Spooky Shorts
Write a short horror story including a candle in the window.
Prizes
- First place:
- $1,000
- Second place:
- $500
- Third place:
- $250
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Oct 09, 2020
Submissions closed
Oct 16, 2020 3:59 AM CUT
Results
Oct 20, 2020
Prizes
- First place:
- $1,000
- Second place:
- $500
- Third place:
- $250
Status
CompletedTimeline
Submissions opened
Oct 09, 2020
Submissions closed
Oct 16, 2020 3:59 AM CUT
Results
Oct 20, 2020
About this challenge
We're giving "ghostwriter" a whole new meaning with this week's challenge: Compose a creative horror story, fiction or creative nonfiction, no longer than 2,000 words. You can take the story in any direction you'd like—the only element of your tale we require is that you include a candle in a window at some point in your narrative. Whether it's an integral element to your story or just a brief detail, it's the only requirement your story must include. 🕯️
Enter the Spooky Shorts Challenge and get those creaky, cobwebby, creative wheels turning. We can't wait to be spooked senseless.
How to enter
For your story to be eligible, it must be between 600 and 2,000 words and adhere to our Community Guidelines. Stories published on Vocal and entered into the contest up until October 15, 2020, at 11:59 PM EST will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.
The Spooky Shorts Challenge is exclusive to Vocal+ members. To learn more and upgrade to Vocal+ visit https://dailyofferaccess.life/vocal-plus%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/a%3E.%3C/p%3E%3Cp class="css-1923z11-Text">To be eligible to win the grand prize, second place, or third place prizes, you must be over the age of 13 and residing in a country where Stripe is available at the time of entry. A complete list of countries where Stripe is available can be found here—winners will need to have a Stripe account created and connected in order to receive the prizes. For this reason, entrants located outside of any of these 35 countries will not be eligible to win.
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Challenge resources
A Transparent Look at Vocal Challenges and Top Stories
Almost three years ago, we shared a resource article that served as a place for people to suggest new challenge prompts. We thought it would be a good idea to refresh that thread, and take the opportunity to answer a few common questions about top stories, how challenges are judged and how submissions are reviewed.
By Vocal Curation Teamabout 11 hours ago in Resources
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Systems promise order. They organize behavior, distribute opportunity, and suggest that if everyone follows the rules, things will work. The entries in A System That Isn’t Working look closely at what happens when that promise begins to slip.
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