Spooky Story Contest 2026
Entries must be submitted by Saturday October 17th at 5 pm!
Contest guidelines:
- Stories may not exceed 5000 words (about 10 typed pages).
- Stories submitted after October 17 will not be eligible for the contest.
- Authors must be in grades K-12.
- One entry per author.
- Stories must have a beginning, a middle, and an end.
- Illustrations are permitted but not required.
- Stories should be spooky and/or scary.
- Stories should be typed or neatly written.
- The use of any kind of "AI" for plot or writing assistance is prohibited
- Adults can help with typing/neatness, but all other aspects of the story (e.g. plot, word choice, sentence structure) should be the work of the child entering the contest.
All entries will receive recognition and a small reward, and first, second a third place prizes will be awarded by grade. Stories need to be picked up by Saturday, November 21st at 5:00 pm, otherwise they will be recycled.
Winners will be announced at the Spooky Story Celebration on Saturday, November 7th at 3:00 pm!
