Shortlist

Over 120 Story Submissions

57 Stories selected for the Shortlist and Amazon Kindle book

Voice Message

(Check volume, and click   🔊   icon below to hear audio message)

  Every October brings our annual “Scary” contest, which is always a great favorite.  You writers outdid yourself this year with stories of ghosts and ghouls and monsters, but also with stories featuring very relatable, endearing characters. We shiver with delicious fear as we read, or shed a tear or two, or simply share in the joys and sorrows of being human. These stories will never fail to entertain and inspire us all for many Halloweens to come!

Thanks to each of you for another highly successful contest!

We had a very large number of submissions to our annual Halloween contest.  From the list of over 120 entries, twelve Finalists were chosen.  In addition to the Grand Winner and the two Runners Up listed above, the other finalists are listed below in alphabetical order:

For the first time, a second category was created for Scary stories!  This new category is called “Sweet/Scary” and includes the stories that were outstanding for their beauty and delicacy, or their sweetness.  There were four winners in this category, listed below by ranking.  “Scary” doesn’t always have to be terrifying!

Congratulations to the writers whose stories made the shortlist!
  • All selected stories were formatted and edited for publishing in our eBooks Collection.
  • Voice.club Staff will select the Grand Winner from the shortlist.
  • Public voting will select 1st, 2nd and 3rd winners.
  • Check your My Account page to watch your likes and credits accumulate!

There’s a like button at the bottom of each story.  Each “like” = 1 vote.

(All Prizes and Rewards are only paid out via Amazon Gift Cards)
Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds

Contest

2021-Flash-05

(CLOSED)

Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds
Scary!
  • Grand Prize (Staff Pick) – $50 Amazon Gift Card
  • First prize (Public Voting) – $25 Amazon Gift Card
  • Free Google SignIn, and Free Contest Submission

2021-Flash-05
"Scary"

It’s that time of year again! Here in the Northern Hemisphere, the days are getting shorter, the nights longer.  Halloween is just around the corner, with its pumpkins and witches, harvest moons and black cats.
We invite you to write a story of 350 words or less with a Halloween theme.  Your story can be frightening, funny, supernatural, spooky – just as long as it is in the spirit of Halloween.  Some of our past shortlisted scary stories might inspire you! 
Good luck in the contest!

Double-check your story against the rules below, and make all corrections BEFORE you submit!  Multiple entries of the same story will be disqualified.

Ensure your submission follows these rules:
  • Correct length (350 words or less)
  • Correct spelling and grammar
  • Family-friendly content
Include some reference to a Halloween theme
    5 1 vote
    Post Rating
    13 Comments
    Oldest
    Newest Most Voted
    Inline Feedbacks
    View all comments
    Sandra James
    Sandra James(@sandra-james)
    1 year ago

    Thank you for this latest contest! My head is already buzzing with ideas  ? 

    Leyla Unerli
    Leyla Unerli(@leyla-unerli)
    1 year ago

    Does it have to be a story or can it be a script or poetry?

    Carrie OLeary
    Carrie OLeary(@carrie-oleary)
    Reply to  Leyla Unerli
    1 year ago

    I’m not much of a poet, but it would be nice to see a poetry contest at some time. There doesn’t seem to be a very big outlet for short poetry, and I do love to read a good poem from time to time. I also have a friend who writes poetry, well, she’s Emily’s friend from her synchronized skating days, but I got to know her and her mum quite well.… Read more »

    Sandra James
    Sandra James(@sandra-james)
    Reply to  Carrie OLeary
    1 year ago

    I would really like to see a poetry contest in the future, too. I love the flash fiction contests, the wonderful prompts that inspire me and reading the incredible variety of stories from fellow members. A poetry contest would be a great bonus. My grade six teacher cruelly told me the poems I’d tried so hard to write for homework were ‘not very good’ 🙁 I resolved to never try again but,… Read more »

    Carrie OLeary
    Carrie OLeary(@carrie-oleary)
    1 year ago

    I can hardly believe we’re back to this time of year again. It only feels like five minutes since I wrote my stories for last years ‘scary’ themed contest. It’s such a fun and diverse theme, I’m sure our cauldrons are brimming and boiling over with ideas. Let the fun commence ?

    Eduardo Olivares
    Eduardo Olivares(@eduardo-olivares)
    1 year ago

    Oh my, oh my. Halloween makes me want to ghostly write… if you know what I mean… ?  ?  ? 

    Leyla Unerli
    Leyla Unerli(@leyla-unerli)
    1 year ago

    Is this contest unlimited entries?

    Melissa Taggart
    Melissa Taggart(@melissa-taggart)
    1 year ago

    Can I ask what “under review” means if I find it attached to one of my stories? I love this theme by the way, so much fun!

    Melissa Taggart
    Melissa Taggart(@melissa-taggart)
    Reply to  Voice-Team
    1 year ago

    Thanks for explaining it to me! I just thought maybe I had done something wrong ? . I’m thankful for the clarification!

    Last edited 1 year ago by Melissa Taggart
    Carrie OLeary
    Carrie OLeary(@carrie-oleary)
    Reply to  Melissa Taggart
    1 year ago

    I love this theme too. I rarely write stories that don’t have at least a touch of the supernatural, so this theme is right up my street. There are some superb stories that have been early shortlisted to read too. So much fun, and makes Halloween more enjoyable for this introvert at least! ?

    Recent Comments

    13
    0
    Selected Authors may submit comments (5 Credits)x
    ()
    x
    Scroll to Top

    Sharing a Post

    Why do my friends need to SignIn to read the post I shared?

    Actually, this is a voting security feature. During public voting, only club members can read posts submitted for that contest. Since anyone reading the story is able to vote (click the Like button), we reserve these capabilities to members who SignIn. Before we implemented this security feature, people were voting multiple times and making the public voting process unfair and out of balance. To fix this, our staff finally decided to allow only members who SignIn to read the stories. Membership is free and easy, and ensures our club is safe, secure, and family-friendly!