JemCon 2025 Fan Fiction Contest: “No More Illusions”

In the episode “Glitter and Gold,” Jerrica Benton wrestles with the emotional toll of living a double life — especially when it comes to Rio. Her feelings of jealousy and confusion about Rio’s growing affection for Jem lead her to Synergy, who offers a simulated hologram of Rio to help Jerrica explore what might happen if she revealed the truth.

But what if things had gone differently?

In this alternate timeline, Synergy still creates the simulation — but this time, rather than only showing a version of Rio driven by anger and betrayal, Synergy reflects a range of possibilities, allowing Jerrica to explore not just fear, but hope. Instead of being discouraged, Jerrica emerges with the courage to tell the real Rio the truth — that she is Jem.

Your challenge

Write a story that picks up from this pivotal moment — Jerrica FINALLY tells Rio her secret. What happens next is entirely up to you!

  • Does Rio react with compassion, heartbreak, confusion — or something unexpected?

  • How does this truth affect their relationship? The band? The public image of Jem?

  • What role do the Holograms, Synergy, and even the Misfits play in the aftermath?

  • Does Jem’s honesty and vulnerability bring pain and chaos, or joy and freedom?

Whether dramatic, romantic, comedic, or daring, your story should explore the consequences — personal, professional, and emotional — of Jem and Jerrica finally stepping out from behind the illusion.

Your story must include:

  • Eastland Mall

  • Carowinds

  • Kate’s Skating Rink

Contest Rules and Guidelines

All entries must be submitted by 11:59 PM EST on August 1, 2025, to jemconforever@gmail.com with the subject line "JemCon 2025 Fanfiction Contest Entry".

All entries must be typed and presented in a serif or sans-serif 10- to 12-point font such as Arial or Times New Roman. Acceptable file formats include Microsoft Word, Google Doc, Open Office, rich text, plain text, or PDF documents.

It must contain between 500 and 6,000 words in the body of the story proper.

All entries must be "PG-rated", meaning no foul language or mature content. We want everyone, including the new Jemeration, to be able to enjoy your stories!

By entering this contest, the entrant agrees that the submitted work is their own original story, without the use of artificially-generated or plagiarized material. Authors are allowed to submit multiple stories. By entering this contest, the entrant agrees to allow their original work to be posted online, printed in the program and performed at live and streaming events connected to JemCon 2025. We will not post them or distribute them anywhere else, and we will fully credit all writers.

Entrants maintain full ownership of their story.

Judging

All entries will be reviewed by a panel of volunteer readers, who will select a winner based on the following criteria:

  • Originality, creativity, and "Universal Appeal"

  • Style and ease of reading (i.e. grammar, spelling, and punctuation)

  • Adherence to the theme and the rules listed above

  • Don't forget to include all the elements (Firebird “Disco Chicken” statue, green paint, and cinnamon sticks)

Prize

The winner will be featured in the JemCon 2025 Program and receive a special award! The JemCon team is super excited to read your totally outrageous stories! Now, it's time you got started getting down to business, and makin’ it happen