KINKALOT 2026

Kinkalot is an annual porn fest run by and for the BBC Merlin fandom, following in the footsteps of such fabulous forebears as Pornalot and the late, great Summer Pornathon.What is summer in the Merlin fandom without porn? No summer at all, in our opinion! So here we are, filling the hole, greasing the wheels, turning the knobs, and getting ready for a hot, kinky summer of filthy PWP goodness. We hope you'll join us!All ships, kinks, and creative formats welcome.

UPDATED: 20 July 2026Got a question? You're in the right place! Hopefully, you should be able to find some answers here!⚠️ IMPORTANT: We’re trying out a new fest structure for 2026, so please make sure you read through the rules and FAQ carefully, even if you have participated before! ⚠️

FAQs

So, what exactly is Kinkalot, and where has it been all my life?Kinkalot is a Merlin porn fest created to fill the void left by Pornalot, which was run by the much-loved Polomonkey from 2016–2018. Pornalot was itself designed to follow in the footsteps of Summer Pornathon, which ran from 2009–2015. In 2018, Polomonkey decided that Pornalot would be coming to an end, so when it came to 2019, we found ourselves asking: “Is it really Merlin fandom without a porny, kinky summer fest?” Obviously not! And thus, Kinkalot was born.Kinkalot celebrates both our love of Merlin and our love of porny fanworks. It runs over the course of August, with the aim of being a short, fun, kinky fest for the entire Merlin fandom (we ♥ you, Merlin fans!).Sounds good! How do I get involved?To take part in the fest, you must be over 18 years old—no exceptions!You will also need to check that you can meet the minimum participation requirements (see below for details) and join the Kinkalot Discord server to keep up with fest announcements and challenges. If you need help getting started, email [email protected] and we'll talk you through it.Otherwise, all you need to do to sign up is fill out the sign-up form before 31 July 2026.Okay, I can do that. But how does the fest work?As mentioned above, we’re trying out a new structure for the fest this year. Instead of running concurrent team and individual challenges, we’ve combined them both into one overarching challenge with different ways to participate.When you sign up for the fest, you’ll be asked to pick from one of three options based on your preferred participation level.🅱️ BINGO ONLY
♔ You’ll receive an individual 4x4 bingo card with 16 prompts to complete throughout the fest.
♔ You won’t participate in the weekly challenges, but you can still earn points for your team by completing fills, getting a bingo or blacking out your card.
♔ You will need to complete at least one (1) fill to participate.🗓️ WEEKLY CHALLENGES ONLY
♔ You won’t receive an individual bingo card, but you can still earn points for your team by entering and potentially placing in the weekly challenges.
♔ You will need to enter at least two (2) weekly challenges to participate.🏆 BOTH BINGO AND WEEKLY CHALLENGES
♔ You will receive a 4x4 bingo card to complete AND participate in the weekly challenges.
♔ You will need to complete at least one (1) fill AND enter at least two (2) challenges to participate.All participants will also need to vote on the weekly challenge entries regardless of which option they sign up for.Hm, that’s a tough decision. Can I change my mind later? / What if I need to drop out or can’t meet the minimum requirements because of reasons?We need to know who will be doing what in order to get the bingo cards set up and make sure the teams are balanced. To that end, while you can amend your sign-up form until the sign-ups close, once the fest has started you will not be able to change your mind—so choose wisely!That being said, we’ll do what we can to accommodate you if something comes up, so please reach out to your team mod ASAP if you find yourself unable to meet the minimum requirements for any reason. We understand that life happens, and we won’t be mad if you need to drop out or make some changes—all we ask is that you keep us in the loop and don’t ghost us or your teammates.Okay, so how will the teams work, then?Once the sign-ups are closed, we will divide the participants into two teams: the ⚔️ KNIGHTS and the ✨SORCERERS. Selection is semi-random, in that we do roll the dice but we will also try to achieve a relatively even distribution of participation types, veterans/newbies, artists/writers and so on between the teams. If there is someone you would not feel comfortable teaming up with, please PM us or send us a confidential email at [email protected] and we'll take it under advisement.Each team will have its own mod and a private team channel where you will be able to chat with and cheer on your fellow teammates. Completing bingo fills and/or participating in weekly challenges throughout the fest will earn your team points. The team with the most points at the end of the fest will be the winner!And how can I earn some of those sweet, sweet points?We're glad you asked! Check out the Rules and Scoring section for all the details.What kind of fanworks can I create for the fest?Pretty much anything you like! Fanart (digital or traditional), fan comics, podfic, fan vids, gif sets, manips, filk and fanfic are all welcome in this fest. If you want to submit another type of fanwork that we don't have set guidelines for, please talk to your team mod and we'll sort something out for you.Are there any no-gos for this fest, kink-wise? / Does my fanwork have to be super kinky?Nope! As long as it meets the other fest requirements, your fanwork can be as kinky or vanilla as you like. However, for the sake of the mods and your teammates, please make sure you include any and all relevant content warnings—especially for your challenge entries, as these will not have individual tags.What happens if I don't like a prompt or prompts on my bingo card?There will be space on the sign-up form for you to specify any kinks that you would prefer not to receive on your card. If you forget something, or one of your DNWs slips through, you will also have 48 hours to veto up to 3 prompts after receiving your card, and we will replace them with something else.Some kinks/tropes squick or trigger me. Do I have to read all the entries in order to vote each week?Not at all. We do our best to make sure the entries have appropriate content warnings in the headers, so as long as you're still able to vote for three (3) entries each week, you're always welcome to skip any or all entries that don't work for you.Can I submit all my entries as anon?Unfortunately, no. We need to know who you are so that we can assign points appropriately. If you don’t wish to be known under your usual username, we are happy for you to make a ‘sockpuppet’ account/name and submit your entries under that username. Just remember to use the same username throughout the fest for your entries and your votes.Can I use generative AI to create my fills/entries?No, that would be cheating! The use of generative AI in your creations (including, but not limited to, using tools such as ChatGPT to generate images, text or audio for the fest) will result in disqualification. Standard autocorrect or spellcheck is fine, but if in doubt, please ask a mod first.Can I use a beta for the fest?You’re welcome to ask someone to beta your entries for the weekly challenges provided that:
— they are not a participant in the fest;
— they do not vote on the entries for that challenge;
— they agree to keep your identity secret until after the voting has closed.There are no restrictions on betas for individual bingo fills, but you don’t have to use a beta for any of your entries or fills if you don’t want to.Can I prepare my fills/entries in advance / submit an old WIP for the fest?In keeping with the spirit of the fest, we ask that participants refrain from creating fills/entries until the prompts/challenges have been announced. If you happen to have an old WIP that fits a prompt or challenge, you can complete it and submit it for the fest provided it meets the other requirements (and has not already been shared elsewhere!); however, part of the fun of Kinkalot is the challenge, so we would prefer it if you only submit entries that were created specifically for the fest whenever possible.Help! I’m not sure what this prompt means / how do I know if my idea fits the prompt?That’s up to you! We don’t want a repeat of the Great Shotgun Wedding Debate of 2022 (iykyk 😅), so as long as you can give us a clear rationalisation for how your fanwork is related to the prompt, we will accept it.That being said, if we find a participant repeatedly posting fills that cannot reasonably be connected to the prompts, we will step in to keep things fair for everyone. Creativity and flexibility are encouraged, but we’re trusting you not to abuse the system.Help! My computer died / I slept through my alarm / I got hit by lightning and couldn't get my challenge entry in on time! Can I send it in anyway?Occasionally, shit happens, and we know how frustrating it can be to work hard on something only to be thwarted at the last minute by forces beyond your control.Unfortunately, in order to be fair to all participants, we will not be accepting any late entries once the submission forms have closed. Should you get caught short, you are welcome to repurpose your entry for another prompt or challenge if you wish, but we encourage all participants to submit their weekly challenge entries as early as possible to avoid unpleasant surprises.Help! I’m having technical problems / I think you guys made an error somewhere.If the technical problem/error pertains to a weekly challenge entry, please DO NOT address this publicly so as to retain your anonymity. Instead, message your team mod privately on Discord or send us an email and we will fix the issue as soon as possible.For all other types of problems/errors, you’re welcome to use any of the above methods or post in the #help-and-questions or #take-a-ticket-for-help channels in the Discord server.I’m participating in ALL THE THINGS. Can I cross-post my fill/entry for a different fest?Sure, that’s fine, provided that:
— the other fest’s rules allow it;
— the prompt/challenge for this fest is still the focus of your work, not an afterthought;
— weekly challenge entries remain anonymous until after voting has closed and the winners have been announced.I’m not interested in signing up as a participant. Can I still join in in some way?Absolutely! Provided you are over 18, you’re welcome to join the Kinkalot Discord server to chat in the common room areas and check out the amazing entries while the fest is ongoing; you can also follow along on Tumblr for fest updates and announcements.Other ways to participate include voting for your favourite entries in our Sunday voting posts and/or commenting on fanworks as they’re posted (this is always much appreciated!).I have a question that you haven’t covered here. How can I contact you?Please DM us on Discord, use our Discord ticketing system or contact us at [email protected] and we will get back to you.One last thing...As mods, we do our best to take your feedback onboard and make the fest fun and fair for everyone, but there is always an element of luck involved. Some people or teams may find that certain prompts/challenges hit more of a chord with them than others, and some people may choose to participate more (or less) than other team members. Regardless, we hope you will still have a good time. There will be an opportunity at the end of the fest to let us know what worked/didn’t work for you and make suggestions for the future—but be gentle with us, please; we are still learning and adapting!

RULES & SCORING

UPDATED: 20 July 2026HOW TO SCORE POINTS FOR YOUR TEAM🅱️ Everyone who signs up for an INDIVIDUAL BINGO CARD can earn team points by:
— Filling a prompt [+1 point]
— Achieving bingo in any direction [+3 points]
— Blacking out the whole card [+5 points]
— Completing the super secret bonus card [+4 points]🗓️ Everyone who signs up to enter WEEKLY CHALLENGES can earn team points by:
— Entering a weekly challenge [+2 points]
— Completing the super secret bonus challenge [+2 points]
— Placing third [+1 point]
— Placing second [+3 points]
— Placing first [+5 points]In addition, all participants will earn +1 point for voting on each weekly challenge, regardless of which option they have signed up for.RULES FOR FANWORKSAll fanworks must:
— be BBC Merlin related or inspired;
— be rated Mature or Explicit for sexual content;
— fit the relevant prompt or theme in some way;
— include any relevant content warnings (where applicable);
— be created by you, a human being, not an AI or your cat (although we’re open to being convinced about the cat).In addition, your fanworks must meet the specific challenge requirements below.🅱️ BINGO FILLS1. To count towards this challenge, your fills must:
— not be submitted as part of any weekly challenge;
— be posted to Kinkalot 2026 or the Kinkalot Anon 2026 AO3 Collection.
— meet the following format requirements:

2. Prompts may not be combined in the same fill. In other words, one prompt = one fill. This does not apply to the bonus card.3. Each fill must function as a standalone, even if part of a series or chaptered work.4. You may fill as many prompts as you like as many times as you like, but you will only receive points once per fill.5. Bingo can be achieved in any direction (vertical, horizontal, diagonal), but you will only receive points for bingo once.6. If you complete your original card before the fest is over, you will receive an additional 2x2 bonus card. To complete this card, you will need to pair each prompt with a second prompt of your choice from your original bingo card. In other words, one original prompt + one bonus prompt = one bonus fill. You will receive points for each fill, but not for bingo. Blacking out the entire bonus card will earn you an additional +4 points for your team.7. If you’re inspired by someone else’s work or your fill ends up resembling someone else’s, that’s fine, as long as they are clearly different fanworks. Direct copying or plagiarism will not be accepted.

🗓️ WEEKLY CHALLENGE ENTRIES1. You may submit one (1) entry per person, per challenge.2. To count towards this challenge, your entries must:
— not be posted elsewhere, including as part of the individual bingo challenge;
— be submitted on time (i.e. before the submission form closes);
— meet the following format requirements:

3. 🚨 KEEP THE KINK A SECRET.🚨 Do not post your entries or share identifying details before the results for this challenge are announced. Once the results post is up, you are free to post your entry wherever you like (including in our AO3 collection), but if you de-anon prior to the end of voting, your entry may be disqualified from this round.

RULES FOR VOTING1. Voting is open to everyone—you do not need to be signed up as a participant to vote on the weekly challenge entries; just fill out the voting form and you’re good to go.2. All Kinkalot participants must vote on all three weekly challenges to fulfill the minimum participation requirements for the fest.3. If you are participating in the fest, please vote with the same account as your sign up so that we can properly allocate points to you and your team.4. Please make sure you vote for three different entries each week. While the number of entries may vary, you will always have a maximum of 3 votes to cast and you can't vote for the same entry 3 times.5. Though there are options for first, second, and third choice, this is not a ranking system. Each vote counts the same.6. Please don't vote more than once! Let's keep things honourable and honest.7. Likewise, don't vote for your own entry or recruit others to vote for you. Seriously, that's like something Agravaine would do. You don't want to be Agravaine, do you?8. If you think you know who created a particular entry, no you don’t. Please do not speculate publicly on the identity of creators prior to the close of voting or attempt to game the system by only voting for your teammates. That will be considered cheating, and cheaters will be thrown in Sarrum’s pit.9. And finally, please remember to leave a comment on AO3 if you can. Comments are ♥ and we are all about sharing the kinky, porny love here at Kinkalot Towers!

2026 Fest Schedule

SIGN-UPS OPEN: 25 July 2026
SIGN-UPS CLOSE: 31 July 2026
WEEKLY CHALLENGE 1:
— OPEN: 1 Aug — 7 Aug
— VOTING: 7 Aug — 14 Aug
WEEKLY CHALLENGE 2:
— OPEN: 8 Aug — 14 Aug
— VOTING: 15 Aug — 21 Aug
WEEKLY CHALLENGE 3:
— OPEN: 15 Aug — 21 Aug
— VOTING: 22 Aug — 29 Aug
FEST ENDS: 31 August 2026

Kinkalot Teams

👉 TEAM SCOREBOARD 👈

2026 TEAM MEMBERS LIST