Hello, everyone! Here's our event calendar for the rest of the year, as well as the first months of 2026. We'll keep this post pinned in our blog, adding links to it as the events approach. We hope this will help you plan yourselves better and not have to rush much.
As a reminder, unless specified otherwise, all events are open to all kinds of fanworks, as well as all characters or ships.
Thank you for joining us in these events, we're very happy with the response and very excited about our future events.
November -
First week: Drabble/Doodle Challenge guidelines
Last week: Drabble / Doodle Challenge posting
December -
Young Royals Masquerade guidelines
February -
Valentine's Day secret admirer event
March - Masquerade guessing results
April 30 -
Wilmon Day
May 1-16 -
Sign-ups CLOSED for the Young Royals Gift Exchange 2026
The Young Royals Gift Exchange 2026 collection is now live! Go check out all the works here and give the creators some love.
We forgot to say this earlier, but if you want to change the date on your work to make it appear in the first page or two in the fandom tag, that's fine with us.
The works will stay anonymous for one week before creators are revealed next Saturday. After that you can post to Tumblr or anywhere else you like as normal.
There's no points to be won this time for hiding your identity so go ahead and leave comments/kudos! As long as you're not announcing which work is yours anywhere publicly, you're fine.
Thank you so much to everyone who submitted their works for the gift exchange! We've got a bit of post-deadline sorting to do but it looks as though we shouldn't need any pinch hits. Which is a brilliant result, well done all!
The works will all be revealed at once at approx 16:00 CEST next Saturday, 1 August. (What time is that for me?) If you're receiving a gift, you'll get an email from AO3 when the collection goes live.
The collection will stay open for Treats to be submitted until an hour or so before then. Treats are extra gifts anyone can submit, whether you signed up for the exchange or not. You can find all the requests here if looking for last minute inspiration!
Hi☺️
I'm curious about the reason behind having the gift exchange works being anonymous for a week? Is there a reason behind it? And does that also mean that you want the authors to wait with commenting on the works that they read, that aren't their gift?
"Hi, thanks for the question! It's very common for these kind of gift exchanges to have an anonymous period before creators are revealed - if you look at currently open gift exchanges on AO3 [https://archiveofourown.org/collections/list_ge_challenges], you'll see all except one are anonymous.
There's a few reasons for this. Mainly because it's just fun, to try and guess who made what! It also hopefully encourages everyone to take a look at all the works in the exchange rather than just the creators they already know.
However it's just for fun and there's no points to earn for fooling people, so you don't have to worry too much about hiding your identity like in the masquerade. There's no need to hold back from commenting or leaving kudos.
Thank you for organising the Gift Exchange! I'm looking forward to everyone's creations ✨️
I was wondering how the anonymous exchange works in terms of any subscribed readers we might have. Will they get a notification about us posting a new work when the authors are revealed?
Thank you!
Yes, that's right! Any subscribers you have on AO3 will get an email notification about a new work as usual once creators are revealed on 8 August.
Thank you so much to everyone who submitted their works for the gift exchange! We've got a bit of post-deadline sorting to do but it looks as though we shouldn't need any pinch hits. Which is a brilliant result, well done all!
The works will all be revealed at once at approx 16:00 CEST next Saturday, 1 August. (What time is that for me?) If you're receiving a gift, you'll get an email from AO3 when the collection goes live.
The collection will stay open for Treats to be submitted until an hour or so before then. Treats are extra gifts anyone can submit, whether you signed up for the exchange or not. You can find all the requests here if looking for last minute inspiration!
Two days to go to submit your works for the gift exchange! Instructions here if you need them. Thank you to everyone who's already uploaded, and good luck to everyone else!
The deadline is by midnight (Swedish time) on Saturday 25 July. In reality, you'll have a few hours leeway on this as we won't start chasing any missing works until Sunday morning (same time zone) - as long as you can submit by then, you don't need to contact us.
If you think you might miss even this later deadline, please get in touch with the mods as soon as you can! Email is the best and quickest way to get hold of us - youngroyalsevents [at] gmail [dot] com.
You can make minor tweaks and edits up until Go Live on Sat 1 August if needed, but please make sure you've submitted a complete and finished work by the deadline - no placeholders or drafts.
If anyone does drop out, we'll post a call for pinch hitters (to make a replacement gift) here on this blog, so keep an eye out for that if interested.
Two days to go to submit your works for the gift exchange! Instructions here if you need them. Thank you to everyone who's already uploaded, and good luck to everyone else!
The deadline is by midnight (Swedish time) on Saturday 25 July. In reality, you'll have a few hours leeway on this as we won't start chasing any missing works until Sunday morning (same time zone) - as long as you can submit by then, you don't need to contact us.
If you think you might miss even this later deadline, please get in touch with the mods as soon as you can! Email is the best and quickest way to get hold of us - youngroyalsevents [at] gmail [dot] com.
You can make minor tweaks and edits up until Go Live on Sat 1 August if needed, but please make sure you've submitted a complete and finished work by the deadline - no placeholders or drafts.
If anyone does drop out, we'll post a call for pinch hitters (to make a replacement gift) here on this blog, so keep an eye out for that if interested.
Three weeks to go until submission deadline for the Young Royals Gift Exchange 2026! Still plenty of time but do reach out to us if any issues.
Here's a reminder of how to post your gift to AO3:
Completing your assignment (if you're taking part in the exchange)
Go to your Dashboard on AO3. (When you're logged in, you can reach this by clicking on where it says "Hi, Username!" at the top of the page and then choosing 'My Dashboard'.)
Choose 'Assignments' from the options at the top of the page (on mobile) or the left-hand side (on desktop).
Your own assignment should be listed there. Click the button that says 'Fulfill'. This will take you to the 'Post New Work' form, where the details of the assignment and the collection will be filled out correctly for you.
You can also go directly to the 'Post New Work' form and choose your assignment in the first box under 'Associations' about halfway down the page.
Fill out the rest of the details and post your work as normal.
Remember this is an anonymous exchange (for a week), so don't add anything to the notes that might give away your identity early!
Assignments must be completed by Saturday 25 July.
If you're taking part in the exchange, you must make sure you tick the box to fulfill your assignment - this makes sure it gets gifted to the right person and posted to the correct collection. This means it will be unrevealed until Go Live on 1 August, and it will also stay anonymous until creators are revealed on 8 August. It also helps the mods keep track so we don't have to hunt you down!
Posting a Treat or extra work
If you're not taking part in the exchange, or if you are but you want to add an extra gift for your recipient or someone else, you can post a Treat. This is a slightly different process to fulfilling your main assignment.
Go to the Gift Exchange page on AO3 and click on the 'Post to Collection' button.
Fill out the 'Post New Work' details as normal.
Under 'Associations', the correct Collection should already be filled out. Where it then says 'Gift this work to:', enter the name of the person you want to gift a Treat to.
Their name should appear under the drop-down list as you type it - if it doesn't appear, double-check you have their AO3 name correct.
Treats don't have to fill minimum length/size requirements and can be posted at any time up until an hour or so before Go Live on Saturday 1 August (16:00 CEST).
If you have any other questions on posting your works for the exchange, check out the FAQ or ask the mods!
Three weeks to go until submission deadline for the Young Royals Gift Exchange 2026! Still plenty of time but do reach out to us if any issues.
Here's a reminder of how to post your gift to AO3:
Completing your assignment (if you're taking part in the exchange)
Go to your Dashboard on AO3. (When you're logged in, you can reach this by clicking on where it says "Hi, Username!" at the top of the page and then choosing 'My Dashboard'.)
Choose 'Assignments' from the options at the top of the page (on mobile) or the left-hand side (on desktop).
Your own assignment should be listed there. Click the button that says 'Fulfill'. This will take you to the 'Post New Work' form, where the details of the assignment and the collection will be filled out correctly for you.
You can also go directly to the 'Post New Work' form and choose your assignment in the first box under 'Associations' about halfway down the page.
Fill out the rest of the details and post your work as normal.
Remember this is an anonymous exchange (for a week), so don't add anything to the notes that might give away your identity early!
Assignments must be completed by Saturday 25 July.
If you're taking part in the exchange, you must make sure you tick the box to fulfill your assignment - this makes sure it gets gifted to the right person and posted to the correct collection. This means it will be unrevealed until Go Live on 1 August, and it will also stay anonymous until creators are revealed on 8 August. It also helps the mods keep track so we don't have to hunt you down!
Posting a Treat or extra work
If you're not taking part in the exchange, or if you are but you want to add an extra gift for your recipient or someone else, you can post a Treat. This is a slightly different process to fulfilling your main assignment.
Go to the Gift Exchange page on AO3 and click on the 'Post to Collection' button.
Fill out the 'Post New Work' details as normal.
Under 'Associations', the correct Collection should already be filled out. Where it then says 'Gift this work to:', enter the name of the person you want to gift a Treat to.
Their name should appear under the drop-down list as you type it - if it doesn't appear, double-check you have their AO3 name correct.
Treats don't have to fill minimum length/size requirements and can be posted at any time up until an hour or so before Go Live on Saturday 1 August (16:00 CEST).
If you have any other questions on posting your works for the exchange, check out the FAQ or ask the mods!
Hello gift exchangers! We've got a couple of updates for you.
Check In - 20-21 June
It's check in time! If you're taking part in the YR Gift Exchange 2026, you need to check in and let us know if you're still on track to finish your gift or not.
To check in, simply reply briefly to this post saying if you're still in. If you want to send us a more detailed message, have any questions about your assignment, or have any doubts whether you'll meet the deadline of 25 July, please feel free to drop us an email at youngroyalsevents [at] gmail [dot] com or message @oneofthosebells here on Tumblr.
Please check in by the end of the weekend, 21 June. Anyone we don't hear from, we'll try and track you down by email or DM.
Sprints
Following a request, we'll be running some creative sprints on Discord! If you're not familiar with sprints, they're timed bursts of activity where you work non-stop on your project without pausing to edit or overthink, then you post your progress made in the group. They can be a great tool to silence your inner critic and be creative in a community.
To join, simply join this Discord server, introduce yourself, and let us know what days/times might be good for you (including your timezone). This is a small, informal server simply for running creative sprints, not a general YR server. We'll try to run sprints to suit different timezones at least a couple of times a week until the end of July.
Hello gift exchangers! We've got a couple of updates for you.
Check In - 20-21 June
It's check in time! If you're taking part in the YR Gift Exchange 2026, you need to check in and let us know if you're still on track to finish your gift or not.
To check in, simply reply briefly to this post saying if you're still in. If you want to send us a more detailed message, have any questions about your assignment, or have any doubts whether you'll meet the deadline of 25 July, please feel free to drop us an email at youngroyalsevents [at] gmail [dot] com or message @oneofthosebells here on Tumblr.
Please check in by the end of the weekend, 21 June. Anyone we don't hear from, we'll try and track you down by email or DM.
Sprints
Following a request, we'll be running some creative sprints on Discord! If you're not familiar with sprints, they're timed bursts of activity where you work non-stop on your project without pausing to edit or overthink, then you post your progress made in the group. They can be a great tool to silence your inner critic and be creative in a community.
To join, simply join this Discord server, introduce yourself, and let us know what days/times might be good for you (including your timezone). This is a small, informal server simply for running creative sprints, not a general YR server. We'll try to run sprints to suit different timezones at least a couple of times a week until the end of July.
Hello gift exchangers! We've got a couple of updates for you.
Check In - 20-21 June
It's check in time! If you're taking part in the YR Gift Exchange 2026, you need to check in and let us know if you're still on track to finish your gift or not.
To check in, simply reply briefly to this post saying if you're still in. If you want to send us a more detailed message, have any questions about your assignment, or have any doubts whether you'll meet the deadline of 25 July, please feel free to drop us an email at youngroyalsevents [at] gmail [dot] com or message @oneofthosebells here on Tumblr.
Please check in by the end of the weekend, 21 June. Anyone we don't hear from, we'll try and track you down by email or DM.
Sprints
Following a request, we'll be running some creative sprints on Discord! If you're not familiar with sprints, they're timed bursts of activity where you work non-stop on your project without pausing to edit or overthink, then you post your progress made in the group. They can be a great tool to silence your inner critic and be creative in a community.
To join, simply join this Discord server, introduce yourself, and let us know what days/times might be good for you (including your timezone). This is a small, informal server simply for running creative sprints, not a general YR server. We'll try to run sprints to suit different timezones at least a couple of times a week until the end of July.
All requests for the gift exchange have now been made public! Check them out here if you're thinking of making a Treat.
Treats are extra gifts that anyone can make based on the above requests, whether you signed up for the exchange yourself or not. They don't need to meet the same minimum requirements as an assigned gift, and can be submitted at any time up until works are revealed on Sat 1 August.
If you're taking part in the exchange, reblog this post to let your followers know if you're open to receiving Treats!
Assignments for the Young Royals Gift Exchange 2026 have gone out! 🎉 You should have received an email from AO3 - if you haven't had yours yet, please check your spam/junk folders, and then let us know if it's still missing. You can also find your assignment in your AO3 dashboard.
Assignments are due by Sat 25 July (23:59 CEST). If you have any questions about how to fill your assignment or how it all works, please check the exchange FAQ or get in touch with the mods.
You might have specific questions you want to ask your recipient. This is an anonymous exchange, so please don't contact them directly so as not to spoil the surprise! Instead, feel free to contact the mods and we can ask questions on your behalf, or you could drop an anon ask on their tumblr.
All requests will be made public shortly for Treats - we'll put the link in a separate post you can reblog.
Sign-ups are now closed for the Young Royals Gift Exchange 2026! Thank you so much to everyone who signed up.
If you meant to sign up (or to edit your sign-up) but just missed the deadline, please contact the mods asap by emailing youngroyalsevents [at] gmail [dot] com, or you can message @andthatisnotfake or @oneofthosebells here on Tumblr.
Assignments will go out from AO3 sometime in the next day or two - the exact time will depend on how smoothly the matching process goes. We'll also use the email address you have registered on AO3 to contact you if we have any questions about your sign-up, so make sure you can access it over the next couple of days.
We'll post again here when assignments have gone out. Good luck!
Young Royals Gift Exchange 2026 Sign-ups are OPEN!
Thank you to everyone who posted something for Wilmon Day! Tag us in any late submissions and we'll continue to reblog.
Moving on from Valborg to 1 May: sign-ups are now open for the YR Gift Exchange 2026!
This is a multimedia gift exchange along the same lines as a 'Secret Santa' type exchange, and you can request/offer fanfiction, fanart, images/gifs, video, podfics and fanmixes. Everyone is very welcome, from newbies to old hands! The exchange is open to all ships (or no ships), characters, ratings and themes.
Sign-ups are open from now until Saturday 16 May, 23:59 CEST (that's Stockholm time). You can edit your sign-up as many times as you like until the deadline. Assignments will be due in late July.
You can find all the dates and details at the profile page. The sign-up process is simpler than it might first look and there are instructions on the form itself. There's also an example sign-up here for anyone who would like a bit more detailed guidance.
Let us know if any questions, and please reblog and spread the word!
