Space Swap is a multimedia exchange for fandoms of all sorts (books to RPF to music videos to etc.). The one criterion for inclusion is that the fandom be related to SPACE.

We run it along typical exchange lines: participants will sign up with requests and offers, will be matched via AO3, and will receive an assignment. By signing up, participants agree to make a fannish creation for their assigned participant. In turn, someone will make a fannish creation for them. You will need an AO3 account to participate. You also need to be 18+ and an adult in your jurisdiction.

We'll kick off the swap with a fandom recruitment phase in which everyone can wax poetic about their favourite space fandoms in the hopes of recruiting new fans. Following that we’ll hold nominations to get a set of fandoms for our swap, and then we'll have sign-ups and be off and running!
Note on treats: They are very welcome, and don't have to to fulfil the minimum creation requirements that main gifts do.

Nominations and Matching

During nominations, you can nominate up to 5 fandoms and up to 10 tags (character, relationship, or worldbuilding) in each. The nominations instructions post will be up before nominations start. Please obey its instructions.

When signing up, you can request 3-8 fandoms with 1-15 tags and offer 3-10 fandoms with 2-20 tags. We will also be matching on fanwork type, chosen from a ticky box. (You will have to choose at least one of the fanwork types, but feel free to tick all.)

Prompts are useful for giving your assigned writer somewhere to start from. We recommend writing prompts for each type of fanwork you requested, either into the box provided by AO3, or into a linked "Dear Creator" letter.

Matching will be based on your requests. If you have no possible creators, you'll be an initial pinch hit. If you have no possible recipients, you'll be asked to adjust your sign-up. Matching is OR matching. You will be guaranteed to match with someone who has offered at least 1 fandom that you have requested, and within that fandom, at least 1 of the tags (character/relationship/worlbuilding) and 1 of the fanwork types you have requested.

An example
If one of your requests is Mass Effect with the tags
Character: Ashley Williams
Relationship: Urdnot Wrex/Garrus Vakarian
Worldbuilding: Citadel Sewage System
and the medium
Fanart

and Alice has offered Mass Effect with
Character: Ashley Williams
Character: Garrus Vakarian
and the mediums
Fanfic
Fanart
you could match with Alice, because you share the Character: Ashley Williams tag and the Fanart medium. If you are matched, Alice will make you a fanart of Ashley.

If Betty has offered Mass Effect with
Character: Urdnot Wrex
Character: Garrus Vakarian
Relationship: Urdnot Wrex & Garrus Vakarian
and the medium
Fanart
you could not match with Betty, since you do not share any tags.

If Carol has offerend Mass Effect with
Character: Ashley Williams
Character: Urdnot Wrex
Character: Garrus Vakarian
and the medium
Fanfic
you could not match with Carol, since despite sharing the Character: Ashley Williams tag, you do not share a medium.

If you have matching concerns – e.g. you absolutely do not want to match with another participant – please contact the mod at extrapenguin at gmx dot com during sign-ups and state whether you do not want to create for the person, do not want that person to create for you, or both.

Fannish Creation Requirements

The minimum requirements are:

Fic - 1,000 words
Vid - 1 minute
Art - 1 finished illustration (with color and/or shading)
Podfic - 1,000 words of an existing story podficced OR 500 words of a new story, written and podficced
Interactive Fiction - 1,000 words total OR 3 different endings
Other - Something of equivalent effort to the above

You are, of course, welcome to do more and longer. The gift must be something that matches your recip's request and that you have reasonable cause to think they will like. "AI" works produced using a large language model (such as ChatGPT) or "art generators" (such as Midjourney) are prohibited.

Lineart is equivalent to a sketch. "Finished illustration" means that it has color or shading, and some sort of background.

If you are requesting podfic, please tell the potential podficcers whether you would be okay with your own works being podficced.

Interested in making something else? Comment on the nominations/nominations clarification posts and we'll add it in.

Treats are welcome, and do not have to meet the minimum creation requirements.

Eligibility

We are a space exchange. This includes "five-minute fandoms" (songs, music videos, posters, etc), Space Traveler RPF, Space Vehicles RPF, and space-themed Original Works. Essentially: is there space travel or the implication thereof? If there is, good. If there isn't, then this isn't the exchange for it. If it's borderline, it's up to you – would you be comfortable with having it in a space exchange?

Bans

Mods reserve the right to ban participants in cases of:

• Uploading placeholders instead of gifts at deadline
• Giving a gift calculated to upset or anger its recipient
• Other forms of bad faith participation

If the bad behavior displayed is sufficiently egregious, mods reserve the right to ban participants based on behavior in other exchanges. Banned participants will have their sign-ups deleted after sign-up have closed but before matching.

Schedule & Contact Info

All times below are given as 24-hour times. EEST/EET is the time zone of Finland. Sign-ups and nominations may start ahead of the given time, but will close when stated.
As always, works are revealed on Yuri's Night, the International Day of Human Space Flight.

Nominations start: Sun 26 Jan 17:00 EET (in your timezone)
Nominations end: Tue 4 Feb 17:00 EET (in your timezone | countdown)
Sign-ups start: Fri 7 Feb 17:00 EET (in your timezone)
Sign-ups end: Sun 16 Feb 17:00 EET (in your timezone | countdown)
Works due: Sat 5 Apr 17:00 EEST (in your timezone | countdown)
Works revealed: Sat 12 Apr 17:00 EEST (in your timezone | countdown)
Authors revealed: Sat 19 Apr 17:00 EEST (in your timezone | countdown)
If you have any questions or concerns, please comment on this post or contact extrapenguin via DW PM or e-mail at extrapenguin at gmx dot com, and we'll do our best to address them.