Scary Stories Competition 2024
STORY: “It was a dark and stormy night…”
Winners Announced
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Katherine Arden, our guest judge, is the author of the Winternight trilogy of fantasy novels and the YA horror series, Small Spaces.

This competition has ended. You can view upcoming competitions or check out who won below for future inspiration!
Overview
Who’s Eligible: Young Writers (13-19)Tooltip
Piece Length: 400-1000 words

Imagine sitting around a campfire, trees creaking in the wind and a flashlight illuminating your face… What story would you tell? You’d likely be thinking about ghost stories, strange howls in the dark, and urban legends you heard growing up. This month, dear writers, concoct an original spooky tale to put your readers on the edge of their seat. Make sure you leave something to the imagination—often the scariest stories are the ones that leave things unsaid! As filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock once said, “there is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.”

 

NOTE: We know the goal is to scare and be scared, but please do keep our Writing Guidelines in mind! Every piece published should be suitable for our entire audience of 13 to 19 year olds. Check out our Competition FAQs for more information.

 

**PRIZES** 

Winner will receive $100 and a copy of Guest Judge Katherine Arden's Small Spaces.

Runner-Up and Best Peer Review will each receive $50 and a copy of Guest Judge Katherine Arden's Small Spaces.

Competition Entries

Log in to see how other young writers from around the world have responded to the competition prompt!

The Forest

Reviewed by: cdthecoolcat (United States) Winner

Oct 25, 2024

Which aspects of this short story most drew you into the narrative? And which aspects scared you and/or kept you in suspense?

I've loved hiking since I was a kid, I spent a lot of my childhood hiking with my mom. I think lots of other people hike, so that makes it a sort of relatable thing, "What if that was me? I hike all the time!" In my opinion, relating to a story is what draws readers in. The scariest movies and stories are ones that are realistic, that make you anxious because they could happen to you. The way of writing also contributed to that, this writer has a huge talent when it comes t...
Ghosts of Regret

Reviewed by: EleanorMarie❤ (United States) Runner Up

Oct 28, 2024

Which aspects of this short story most drew you into the narrative? And which aspects scared you and/or kept you in suspense?

The way you tell the story, using "you" instead of other more commonly used pronouns was fantastic. What kept me in suspense were the little hints you dropped, as you moved through lyrical lines. The way you portrayed Regret and Exams as living beings gave me chills.
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