The Horror Writing Challenge

This is Bow & Chariot’s fourth official challenge, and we travel back to all things horror and dread.

Can you enter the shadows and crawl your way out?

Can you write a short story in 3,000 words or fewer that makes us want to see what’s giggling under the bed in the dead of night? Whether your story takes place at 3 a.m. in your own home, inside a poltergeist-infested bookstore, follows a wizard who learned blood magic or a possessed spaceship pilot, or leads us into a small town with strange rituals, we want to read it.

Oh, and it has to include our special theme and word.

Pre-registration opens on September 21st, 2026 and runs until October 16th at 11:59 PM CST.

The challenge officially begins on October 17th at 10:00 AM CST, when all pre-registered participants will be emailed the official rules and prompts (our special theme/phrase and word).

From that moment, writers will have two weeks, until October 30th at 11:59 PM CST to submit their completed story.

Winners will be announced on November 23rd.

Prizes

  • 1st Place: $500 and Publication on the Bow & Chariot website

  • 2nd Place: $300 and Publication on the Bow & Chariot website

  • 3rd Place: $100 and Publication on the Bow & Chariot website

  • All other entrants will be considered for publication.

    All prize amounts are in USD

    Prizes will be paid via PayPal only. Entrants are responsible for ensuring they can legally receive PayPal payments in their country. Due to U.S. law, we cannot send prize payments to residents of countries or regions under U.S. sanctions.

Guidelines

  • Word Count: 1000–3,000 words.

  • Genre: Stories must fall under the Horror umbrella. This includes, but is not limited to, Psychological Horror, Supernatural Horror, Gothic Horror, Cosmic Horror, Folk Horror, Body Horror, Occult Horror, Paranormal Horror, Sci-fi Horror, Dark Fantasy, and Horror Comedy. Don’t be afraid to push the limits as long as there is intention and purpose behind it.

  • All work must be unpublished, including self-published pieces on blogs, newsletters, or social media. Reprints will be disqualified.

  • Submissions must be written in English, though code-switching/meshing is welcome.

  • AI-generated work will be automatically disqualified without refund.

How It Works

  • Pre-register between September 21st – October 16th at 11:59 PM CST.

  • Challenge launch: October 17th at 10:00 AM CST.

    • You’ll receive the official prompts by email: Theme/Phrase and word

  • Write your Horror Story.

    • You’ll have until October 30th at 11:59 PM CST to finish and submit via our contest submission form.

  • Judging.

    • All stories are first read by Bow & Chariot editors. Shortlisted entries will be considered anonymously for final decisions.

  • Winners announced November 23rd.

Fees

  • Entry fee: $5 per story

  • Optional Feedback Add-On: $15 per story

    Includes

    • A paragraph of feedback. 

    • 2 strengths and 1-2 suggestions.

  • You may submit more than once, but each entry requires a separate fee.

Rights

  • Authors retain full copyright to their work.

  • By entering, you grant Bow & Chariot a non-exclusive license to publish winning stories and promote them across our channels (including short excerpts, social media graphics, or video teasers).

  • All other rights revert to you after publication.

Important Notes

  • Entry fees are non-refundable, even if you withdraw or your story is not selected.

  • We will be using JOTFORM to handle the submissions.

  • The contest is open internationally to writers age 18 or older, provided PayPal is available in their country and due to U.S. law, we cannot send prize payments to residents of countries or regions under U.S. sanctions.

Now, do you have the spell to bewitch us, Writer?

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