The Writers’ Alliance of Newfoundland and Labrador’s 2020 Halloween Spooky Story Writing Contest is now open for submissions!
Just like last year, we’re asking local writers “to put the quill to the quire, crafting up a spooky tale that would make HP Lovecraft have nightmares!”
As evidenced by the chilling submissions we received in previous years, there’s not only lot of talent in the local writing community – there’s so much imagination and creativity bursting forth from your admittedly somewhat scary brains!
Contest Details:
Contestants are welcome to submit flash fiction original material of any genre to a maximum of 1,000 words. Writing format is open to all: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, monologues, etc.
Submissions to be emailed to info@wanl.ca.
The deadline is October 5, 2020 at midnight.
An educated and professional jury of writers, actors, and horror fanatics will adjudicate the submissions, creating a shortlist of the top five entries.
The winners will then be chosen by the public via online voting.
Winners will be asked to record readings of their submissions, to be shared on social media. Mike Hickey of Fright Hype will be editing these filmed readings to ensure peak spookiness, and as a bonus prize, the top five authors will receive an MP4 copy of their filmed reading that can be used for promotion on their own personal social media platforms.
With respect to social distancing protocols and event gathing limitations, this eerie event will take place virtually. WANL Executive Director and Filmmaker Extraordinaire Mike Hickey will detail our winning submissions via Facebook Live on October 31, broadcasted from The Black Sheep on George Street.
Sponsors/Prizes:
Last year’s contest was sponsored by the following companies, who donated prizes for our winners: Engen Books, Boca Tapas Bar, Resource Centre For The Arts, TVAL Skincare, Fogtown Barber & Shop, Lester’s Farm Market, Fred’s Records, Rocket Bakery & Fresh Food, Elaine’s Books, The Doghouse, Unicornio Studio, and Sci-Fi on the Rock.
This year’s prizes/sponsors are TBA.
Judges:
Erin Mick is an actor and writer, currently pursuing a PhD in Cinema Studies at U of T, where she focusses her research on trauma and memory in contemporary horror film. She is one of several contributing authors to Engen Books’ just-released horror anthology TERROR NOVA, has been a co-host on Mike Hickey’s Fright Hype Podcast, has co-paneled horror conversations at Sci-Fi on the Rock, and has acted in some of Newfoundland’s growing base of horror film content. She presented her most recent academic work in Toronto this winter at U of T’s annual graduate conference (and then uhhh, well, everyone knows what happened, so there hasn’t been another conference…) a paper titled: “‘The same as being born, only backwards’: Befriending Death from Casper to The Haunting of Hill House.”
Mike Hickey: A Bestselling author & award-winning filmmaker, Mike created FRIGHT HYPE for Crypt TV in 2015 and has hosted the popular web series since, along carpet coverage and press events for major horror films. He has also written, directed, & produced a number of shorts and his upcoming anthology of Newfoundland inspired horror stories titled TERROR NOVA is due from Engen Books in the Fall of 2020. Mike currently lives in St John’s, Newfoundland with his wife, Maria, and their dog, Samhain (who responds to “Sam” and doesn’t respond to requests to stop pooping in the kitchen.)
Matthew LeDrew holds an Honours Degree in English from the Memorial University of Newfoundland with a minor in Anthropology, and studied Journalism at College of the North Atlantic in Stephenville, Newfoundland. He was honoured to be a jury member of the 2018 NLBA awards. He has written twenty-two novels for Engen Books: the ten-book Coral Beach Casefiles series, The Long Road, Cinders, Sinister Intent, Faith, Family Values, Fate’s Shadow, Jacobi Street, Touch Your Nose, Infinity, The Tourniquet Reprisal, Exodus of Angels, and, Garden of the 8th Circle, the latter four with co-author Ellen Curtis. Since 2007, he has travelled all over Canada promoting his work as well as teaching seminars on writing and publishing. Based in Newfoundland, Matthew also helps young Newfoundland authors become published through Engen Books.
Our 2019 winners:
🥇1st place: Josh Goudie
🥈2nd place: Ryan Belbin
🥉3rd place: Natasha Glover
Honourable mentions to Brad Dunne, Jon Dobbin, and Jen Corrigan.
Head over to WANL’s Facebook to view a playlist of all six videos from our amazingly talented local writers!
Questions? Concerns? Email Member Services Coordinator Wendy Rose!
