A Summer Reading Selection

One of our most chilling stories over the past five years: this summer 2016 honorable mention piece by Australian writer Melanie Napthine. As Henry James noted, it’s always more horrifying with children involved. You can read it here. Our fall competition opens August 1.

You Can Check Out Any Time You Like—But You Can Never Leave

Just a little over two weeks until we begin accepting submissions for the Fall 2020 Ghost Story Supernatural Fiction Award competition. Meanwhile, on a dark desert highway, “The Mission Bell”—Lara Tupper’s summer 2019 honorable mention story—offers a literary riff on the Eagles tune, “Hotel California.” Any time of year . . . you can read it here.

The Full-Length Fiction Contest Runs Spring & Fall

A month from today—August 1—we begin accepting submissions for The Ghost Story Supernatural Fiction Award. Halloween publication, $1k first prize. Magic realism and supernatural short stories. Can’t wait to start reading again!

May You Have A Chilling Summer Solstice!

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.

The Supernatural Fiction Award—A Message

 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

The Ghost Story Supernatural Fiction Award

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.

For Your Reading Pleasure

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. 

The Door Is Creaking Closed On The 2020 Screw Turn Flash Fiction Competition

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!

. . . Time To Submit Flash Fiction Stories!

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!

Open for Submissions December 15

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.