Writing contests. What do you think? Feedback wanted.

[[deleted user]]

Let’s talk about a writing contest.

Recently, at Horror After Dark, we hosted a short fiction contest. An announcement on the winner of that contest will be posted soon.

The contest was open to anyone. There was no entry fee. There was a cash prize. There was the opportunity for many of the top stories to be included in an anthology to be released next year. We chose a broad theme: Monsters. We had very flexible word count limits with a 3000 to 4500 word suggestion, but only enforcing an upper limit of 6500 words. We immediately got the attention of some well known authors. The contest was judged by some of Horror Aficionados Group’s top reviewers. Yet ultimately, the contest had very few submissions.

We have debated as to whether this was a matter of timing, or perhaps the word did not spread as expected. Maybe the web is saturated with such contests.

We did get some wonderful stories. We did not get enough polished stories to even begin to fill an anthology of any length.
Therefore, we want to have a new contest…or simply have open submissions. We want your feedback.

This is something we would like to turn into a regular series where we can release anthologies of the best short fiction once or twice a year. Because this is our first one, we do not have funds to pay authors for work. It was our hope that offering a modest cash prize and the promise of exposure, we could attract beginning and unpublished authors who want to get their name out there. We are also hoping to get some more established authors to contribute to the anthology in some capacity so that we may publish these new authors alongside some better known names. This kind of exposure is very nice.

So, while this is something of an experiment, it is not simply a side project. Publishing has already been arranged. Artwork is in development. We are ready to make this happen.

So, tell us what you would like to see in such a contest. What kind of theme for the contest is attractive? Should it be focused, like a particular kind of monster, or wide open, like “any supernatural story?” When would be a good time to open such a contest? What is a good duration of time between the opening prompt and the deadline for submission? What’s a good word count limit? Would you want to participate?

What do you have to say?

[Chisto]

I wish I had known. I would have entered that in a heart beat! next time!

[[deleted user]]

The next one is coming soon. I just want to iron out the details for the best possible outcome.

[Justin]

Usually people gather in swarms to be featured in anthologies lately so I'm a bit surprised you didn't get enough people. I just recently had a poem featured in an anthology in a horror based Facebook group. Perhaps try to expand your reach and create a Facebook or Twitter to better get the word out? Just a suggestion. Monsters is a simple theme too so you should have no problem getting people, unless of course your trying to get specific well known.