Home of the Ghost Story Awards
0ur Summer 2020 Ghost Story Supernatural Fiction Award-winning stories are now published. Have a look! And keep in mind that we’ll being accepting submissions to our Fall competition on August 1. Happy reading.
Hi, writers. Lest you think we might be distracted from reading your work by current events —we are not. In fact, reading stories submitted to The Ghost Story Supernatural Fiction Award competition is perhaps more important to us now than it’s ever been. Not only does reading your work help distract us from the non-supernatural horror going on around us, but it helps us focus on what is, and what always will be, the reason we do this thing: To showcase the best in supernatural short stories that the world has to offer. Thanks for listening. Kudos for continuing to produce art, though you might be frightened, and your heart might be breaking. We’ll get through this—maybe a little sadder, but also wiser and stronger. — Your Editor
Deadline: April 30 for The Ghost Story Supernatural Fiction Award competition. We want exciting, thought-provoking short stories incorporating a supernatural theme or element. Contemporary magic realism is more than welcome. $1,000 for the winner; two honorable mentions receive $250. Midsummer’s Eve online publication for all three, plus print anthology publication in Volume II of “21st Century Ghost Stories.” (Volume I was published in 2018 by Wyrd Harvest Press of Durham, U.K., and is available for purchase.) 1,500-10,000 words. $20 submission fee. Visit our Guidelines page.
The winner and two honorable mentions in our annual Screw Turn Flash Fiction Competition are now available for your reading enjoyment. This year, it’s a thoroughly international group of supernatural flash pieces, with a Canadian winner (for the second year in a row!) and two other fine stories from writers in England and the U.S. Have a look.
Indeed . . . The sand in trickling through the hourglass, the sun is slipping below the horizon, the pendulum is swinging to the bottom of the pit . . . or whatever ominous metaphor you prefer . . . our supernatural story contest has just a few short weeks left to run. The winner gets $500, plus publication both online and in our print anthology, 21st Century Ghost Stories—Volume II. Two honorable mentions receive $100 each, along with online and print publication.
But the deadline is midnight on January 31. So if you’re thinking about submitting, you need to hasten over to our contest page!
Once a year, TGS runs The Screw Turn Flash Fiction Competition for short-short stories on a supernatural theme. That time is now, now through January 31.
We’re looking for fiction pieces of up to 1,000 words that have something to do with the uncanny. And while we love a good ghost story, submissions to the competition certainly do not have to be about ghosts—previous winners of our contests have included pieces revolving around vampires, voodoo, shape-shifting, elves, time slips, demons, magic realism, psychological horror, and many aspects of fantasy. What matters to us is the power of the author’s imagination, and the quality of their writing. [Read more…] about It’s That Time Of Year!
The Screw Turn Flash Fiction Competition for supernatural and/or magic realism stories of 1,000 or fewer words runs only once a year—but that time now is almost here.
For particulars, visit our contest page. And of course, don’t forget to read the winning stories and honorable mentions from pervious years.
It’s Halloween—and therefore time to publish the winner and two honorable mentions in our biannual short story competition. They are now ready for your reading pleasure.
Twice each year, we award $1,000 to the best story submitted to our contest, and $250 to each of two honorable mentions. In addition, all three stories are published online and in our print anthology, 21st Century Ghost Stories.
One interesting footnote on this set of stories: the winning piece is by the first writer every to win this contest for a second time.
May these chilling stories haunt you pleasantly!
This piece from The Washington Post provides a great overview of the many types of ghosts in Japan, where for centuries the restless souls of the departed have played an important role in the national mythology.
Turn the sound up before you play this; it’ll give you a pleasant chill.
One thousand dollars to the winner, $250 to each of two honorable mentions. Custom illustration and publication for all three both online and in our upcoming print anthology, 21st Century Ghost Stories: Volume II.
Read our guidelines—and send us your story!
Ghost Rider photo by Gabriel Millos.