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This October, we’re celebrating the spookiest night of the year with the writers whose stories stood out in Written in the Dark, our contest for emerging voices in literary horror. Launched on September 18th, the contest aims to bring fresh horror to a wider audience and help the best stories get discovered by producers behind films on Netflix, HBO and Amazon.
Our team received nearly 500 horror short stories (!), and the jury spent the last two weeks immersed in their haunting narratives, so the choice was not easy.
Meet this year’s Written in the Dark winners:

First place

Occupied by Carlos Reyes Cantu

“What makes this a great short story is its universal nature. Most of us have stayed in an Airbnb, a timeshare, a house swap or something along those lines, and it’s that universality that makes it feel familiar, yet uniquely terrifying. The specificity in the story is great too: where the key is left, the little house rules. These are the details we all identify with. The dog may be one of the best ‘non-characters’ I have read in a short story to date, and Evan’s turn is at once creepy yet somewhat comforting. Can’t wait to discuss more and see where this can go.”

Prize: $1,500 and a direct pitch for a movie adaptation to Nightmare Street Studios, a Wonder Street company.

Second place

The Cistern by Jorge A. Granados

“Cistern paints a frightening picture of the dark corners of a man’s life and what it takes for his son to reckon with his death. The butcher shop and the Albuquerque neighborhood it inhabits truly read like characters in the story.”

Prize: $1,000.

Third place

Quiet reel by Prem

“Quiet Reel is a wonderfully crafted story that brings us back to the era of silent films, in all of their elegant glory. The sounds, as well as the silence, echo back off of the page as you read this frightening tale.”

Prize: $500.

Readers’ Choice

Red String by Kyla Elec Jireh Rone
Prize: $1,000, awarded to the story with the most reader votes.

Congratulations to the winners!

Thank you to everyone who shared a story, read the entries, or cast a vote. We’re grateful to our judges, Mark Holder, Andrew Wilson and Christine Holder for their dedication and for helping bring these new voices into the light.
Read the winning and participating stories: written.app/witd
Join Written’s Discord or follow us on Instagram to get notified about future contests.
Onwards and upwards!