Member-Sponsored Fear, The Mind-Killer Contest
Details
| Deadline: | Oct 15, 2019 |
| Fee: | Free |
Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
— Dune, by Frank Herbert
They say fear is all in the mind... and we agree. Invoke the demons of the mind. Summon such impossible and maddening horrors from the deepest wells of irrational thought. Those shadows lurking on the edge of consciousness... are they real, or simply denizens of a twisted imagination? That strange sound you heard, that sense of foreboding breathing down your neck... a threat, or merely a whisper of delusion?
This Halloween, we invite you to tell us a story that delves into the psychology of fear. What if our ability to distinguish reality from fantasy became compromised? What if our brain trapped us in a world of our worst fears, surrounded by manifestations of dread and despair? What if something sinister lurked beneath that wholesome veneer of normalcy, malevolent and terrible, yet secreted away just out of sight? What if the mind proved the most terrifying monster of all?
Entries should explore the psychology of fear, and the myriad ways in which this vexatious emotion can skew our perception and affect the world.
They say that fear is all in the mind... so show us what sort of unspeakable terrors lurk within yours.
Prize money for this contest is provided by the Scribophile Writing Contest Prize Fund.
Winning entries
Winners have been announced! Log in to see them.
Prizes
| 1st prize: | $100 cash via PayPal |
| 2nd prize: | $75 cash via PayPal |
| 3rd prize: | $50 cash via PayPal |
| 4th prize: | 20 karma points |
| 5th prize: | 10 karma points |
Rules
Entries must be received by October 15th, 2019, 11:59pm UTC.
Entries must be 3,000 words or less.
Multiple entries are not allowed.
Fiction only, please.
No poetry or novel chapters.
Work must have Public visibility on Scribophile until winners are announced.
If you have placed in a contest in the past with a piece, you may not resubmit that piece to this contest.
Submission guidelines
To enter the contest, post your work on Scribophile and check the box that says “Enter this work into the Member-Sponsored Fear, The Mind-Killer Contest.”
Entry is free, but you’ll need karma points to post your work. You can earn karma points by writing critiques of other member’s work.
Winners should be announced by Oct 31st... in time for Hallowe'en!