The Funniest Military Story Contest — Official Rules
Sponsor and Publisher: Black Creek Comics. Website: Uniformly Funny. Effective Date: September 22, 2026.
These Official Rules govern each Funniest Military Story Contest conducted by Black Creek Comics through Uniformly Funny. Stories selected for a contest may be published in a printed book that is distributed and sold.
1. Eligibility
Entrants must be at least 18 years old. A firsthand entrant must have served in the United States military, including any branch, era, active duty, Reserve, or National Guard. A family member or other authorized storyteller who did not serve may submit a secondhand story on behalf of a service member or veteran only with that person’s permission. Every story must be identified as either firsthand or secondhand, and a secondhand submission must identify the submitter’s relationship to the service member or veteran. A valid telephone number is required for finalist verification and prize eligibility. An entry submitted without a telephone number may still be considered for publication at Black Creek Comics’ discretion, but it cannot become a finalist or receive a contest prize. Void where prohibited or restricted by applicable law.
2. Contest Period and Entry Limits
Each book volume will have its own contest and entry period. The Volume One contest opens on September 24, 2026, and closes on December 31, 2026. Winners will be announced on January 15, 2027. Entries are accepted only through the official Uniformly Funny submission form. An entrant may submit no more than two entries per email address during any seven-day period. No purchase is necessary. Each future volume, including Volume Two, will have its own contest period and applicable Official Rules.
3. Story Requirements
A submitted story must: be between 200 and 1,500 words; be humorous and connected to United States military life; be substantially true to the teller’s recollection and not knowingly fabricated or materially misrepresented; be the entrant’s original work or submitted with all necessary rights and permissions; be unpublished, unless Black Creek Comics expressly permits otherwise; not contain classified, controlled, or operationally sensitive information; avoid real names and identifying information about other people unless the entrant has permission or reasonably determines that the information may lawfully be published; comply with all applicable laws. Black Creek Comics may reject material containing hate speech, unlawful material, material that exploits or sensationalizes sexual assault, material targeting protected groups, or material that presents unreasonable legal, privacy, safety, or reputational concerns. Entrants should not submit classified information, military operational information, personally identifying information belonging to other people, or information they are not legally authorized to disclose.
4. Originality and Use of Artificial Intelligence
The story and underlying narrative must be the entrant’s own work or a work the entrant is legally authorized to submit. Artificial intelligence tools may be used for limited assistance such as spelling, grammar, or proofreading, but entrants may not submit a substantially AI-generated story as their own original work. Black Creek Comics may reject an entry if it reasonably determines that the entrant has misrepresented the origin or authorship of the submission.
5. Judging and Selection
Eligible entries will be evaluated by a judging panel selected by Black Creek Comics. Judging may consider humor, originality, storytelling, entertainment value, and overall suitability for publication. Judging is subjective. There is no public vote. Black Creek Comics may conduct preliminary screening before an entry is submitted to the judging panel. In the event of a tie, the judging panel may conduct an additional review and resolve the tie by majority vote. All judging decisions are final, subject to applicable law.
6. Finalist Verification
Finalists will be invited to participate in a brief telephone or video conversation and answer reasonable questions about their submission. Black Creek Comics may request information reasonably necessary to verify eligibility, authorship, permission, identity, or the authenticity of the story. A finalist may be disqualified for failing eligibility, inadequate rights, materially false information, a knowingly fabricated story, rule violations, or fraud. Providing a telephone number does not guarantee finalist selection.
7. Prizes
The following prizes apply to the Volume One contest. Grand Prize: $500, one copy of the applicable published book, and intended placement as the opening story of that volume. Second Place: $250 and one copy of the applicable published book. Third Place: $100 and one copy of the applicable published book. Ten Runners-Up: one copy of the applicable published book and contributor credit in print. The first-, second-, and third-place prizes will be offered again for Volume Two and each later volume. Prizes will be paid by mailed check within 45 days after the winners are announced. Winners are responsible for any applicable taxes and for providing information reasonably necessary for required tax reporting. Book copies and intended story placement depend upon publication of the applicable volume and may be subject to reasonable editorial, legal, production, or formatting requirements. Printed book copies awarded as prizes will be mailed within 45 days after the applicable volume is printed.
8. Publication and Editorial Rights
Submitting an entry does not guarantee publication or selection for a prize. Black Creek Comics may accept, reject, hold, fact-check, edit, or decline to publish any submission. For a selected story, Black Creek Comics may make reasonable editorial changes for grammar, spelling, punctuation, clarity, length, privacy, legal compliance, formatting, or publication requirements. Black Creek Comics will endeavor to preserve the contributor’s original voice and meaning. Black Creek Comics may remove or alter identifying information concerning other individuals when reasonably necessary to protect privacy or reduce legal or safety concerns.
9. Contest Changes or Cancellation
Black Creek Comics reserves the right, to the extent permitted by law, to modify, suspend, postpone, or cancel a contest when reasonably necessary because of circumstances beyond its reasonable control, technical problems, legal requirements, fraud, security concerns, or other circumstances that could materially affect fairness or operation. If a contest is canceled after winners have been properly determined, Black Creek Comics will make reasonable efforts to honor awarded cash prizes unless prohibited or made impracticable by applicable law or circumstances beyond its reasonable control.
10. Publicity
Except where prohibited by law, Black Creek Comics may identify contest winners and published contributors by their chosen display name and may use reasonable biographical information, photographs, statements, or likenesses provided or authorized by the contributor for contest and publication-related publicity. Any separate publicity consent required by applicable law will be obtained when necessary.
11. Copyright and Submission Rights
Entrants retain ownership of the copyright in their original stories. Submission does not transfer ownership to Black Creek Comics. By submitting, the entrant agrees to the rights and license provisions in the Uniformly Funny Terms of Service. For a story selected for publication, the contributor grants Black Creek Comics the publication rights described in those Terms, including the right to reproduce, edit, publish, distribute, display, promote, advertise, and sell the story in connection with Uniformly Funny, the applicable contest, and applicable print or digital publications.
12. Entrant Representations
By submitting, the entrant represents: eligibility; ownership/control of rights; no knowing infringement; required permission for secondhand stories; no knowingly submitted classified or operationally sensitive information; no knowingly defamatory, unlawful, or privacy-invasive material; and accurate information to the best of their knowledge.
13. Disqualification
Black Creek Comics may disqualify any entry or entrant that it reasonably determines has violated these Official Rules, provided materially false information, submitted unauthorized material, interfered with the contest, attempted to manipulate judging, or engaged in fraudulent or abusive conduct.
14. Military Affiliation Disclaimer
The Funniest Military Story Contest and Uniformly Funny are independently operated by Black Creek Comics. Black Creek Comics is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or operated by the United States government or any branch of the United States Armed Forces. Stories published through Uniformly Funny represent the experiences or recollections of their contributors and do not necessarily represent the views, policies, practices, or official positions of the United States government or any branch of the United States Armed Forces.
15. General Conditions
These Official Rules should be read together with the Uniformly Funny Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. If these Official Rules conflict with the Terms of Service regarding a specific contest, these Official Rules control with respect to that contest. Black Creek Comics reserves the right to interpret and administer these Official Rules in good faith, subject to applicable law. The governing-law, venue, arbitration, and official legal/contact-address provisions will be completed before public launch.