreadsheet set up for somewhat of an easier time navigating whats been nominated so far. Tried my best to double check names I wasn't familiar with as well.
I'll keep it updated until nominations get locked but it is here > Secret Sanguinala 2025 Nominations
A helpful spreadsheet of nominated tags, broken down by faction! Might make it easier to see who's missing from the group(s) you're interested in (and what surprise nominations sound like fun).
Secret Sanguinala is an AO3-based fic and art gift exchange for Warhammer 40k fandom. The schedule is the same as in previous years, leading up to gifts revealing on December 25.
The first step is tag nominations, creating the pool of relationships and characters that everyone will be able to request and offer. Nominations run until October 15. Guidelines are as follows:
Every AO3 account can nominate up to 20 tags (either relationships or solo characters). Check the ones that are already accepted so you can use your nomination slots for others!
Canon characters from any official Warhammer 40k/Horus Heresy media are allowed: the tabletop game, the novels, the video games, the comics...
Unnamed original characters are allowed, and you're welcome to identify faction, rank, or similar traits to specify the kind of OCs you're thinking about: Original Drukhari Wych/Original Sister of Battle, for example, or Original Night Lord & Original Flayed One.
For relationships, nominate by AO3 standard tagging: use / for relationships with romantic or sexual elements, and & for relationships without those elements.
For individual characters, use the prefix Solo: (e.g., Solo: Sanguinius).
The WH40K Summer Fest Exchange will return in May 2026!
This annual fandom event is a Warhammer 40,000/Horus Heresy-focused gift exchange for fanart and fanfiction, hosted on AO3 – find the previous years' gift collections here: 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025.
Interested? Follow this blog for updates on next year's exchange!
Can't wait until next year?
🎅 Check out Secret Sanguinala, the winter Warhammer 40,000 gift exchange – nominations will open in October.
🌙 You can also join the Exchanges After Dark discord server (NSFW, 18+ only) for information about themed multi-fandom exchanges throughout the year.
The WH40K Summer Fest exchange collection has been de-anoned!
You are now welcome to crosspost your work to tumblr, tw(x)itter, discord, and anywhere else you like. If you tag your posts with #wh40k summer fest exchange, others can find and reblog them too.
If you haven't had the opportunity yet, now is a great time to leave a comment on your gift. It means a lot to your creator!
The collection will remain open for treats.
On behalf of the mod team, thank you for signing up, making awesome gifts, and leaving comments! You have all been amazing. 🧡
👇 Feedback and ideas 👇
If you have feedback for us on this year's exchange or ideas for making next year even better, please get in touch via the ask box (anon is enabled), DMs here on tumblr, or drop us an e-mail at [email protected].
We have 87 amazing gifts waiting for you! Head right on over to open them – and please give our generous creators a kudos and a comment to let them know you appreciate their hard work! ❤
The collection will be anonymous for a week before creators are revealed, and it will remain open indefinitely for treats if you feel inspired by someone's requests to surprise them with an unexpected extra gift.
There is an issue with my gift, what do I do? 👇
We have had a record number of participants in the exchange this year, some of whom are new to the fandom, to fanworks, AO3, or to exchanges. It takes courage to do something you have never done before and to commit to creating a gift for another person, and everyone has done an amazing job with the time and resources available to them. 👏👏👏
We hope you all have had a great time being part of the Summer Fest Exchange and will receive your gifts in the spirit they are given: as something fun and fannish for you to enjoy, and a way for the fandom to join together across creative media and language barriers to celebrate the characters we all love. 😍
The exchange mods have checked every gift for length, requested characters, and possible DNW content, but something may have slipped past our guard.
If you believe there might be an issue with your gift, please contact us off anon here on tumblr or e-mail us at [email protected]. If we find that your gift does not fulfil the exchange rules, we will post your requests as an emergency pinch hit.
The WH40K Summer Fest Exchange @wh40ksummerfest - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
