We are so close to the halfway mark of our November writing challenge! That can be such an exciting milestone, but it can also be the time where many people start to feel like they are losing motivation.
If that sounds like you, don’t worry: we’ve got you covered (literally)! One of the biggest pieces of feedback we’ve heard from the community is that the annual winner’s t-shirt has been sincerely missed. We are very excited to announce that we have partnered with DFTBA to bring the winner’s shirt back - alongside another new design to add to your collection!
Give yourself one more thing to look forward to with a prize waiting at the finish line! For the 2026 winners t-shirt, I drew inspiration from the incredible work of our team since launch. The mountainous trail depicts the journey we take with our rough drafts. The sea turtle and seagull are my iteration of our seaside aesthetic. Our little animal friends are also featured on our winner’s certificate, badges, and tracker, designed by NaNo 2.0 volunteer Ivy Chang!
We are also including a new t-shirt and mug all about the space required to get your wordcount up. Tell the world to leave you alone during writing time with our new t-shirt and coffee mug designed by NaNo 2.0 volunteer Lucie Lane. Here’s what she had to say about it!
“This design features the tongue-in-cheek slogan, “Don’t talk to me before I’ve finished my novel.” Despite being inspired by maximalist motivational memes, it’s a cool, minimalist design that can be worn or used year-round.”
Writing a novel in 30 days is not easy - and at the end, your draft will most certainly still need work before it’s ready for the world. In the meantime, we encourage you to celebrate your wins! And remember: you don’t have to write 50k words to be a winner - showing up for yourself and making space for art is worth more than any prize.
(Except t-shirts. You should definitely get a t-shirt. Available now on DFTBA!)
Talk soon,
Sara Skaines
