The Ghost Story Supernatural Fiction Award competition takes place twice yearly, with a cash award of $1,500 for the winning short stories, and $300 for each of two Honorable Mentions. The contest is not limited to traditional ghost stories: it’s open to any story containing a supernatural theme or element. The winning (not necessarily ghostly) stories are published on June 1 and Halloween. Please see our contest Guidelines for information on deadlines and other details.
FALL 2024 GHOST STORY CONTEST WINNERS
WINNER
To Those Affected By My Actions, by Emily Ver Steeg
HONORABLE MENTION
The Girl Who Slept With Death, by Deirdra McAfee
HONORABLE MENTION
The Western Reaches, by Caitlin A. Quinn
SPRING 2024 GHOST STORY CONTEST WINNERS
WINNER
Explorer, by Timothy Ziegenhagen
HONORABLE MENTION
The Witchcraft Defense, by Gerard J Waggett
HONORABLE MENTION
Eco-House Haunting, by Jack Sanger
FALL 2023 GHOST STORY CONTEST WINNERS
WINNER
Gina Of Golden Gardens, by Shala Erlich
HONORABLE MENTION
The #1 Draft Pick Will Be A Jinn . . . Trust That, by A. Grifa Ismaili
HONORABLE MENTION
The Cobbler’s Daughter, by Joseph Bathanti
HONORABLE MENTION
Chocolate Milk And Cigarettes, by Spencer Boyd
SPRING 2023 GHOST STORY CONTEST WINNERS
WINNER
The Carny, by Ann O’Mara Heyward
HONORABLE MENTION
Door To Door, by Ruth Schemmel
HONORABLE MENTION
The Ghost Between Us, by Amber Burke
FALL 2022 GHOST STORY CONTEST WINNERS
WINNER
Transcribed, by Heidi Marjamäki
HONORABLE MENTION
Heard Of A Power, by Demetrius Buckley
HONORABLE MENTION
That’s Never Happened Before, by Wesley Schaller
HONORABLE MENTION
Look Not Backwards, by Iqbal Hussain
SPRING 2022 GHOST STORY CONTEST WINNERS
WINNER
The Unseen, by Treanor Wooten Baring
HONORABLE MENTION
Docking The Blue Impossible, by Bradford Gyori
HONORABLE MENTION
The Hours, by Goldie Goldbloom
FALL 2021 GHOST STORY CONTEST WINNERS
WINNER
The Resurrectionist, by Robin Riopelle
HONORABLE MENTION
Crown Of Teeth, by Elizabeth Garrard
HONORABLE MENTION
What About You?, by Wesley Schaller
HONORABLE MENTION
They Are Gone From Sight, by Mathew
Sweet
SUMMER 2021 GHOST STORY CONTEST WINNERS
WINNER
Two Heads Are Better Than One, by Barnaby Conrad III
HONORABLE MENTION
Elegua, by Violet Augustine
HONORABLE MENTION
The Lodger, by C.C. Ashmead
FALL 2020 GHOST STORY CONTEST WINNERS
WINNER
Water Wanna Keep You, by Dominique Christina
HONORABLE MENTION
Wake, by David Lewis
HONORABLE MENTION
The Bridge, by Karthik Kotresh
SUMMER 2020 GHOST STORY CONTEST WINNERS
WINNER
Corpse Walks Into A Bar, by Lesley Bannatyne
HONORABLE MENTION
How To Reinvent Yourself, by May Kim
HONORABLE MENTION
Snake In The Attic, by Garret Johnson
FALL 2019 GHOST STORY CONTEST WINNERS
WINNER
Ford Moss, by Rowan Bowman
HONORABLE MENTION
Family Resemblance, by Pamela Johnson Parker
HONORABLE MENTION
Tryst, by Robert Walton
SUMMER 2019 GHOST STORY CONTEST WINNERS
WINNER
Cloudscape, by A.C. Koch
HONORABLE MENTION
The Mission Bell, by Lara Tupper
HONORABLE MENTION
Sun Of Brass, Moon Of Tin, by Leonard Onionhouse
FALL 2018 GHOST STORY CONTEST WINNERS
WINNER
Double Aspect, by David Wiseman
HONORABLE MENTION
Nephilim, by Bonnie Roop Bowles
HONORABLE MENTION
Tapas, by Robin Maginn
SUMMER 2018 GHOST STORY CONTEST WINNERS
WINNER
The Beast of Blanchland, by Rowan Bowman
HONORABLE MENTION
The Gazeeka Box, by Pat Ryan
SECOND HONORABLE MENTION
Eggshells & Changelings, by Meg Sipos
FALL 2017 GHOST STORY CONTEST WINNERS
WINNER
The Salish Sea Zombie, by A.J. Rutgers
HONORABLE MENTION
A Well-Urned Talent, by J.P. Egry
SECOND HONORABLE MENTION
Wilbur, by Rebecca Emanuelsen
SUMMER 2017 GHOST STORY CONTEST WINNERS
WINNER
The Donegal Suite, by Lisa Taddeo
HONORABLE MENTION
Fog, by Petra McQueen
SECOND HONORABLE MENTION
A Rational Explanation, by Ailsa Thom
FALL 2016 GHOST STORY CONTEST WINNERS
WINNER
Bubs & Johns, by JL Schneider
HONORABLE MENTION
God Appears To The Fisherman, by Matthew Stephen Sirois
SECOND HONORABLE MENTION
Moss Man, by Scott Loring Sanders
SUMMER 2016 GHOST STORY CONTEST WINNERS
WINNER
Negroes Anonymous, by Gene Bryan Johnson
HONORABLE MENTION
A Community Service Announcement, by Melanie Napthine
SECOND HONORABLE MENTION
Left of Heaven, by Dessa Wander
Holy Rollers, by Kevin McCarthy
FALL 2015 GHOST STORY CONTEST WINNERS
WINNER
House Ghosts, by Maura Stanton
HONORABLE MENTION (This time around, we’ve named two honorable mention stories by the same writer.)
Yamanba, by Ridge Carpenter
The Haunted Still, by Ridge Carpenter
SECOND HONORABLE MENTION
The Tattibogle, by Kristin J. Cooper
SUMMER 2015 GHOST STORY CONTEST WINNERS
WINNER
Guédé, by Rachel Wyman
HONORABLE MENTION
A Ghost of a Smell, by John Reaves
SECOND HONORABLE MENTION
A Nearly Perfect Five by Seven, by Rebecca Ring
