by Editor
on February 15, 2024
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
by Editor
on February 14, 2024
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
by Editor
on February 3, 2024
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
by Editor
on December 3, 2023
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
