Run the Contest in Your Classroom

The Halloween Horror Student Flash Fiction Contest works beautifully as a classroom or club activity. Every student writes an original horror, thriller, or dark fantasy flash fiction story on this year's theme, Urban Legends — it fits in a single class period and ties directly to writing standards. You pick your class's best, and we do the rest.

Who can run it: classroom teachers, school and public librarians, writing club and creative writing advisors, homeschool co-ops, and after-school or community writing programs. If you work with students in grades 9–12, you qualify — you don't need to be at a school.

Reserving from an official school or library address — e.g. .edu, .k12, .gov — confirms your spots straight away. Every other address is just as welcome; we simply confirm your group first, and email your code within 3 business days.

Because our authors read every entry personally, spots are limited. Once your classroom is confirmed, your spots are held all the way through the deadline — your students' entries are guaranteed no matter how busy the contest gets.

How it works

1. Reserve your classroom. Takes about two minutes and locks in your spots.
2. Assign the story. Students write; the classroom guide has a ready-to-use assignment sheet.
3. Collect signed parental consent. One form per student you plan to enter — this is required before you can submit. (included in teacher material)
4. Pick your top entries and submit. Use your classroom code to enter your best stories.