Written by Emily Harstone February 2nd, 2017

The Next Great Horror Writer Contest

The Next Great Horror Writer Contest is a fee free competition running this spring. It is being hosted by the HorrorAddicts.net podcast.

Think of The Next Great Horror Writer Contest as Project Runway for horror writers. Except it is a podcast, so there is no need for anyone to be on camera.

Writers are put through a series of challenges and judged by a variety of accomplished judges. At the end of the contest, a winner will be declared based on points received throughout the challenges.

The judges include the author Annette Curtis Klause, producer and director Frank H. Woodward, and the author and editor Dairo Ciriello.

The winner will receive a variety of prizes including a book contract with Crystal Lake Publishing (who has published Neil Gaiman and Wes Craven.).

Winners of individual competitions during the larger competition will also receive prizes, some paying, some not.

You must apply to participate by March 1st, 2017. The competition runs from March through October.

In order to participate you must meet the following qualifications

You must be 18 years or older. (Or will be 18 by March 1, 2017)
*You must not currently be a HorrorAddicts.net staff member.
*You must be able to write and communicate in English, even if it’s your second language.
*You have to be a newbie—meaning you do not have a book-sized publication for sale with a publisher. Nothing over 10,000 words can be for sale by anyone but yourself. So self-pub authors are eligible.
*You are committed to doing your best to complete in each challenge by the deadline and in theme. Challenges run from March 2017-October 2017.

To learn more about the opportunity visit their website here.

 

We Send You Publishers Seeking Submissions.

Sign up for our free e-magazine and we will send you reviews of publishers seeking short stories, poetry, essays, and books.

Subscribe now and we'll send you a free copy of our book Submit, Publish, Repeat

Ten Manuscript Publishers Open to Direct Submissions in June 2025

Ten Manuscript Publishers Open to Direct Submissions in June 2025

International publishers and small presses open to direct submissions. No agent required.

Fish Barrel Review: Now Seeking Submissions

Fish Barrel Review: Now Seeking Submissions

An online journal seeking fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and art. The deadline is July 1st.

Unusual Writing Formats: When Your Story Demands Footnotes, Letters, or a Series of Haikus

Unusual Writing Formats: When Your Story Demands Footnotes, Letters, or a Series of Haikus

“We’re not sure what we just read, but we’re a little scared.”

36 Themed Calls and Contests for June 2025

36 Themed Calls and Contests for June 2025

These are themed calls and contests for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Some of the call themes are: the uncanny; cryptids; numerical; birds; train; it was paradise; best dressed; sweet hereafter; science; and stories of galactic pest control. THEMED CALLS Talk Vomit: The uncanny“Our summer edition theme is the uncanny, however you interpret that. What happens when…