We know that This Is Horror has some enthusiastic fans of the genre in all its forms out there, but what we would like to know is whether there are any budding authors amongst them? If so, then now’s your chance to impress us by entering this superb competition, presented to you by the discerning people at Spectral Press and This Is Horror. And, of course, there are some outstanding prizes to be won.
The grand prize is a lifetime’s subscription to every single publication put out by Spectral Press from 2012 onwards, as well as getting the story published in a future anthology or chapbook! Second prize is a year’s subscription (four issues) of the acclaimed Spectral chapbooks (from Volume V on), with the third prize winner receiving one future publication of their choice! Any ephemera, like bookmarks, postcards and posters, will also be included in each of the winner’s prizes if available, etc.
Please Note: all editions awarded will be standard editions – ultra-limited editions are not part of the prize.
So, how do you go about getting a chance to win any one of these delicious prizes? To be in with a chance of winning third prize simply send an e-mail entitled ‘Spectral competition’ to Michael@ThisIsHorror.co.uk. To win first or second prize, all you have to do is write us an original ghostly/supernatural story, about 7500 – 8000 words – think along the lines of MR James, Algernon Blackwood, HP Lovecraft and Arthur Machen, the masters of late nineteenth and early twentieth century supernatural/weird fiction. In other words, what we’re looking for are imaginative, atmospheric and unsettling tales, where suggestion, implication, tension and suspense play leading roles.
The story submitted must be totally original. It must not have been previously published or submitted anywhere else. All entries must be sent to Michael@ThisIsHorror.co.uk subject line ‘Spectral/This Is Horror short story competition’, no later than January 31 2012. This competition is open to all writers, except those who have already been asked to submit material for the Spectral chapbooks. The competition’s judges will be Simon Marshall-Jones, editor/publisher at Spectral Press, and Michael Wilson, editor of This Is Horror – all decisions will be final and binding. By entering, competition winners agree that the stories will become the property of Spectral Press for an agreed period of time and will be edited – if your story is not selected as one of the winners, authors are free to submit their stories elsewhere after the winners have been announced.
So what are you waiting for?
