$5,000 Reward: Official Rules
Last updated 15 September 2026
No purchase or payment is necessary to enter or win. This is a contest of skill: the winner is chosen by judges on the criteria below, not by chance. Apple is not a sponsor of this contest and is not involved in any way.
1. Who runs it
The DibDab $5,000 Reward (the “Contest”) is run by Zeebo UK Limited, 49 Greek Street, London W1D 4EG, United Kingdom (company number 05977542) (“DibDab”). Questions: support@dibdab.xyz.
2. Dates
Entries open at 12:00 a.m. on 1 January 2027 and close at 11:59 p.m. on 31 December 2027, UK time (the “Entry Period”). Late entries aren’t judged.
3. Who can enter
- You must be 18 or older and live in the United Kingdom or the United States.
- The Contest is void where it’s prohibited or restricted by law.
- Employees and contractors of DibDab, their immediate families and people living in their household can’t enter.
4. How to enter
- Download the free DibDab app and open Write.
- Start a story in Cowriter and write chapters one to three, meeting the minimum length shown in the app.
- Tap Submit for review during the Entry Period.
You can submit up to three different stories. Each story can win only once, and each person can win only once.
5. What counts as an entry
- Your own story: it must be your original work, in English, and not previously published or entered in another contest that’s still being judged.
- Using Cowriter’s AI: you may use Cowriter’s AI tools, including Draft it, but you must be the author. Entries that are mostly AI-generated with little writing of your own won’t win.
- No one else’s work: the story must not copy anyone else’s work or use characters, worlds or brands you don’t have the rights to. Retellings of public-domain stories are fine.
- Community Guidelines: it must follow DibDab’s Community Guidelines. Stories are PG-13, with no hate, no explicit sexual content and no real people’s private information.
- Human review: every entry is read by a person. We may disqualify entries that break these rules.
6. How the winner is chosen
After human review, eligible entries may be played to a small group of listeners (the “Drop Test”). A panel of DibDab editors then scores every eligible entry:
| Criteria | Weight |
|---|---|
| Hook and originality | 30% |
| Storytelling, characters and voice | 30% |
| Cliffhangers and how well it works as audio | 20% |
| Listener response in the Drop Test (how many keep listening) | 20% |
The highest-scoring entry wins. If scores are tied, the judges break the tie on hook and originality. The judges’ decisions are final. Judging finishes by 31 January 2028.
7. The reward
- One winner receives US$5,000, paid by bank transfer or PayPal within 30 days of verification.
- No swaps: the reward can’t be transferred or swapped for anything else.
- Taxes: you’re responsible for any taxes, and we may ask for tax forms such as a W-9 or W-8BEN before paying.
- Fees: any bank or currency conversion fees are paid by the winner.
8. Winner verification
We’ll email the winner using the address on their DibDab account or submission. The winner has 14 days to reply and confirm their eligibility, identity and that the story is their own. If they don’t reply, aren’t eligible or can’t confirm, we may pick the next highest-scoring entry.
9. Your story, your rights
- Copyright: you keep the copyright in your story.
- Licence for the Contest: by entering, you give DibDab a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to review, store, judge and play your entry to listeners in the Drop Test during the Contest.
- Publishing: DibDab publishes and voices a story in full only under a separate creator agreement that you choose to sign. Under that agreement you earn 50% of the revenue your story makes. Winning doesn’t require you to sign it.
- Publicity: if you win, you agree that DibDab may use your pen name, story title and a short excerpt to announce the result, unless the law where you live requires your separate consent.
10. The small print
- Changes: DibDab may cancel, pause or change the Contest if fraud, technical problems or anything outside our control affects it. If that happens, we’ll judge eligible entries received before the change.
- Liability: to the extent the law allows, DibDab isn’t responsible for entries that are lost, late or corrupted, or for harm arising from the Contest or the reward. Nothing in these rules limits liability that can’t legally be limited.
- Privacy: we use entrants’ information as described in our Privacy Policy.
- Governing law: these rules are governed by the laws of England and Wales.
- Winner’s name: for the winner’s pen name after the Contest ends, email support@dibdab.xyz.