Halloween in the Hills
Horror Writing Contest​
Halloween in the Hills is the annual horror writing contest sponsored by the West Virginia Writers Inc, West Virginia's largest non-profit writing organization.
The contest was created to encourage children to write and to promote literacy--and possibly to fuel our addiction to horror fiction and poetry.
Submissions will be accepted from now until October 13th. We know that doesn't provide much time for editing, so we will focus on storytelling rather than grammar and writing mechanics.
CONTEST RULES:
Entries may be prose or poetry.
Please make sure your prose is no longer than 3000 words, and poetry is no more than 5 pages. Because the winning entries will be read aloud, please do not use any profanity or gratuitous violence. Those entries will either be disqualified or censored as needed.
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Entries will be judged by 1 or more people, depending on the number of entries. All decisions by judges and contest coordinator are final.
Entry Fee: All children in grades 5-12 may enter for free, and as many times as they like.
Contestants 18 or over are asked to make at least a $10 donation* to either Halloween in the Hills, or to West Virginia Writers Inc. This is simply to provide financial support for the contest and banquet to benefit the children. Any submissions from adults not accompanied by a donation will not be judged. If you would like to donate electronically, please use the donation button below, or send an electronic payment to wvwriters@gmail.com. If you need to mail a check, please make it out to West Virginia Writers Inc, and mail it to:
c/o M. Lynne Squires
P.O. Box 212
Scott Depot, WV 25560
Please be sure to put Halloween Writing in the memo field. Email a copy of the processed check to halloweeninthehills@gmail.com.
Mailed applications can be accepted if necessary. If you would like to mail your submission, please send an email to halloweeninthehills@gmail.com to request an address. Entries will not be returned.
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You may also submit your stories to halloweeninthehills@gmail.com. Be sure to include your name, phone number, and category.
*Any donations made to Halloween in the HIlls Contest are applied to an account specifically for contest use to cover any costs by the banquet, prize money, contest coordinator, speakers, judges, or other personnel in fulfillment of the contest. If possible, a breakdown of the donations received and their usage will be provided on a spreadsheet on this site. Funds may not be used for the present year. NO FUNDS will be utilized for personal use. If the contest is discontinued, all funds will be donated to the West Virginia Writers Inc.