Upcoming Contests
Frightening Fall Short Story Contest
Write a short story (1,000–1,500 words) inspired by Halloween. It can be spooky, funny, mysterious, magical, or heartfelt — as long as it captures the spirit of the season.
Some angles participants might explore:
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A girl who discovers she has a superpower on Halloween night.
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A haunted house story with an unexpected twist.
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A mystery that takes place during a costume party.
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A friendship or romance set against the backdrop of Halloween traditions.
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A mystical tale about life after death
Contest Details
Deadline: October 5, 2025
Winners Announcement: Oct 20th, 2025
Word Count: 1,000–1,500 words.
Eligibility: This contest is open to girls in 7th-12th grade.
Prizes
Become a Published Author
15–20 contestants will be published in our next anthology.
Gifts
Each winner will receive a printed copy of the anthology, a Certificate of Excellence, a featued author bio on Ambition Crush and a special gift.
Cash
The top 3 winners will receive a cash prize:
1st Place: $200
2nd Place: $100
3rd Place: $50
Contest Rules
Who can submit a story?
High school-aged girls (9th – 12th grade) from anywhere in the United States.
Is there an application fee?
No. You may submit your story for free. You can submit up to 2 stories. Be sure to submit them in seperate forms.
Do you accept previously submitted work? What if I'm also submitting my story somewhere else?
We are fine with your submitting previously written work, as long as you are the writer. However, previously published work will not be eligible to be published through Ambition Crush or our publishing partners.
What length must the work be?
Your short story must be no shorter than 1000 words and no longer than $1500 words.
Will I receive feedback on my submission?
Unfortunately, we cannot provide custom feedback to every participant. However, our first, second and third place winners will receive feedback from our judges.
What about editing and style guidelines?
Keep it common:
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- Font Color: Black
- Font Size: 12 pt throughout, – titles and subtitles in bold
- Font Type: Times or Times New Roman
- Left aligned.
- 1.5 or double-spaced.
- Margins: 1 inch top and bottom, and on the sides is safe. One space after periods. There should be no extra returns after paragraphs unless you have a meaningful reason for the extra space.
Contest Dates
Submissiions for the Frightening Fall Short Story contests are now through October 5. We will not be reviewing any work submitted after that day.
What We're Looking For & How We Choose Winners
Judges consist of our board members, qualified volunteers, and student alumni. We judge loosely based on the following criteria:
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Creativity & Originality (30%)
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Storytelling & Structure (30%)
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Character Development (20%)
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Use of Theme (10%)
- Style & Voice (10%)
Most importantly, we’re looking for an entertaining story that we’d like to read again. Something that makes us wish we could read more.
Your work should be down-to-earth, informal and draw the reader in. We are not looking for anything that is essentially academic in tone.
Please be sure to spell check your story and read it aloud to yourself to ensure that your grammar and sentences flow.
Work that has too many errors will not be considered. If that happens, you will receive an email and may resubmit the work after making corrections, as long as it is still before the contest deadline.
What should I know?
You must have your parents’ or guardian’s permission to participate.
You must agree to our contest terms and conditions.
By submitting your work, you are giving us permission to commercially publish your work on our website(s) and in digital and print formats.