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OPEN TO SUBMISSIONS!

The Ghost Story Supernatural Fiction Award

As we’ve done every spring and fall since 2015, The Ghost Story is running a competition for full-length short stories on a supernatural or magic realism theme—and we are now accepting submissions.

The winner receives $1,500 plus publication, and we also publish two honorable mention pieces, the authors of which each get a $300 cash award.

If you’re thinking of entering, please read the complete guidelines. The guidelines page also includes a link to our electronic submissions system.

And, if you’d like to read some of our past winners and honorable mentions, they’re all available for your reading pleasure here.

Cheers — The Editor

AWARD SEASON

Our Winter 2024 Flash Fiction Winners

As promised, here is the winning story, accompanied by three honorable mentions, in the latest running of The Screw Turn Flash Fiction Competition. We think you’ll find that, unlike a lot of ghost stories, three of our four award-winning pieces contain elements of humor—which we think is especially welcome in midwinter, and at a time when so much of the world seems to be shadowed by gloom. And our winning piece, a dark and twisted—but also funny—romance is especially appropriate for today’s romantic holiday. Happy reading—and Happy Valentines Day.

WINNER
He Loved His Mamma And His Mayonnaise” by Gerard J Waggett

HONORABLE MENTION
Keep Your Head On” by Robert Garner McBrearty

HONORABLE MENTION
The Rocking Chair” by William Weissinger

HONORABLE MENTION
Storm And A Lonely Headstone” by Ash Kennedy

COMING ATTRACTIONS

Our Valentine’s Gifts To Readers . . . And Writers

On February 14, we’ll be posting a whole new set of stories to read as we announce—and publish—the winner and honorable mentions in our Winter 2024 Screw Turn Flash Fiction Competition, which closed to submissions just two days ago. Come back then and give them a read.

The very next day, on February 15, we’ll be OPENING submissions to the Spring 2024 Ghost Story Supernatural Fiction Award contest, for full-length short stories on a supernatural or magic realism theme. If you’re a writer, you may want to take a look at our complete guidelines.

Happy reading—and exciting writing. — The Editor

BEST SMALL FICTIONS

Our Nominations For 2023

We’ve just handed in our nominations to the Best Small Fictions competition for flash fiction (1,000 words or fewer) published during the current year. Best Small Fictions allows us to enter five stories in the contest, and here are the ones we’ve presented to them, in no particular order:

Beat The Devil, by Mona Susan Power

The Barnyard And the Graveyard, by Maureen McEly

Night Marcher, by Michael Kaukeano Sonray-Kelly

The Pickup, by Kathryn Pratt Russell

The Lair, by Brid Cummings

Meanwhile, we are now accepting submissions to our own flash fiction contest—The Screw Turn Flash Fiction Competition. The Deadline is January 31, and the winner and honorable mention will be published on Valentine’s Day. Complete guidelines are available here.

Cheers—The Editor