You are a writer or would-be writer?  You would wish you try your hand on "Captain Scarlet" fan fiction? Read our Fan Fiction Submission Guidelines for information, or write us, and we'll be happy to answer your questions!Send your story to  spectrum_hq@hotmail.com.

Always in search of good stories and good storytellers, the Spectrum Headquarters website offers its visitors the chance to submit stories they would like to see posted on these pages. In addition to this, writers can ALSO participate in one of our various Challenges. There are just some few simple rules to follow for each of them - and most of these rules are common to all challenges. Although a writer is not obligated to enter any of these challenges to submit a story, the challenges might provide with the kind of inspiration or the incentive one might need to actually write something and submit it.

Many good writers were discovered during these challenges. Maybe this would be your chance too? If ever you are interested to submit to one of those challenges, you just have to contact the webmaster!

And more importantly: have fun!

HALLOWEEN CHALLENGE

A now traditional yearly event, the Halloween Challenge was first launched in 2002, one year and a half after the Spectrum Headquarters website was came online.  The Halloween Challenge was the first Fan fiction Challenge offered by the website, and is still today the most popular.   Very prolific and talented writers were discovered during the Halloween Challenge, which now, after 8 years of continuous success, counts near a hundred stories, written by regular or newcomers alike.

The Halloween Challenge also offers the chance to post pictures of their creation.  A 'Spectrum Costume Party' has been offered on a few years by members of the Spectrum HQ staff.

Stories submitted for the Halloween Challenge are posted between October 1st and October 31st, Halloween's night.  The Challenge is general launched in the middle of the summer.

To know more about the Challenge, and to learn how to participate, visit the Rules of Participation page, and you can also read all the stories presently online.

CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE

Launched in 2002, like the Halloween Challenge, the Christmas Challenge is launched directly after the Halloween one. Also a yearly event, this Challenge offers the chance to present stories with a lighter plot than the dark subjects general presented for the Halloween Challenge, using themes from the Holidays Season.  While stories as mostly Christmassy, 'New Year' themed stories are also presented during this challenge, and as a bonus, 'Captain Scarlet's birthday stories' are also posted for the occasion, and have become some kind of a tradition for the last years.

Another tradition, presented since 2005, is our now traditional "Unofficial Captain Scarlet Calendar", which is offered for download or online viewing to all our Spectrum HQ members.  Non members, however, can ask for the Calendar simply by writing an email to the webmaster.

People are also invited to submit pictures of their creation.

The stories submitted for the Christmas Challenge are posted between December 1st to January  31st, but on few occasions.  You can check our Rules of Participation to the Challenge and read our stories online.

CHALLENGE OF FIVE

This particular Challenge was launched in the start of 2006, to honour the Five Year Anniversary of the Spectrum Headquarters website.  The idea was for writers to present a story with a 'Five' theme (Five characters, five parts-story, a series of five stories of the same theme, five threats, etc.)   Two one-shots stories and two series have been posted so far.

While we're approaching the 20th anniversary of the website, this Challenge is still ongoing, and you are invited to check the Rules and stories to know what it's about.

END CREDITS CHALLENGE

Presented in 2003 by writer Lady Hawke, the End Credits Challenge (previously called the Spectrum Challenge), is the Spectrum Headquarters website's first all-year long challenge.   It offers writers a chance to write stories about the beautiful paintings created by Ron Embleton for the End Credits of the 'Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons' TV series.   Over the years, not only writers presented stories on one or more of the paintings, but also offered humorous captions, for EACH of the paintings.

The Challenge is still going on today. You can check the Rules or read the stories online.

MULTIVERSE CHALLENGE

Updated JULY 13 2020: New story posted!

Launched in 2004, the Multiverse Challenge is our second All-year long challenge.  Multiverse stories are a popular fixture in Fan Fiction writing, and comprises such themes as "Parallel Universes", "Inter-dimensional Worlds", "Future Stories", "Alternate Realities", "Crossovers", etc.   These kinds of stories permit writers to explore new and different possibilities in which the characters of Captain Scarlet would be presented to readers, where anything could happen.  These stories (reunited under the generic term 'Multiverse' often are presented during the Halloween Challenge, but could also be submitted to the website any time of the year.

Crossovers are particularly popular, especially when involving themes and characters from other Anderson series.  However, as there is already an 'Anderverse' in existence since the TV 21 comic strips, which already introduced aspects of other series into the background of the Captain Scarlet's characters, some of those stories might not be regarded as crossovers.  Characters from other series will have to play a significant role for a the story to be considered a crossover.

You can participate to this ongoing Challenge by checking the Rules.  Also check our list of Multiverse Stories and of Crossovers.

IF YOU HAVE AN IDEA FOR A CHALLENGE TO BE PRESENTED TO OUR VISITORS,   CONTACT THE WEBMASTER AT scarlet1bishop@hotmail.com!