Do you love writing scary stories? We’re looking for the scariest, most imaginative tales for our upcoming Scary Story Writing Contest. Stories will be judged blind by a panel of library staff.
Story Submission Details
Eligibility: This contest is open to Authors in Grades 1-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12.
Prize: One author in each age category will win a grand Halloween-themed prize. Two runners-up in each category will receive prizes as well.
When: Submissions will be accepted Monday, September 21 through Saturday, October 10, 2026. To keep things fair, stories will not be accepted after 4 pm on Saturday, October 10. Winning stories will be announced on Monday, October 26.
How to Submit Your Story:
- Print and fill out this contest submission form. Bring it, along with a printed copy of your story, to the desk in the children’s department. Paper copies of the submission form are also available at the library.
Submission Details:
- Contact information must be legible, or we won’t be able to contact participants in the event of winning.
- Stories should be 1200 words or less.
- Submissions must be made on 8.5 x 11 paper (or smaller).
Other Important Information:
- Authors must have permission from their parent or guardian to participate.
- Stories must be original and must not have been previously published.
- Stories written by A.I. will not be accepted.
- Stories should not contain abusive language, graphic violence, and/or hate speech in words or images. (If you couldn’t share it in class, it’s not appropriate for this contest either.)
- Only one story per author.
- All stories must have one single author. Co-authoring is not permitted.
- Stories should be 1200 words or less.
- Illustrations are welcome but not required and do not count against the word limit. Choosing not to include illustrations will not affect final score.
- Adults can help with typing and submitting the story, but all other aspects must be the work of the child.
- If you have additional questions, you can call the library at (860) 668-3896 or email us at ref@suffield-library.org.