A Nightmare on George Street 2023

WOW – We’re still being haunted by the spooky vibes from last night’s “A Nightmare on George Street” event at The Black Sheep on George Street. 

Our 2023 ANOGS event was presented by WritersNL, AAMP – Association for the Arts in Mount Pearl, and the Atlantic Canada Chapter of the Horror Writers Association, and hosted by HWA-AC’s Mike Hickey.

We had SO much fun getting dressed up and watching readings from our top six authors while enjoying delicious Halloween treats and cold beverages!

WritersNL is very excited to announce our 2023 winners! By popular vote, this year’s top three submissions are:

 1st Place: $350: Tracy Kreuzburg
 2nd Place: $250: Willem Peters
 3rd Place: $150: Shawn Doyle

Congrats to all winners, and thanks to everyone who submitted to this year’s contest.

Please keep scrolling to enjoy a look at last night’s event at The Black Sheep, snapped by the wonderful Alick Tsui Photography – thanks Alick.

See all photos on WritersNL’s Facebook page by clicking here. Happy Halloween, all!

Year after year, WritersNL’s Members manage to give us a good dose of heebie-jeebies with their creepy, kooky, and altogether spooky tales…

WritersNL, Association for the Arts Mount Pearl, and the Atlantic Canada Chapter of the Horror Writers Association can’t wait to see what kind of scary stories you come up with in 2023, as our highly anticipated annual spooky story-writing contest returns to George Street in downtown St. John’s.

WritersNL, AAMP and HWA-AC will present the 2023 top submissions both IN-PERSON and VIRTUALLY.

Hosted by Mr. Spooky Season himself, Mike Hickey, readings + winner announcements will take place at The Black Sheep on George Street on Halloween Eve at 7 p.m. on Monday, October 30, 2023.

Here’s how it works:

First, we give our Membership the opportunity to answer this call for submissions and submit their work.

When the deadline passes, we’ll send all submissions along to our esteemed jury of freaky folks, who will determine our top six.
(Conjured up from the dark mists of the deep, WritersNL has assembled a jury of writers, actors, and horror fanatics to adjudicate this year’s submissions to create a shortlist of the top six entries. Stay tuned for jury details!)

At our event, our top six selections will be presented to the crowd, allowing folks on location and online to hear our top six spooky stories.

After hearing all six shortlisted works, in-person and virtual attendees will have the chance to vote for their favourite tale, ranking their faves via an online voting form.

We’ll calculate the results and celebrate our 2023 winners together in real-time, both in-person and via live-stream on location to crown and celebrate our 2023 winners together! What a party!

And the 2023 prizes are…

 1st Place: $350
 2nd Place: $250
 3rd Place: $150

Contest Details + Submission Guidelines:

Contestants are welcome to submit flash fiction original material of any genre to a maximum of 600 words, limited to one entry per Member.Writing format is open to all: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, monologues, etc.

*Please ensure your entry DOES NOT feature your name or any other identifying markers.*

PLEASE NOTE: this contest is open to WritersNL Members based in Newfoundland and Labrador only. (Contestants can become WritersNL Members upon submitting.)

Please send submissions to info@writersnl.ca.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: Friday, October 13, 2023 @ 11:59 p.m. NST

*Important Note For Contestants Based Outside Of St. John’s*

Shortlisted authors who are unable to attend an in-person event in St. John’s will be asked to record 5-7 minute-long readings of their submissions to be screened at our event.

Contestants will be responsible for recording + submitting their own readings:
• to be shot at the highest resolution possible
• in landscape mode (horizontally)
• in a well-lit and quiet environment
• for a total 5-7 minutes each, to a maximum of 7 minutes
+ bonus points for Halloween-themed decor!