Academic Writing Month 2026: Free AcWriMo Writing Challenge

“4x Your Word Count” Communal Writing Challenge, Nov 2026

Boost your word count significantly before the year is out!

A free communal challenge to help academic writers show up, build momentum, and move a manuscript forward.

Express your interest

AcWriMo stands for Academic Writing Month, which derives from NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). This is a US initiative that takes place every November to help novelists; participants pledge to boost their word count during the month. The communal spirit of the program energizes participants to push through the pain, knowing they are joined by others around the world in the same endeavor.

In the academic world, writers pledge to make progress on their papers, theses, and other manuscripts.

This November, I'm offering a free online co-writing group: eight sessions in all, of one hour each, twice weekly. I also offer a writing app and a short weekly email to keep you going between sessions.

Past years have been a great success, and people have often told me that the only writing they've been able to do that week is during our co-writing sessions.

  • Show up

    Two focused, one-hour Zoom writing rooms each week in November.

  • Stay accountable

    Make a daily pledge and track the words you actually write.

  • Get energized

    Bring back the group’s energy to your day and the rest of the week.

  • Keep going

    Get practical prompts, tools, and encouragement in your inbox.

Questions about how it works?

  • Academic Writing Month, AcWriMo for short, is an annual global challenge that happens every November. It is aimed at academics, doctoral students, and researchers who set a writing goal and work toward it alongside a community of others doing the same.

    Participants challenge themselves to meet a self-set writing goal during November. Inspired by National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), it is especially useful for academics as it helps them move their projects forward in a sustained, committed fashion.

  • Anyone working on academic writing, whether it's a thesis, dissertation, journal article, book chapter, grant proposal, research article. You name it.

    You don't need to be enrolled in a program or affiliated with any particular university. If you've got a writing project and you want company and accountability while you do it, this is the right place for you.

  • Yes, it's completely free. All I ask is that you sign up with your email so you can get access to the sessions, the word count tracker, and the community updates throughout the month.

  • Tuesdays: 3, 10, 17 & 24 November
    Singapore 16:00 · London 08:00 · Paris 09:00
    Sydney 19:00 · Delhi 13:30 · US East Coast 03:00

    Thursdays: 5, 12, 19 & 26 November
    Singapore 21:00 · London 13:00 · Paris 14:00
    Delhi 18:30 · US East Coast 08:00
    Sydney: 00:00 Friday, 6, 13, 20 & 27 November

  • No fixed target — AcWriMo isn't about hitting some magic number, it's about showing up consistently and tracking your own progress. You set your own goal at the start of the month based on what's realistic for you, log your word count each day in the app, and watch it add up. Small, steady progress beats one heroic writing weekend every time.

  • ItemNaNoWriMo is built for fiction writers who need to produce 50,000 words of a novel in a month. AcWriMo borrows the spirit of that — accountability, community, momentum — but ruses it for academic writing, where the goals, the pace, and the kind of writing (and thinking) involved are completely different. There's no single word-count target; it's about building a sustainable writing practice for the work you're actually doing.

Write more this November.

Join the free challenge and be first to receive dates, writing-room links, and the preparation guide.