1st Annual Raina Sullivan HORROR FICTION SHORT STORY CONTEST 2026
Submission’s Period 03/05/2026 - 06/01/2026
$100 First Place Prize
$5 Submission’s Fee
Reprints Accepted
No multiple submissions
No AI assisted or AI generated work
3000 words maximum
Submission’s period 03/05/2026 - 06/01/2026
$100 First Place Prize
$5 Submission’s Fee
Reprints Accepted
No multiple submissions
No AI assisted or AI generated work
3000 words or less
THE PROCESS
Samjoko Magazine is pleased to announce the 1st Annual Raina Sullivan Horror Fiction Contest. One third of all proceeds will go to American Cancer Society.
To participate, email samjokomagazine@outlook.com
The Contest
Samjoko Magazine is proud to announce the 1st Annual Raina Sullivan Horror Contest. The deadline for submissions is June 1st, 2026.
The winner(s) will be announced Halloween, October 31st, 2026.
While submissions to the magazine remain free, the contest will have an entrance fee of $5. You can only enter one piece of horror fiction, which should be 3000 words or less.
Horror is a big umbrella, so instead of trying to define it, we will list examples of what we consider to be horror fiction below.
Horror Fiction Short Stories
THE PROCESS
The story should be 3000 words or less.
In order to facilitate transparency in the contest, we will list the titles of all stories entered into the contest on the website. For anonymity, the author’s name will not be listed.
We will whittle down submissions to the top 10%, at which point a judge, potentially two, yet to be announced, will make a decision for the winning story. If there is an excess of submissions, we will have a 2nd place prize of $50. There could potentially be a third-place prize, also, if there is a large number of submissions. However, the top prize of $100 is the baseline for the competition.
Payment can be made through PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle. All entrants are nonrefundable. As questions come up, we will send additional emails to clarify any points that remain confusing.
Every piece that does not make it into the top 10% will receive a written response of 50 words maximum why it did not advance. This is not a critique of the quality of the submission. We simply want all participants to know that their entrants were read and seriously considered.
How to Participate
Email Samjoko Magazine for the participant form. Once filled out, choose the method of payment and submit the participant form and the submission. An invoice will be sent in reply. Only after payment is made will the submission be considered eligible and added to the list.
How to Format
Absolutely no PDFs, for either submission or participant’s filled out form. Story format should be Times New Roman, 12” Font, Double Spaced. 3000 words maximum. Send file as .doc or .docx only. No PDFs under any circumstances.
If these guidelines are not followed, pieces will be automatically disqualified.
In order to facilitate transparency in the contest, we will list the titles of all stories entered into the contest on the website. For anonymity, the author’s name will not be listed.
We will whittle down submissions to the top 10%, at which point a judge, potentially two, yet to be announced, will make a decision for the winning story. If there is an excess of submissions, we will have a 2nd place prize of $50. There could potentially be a third-place prize, also, if there is a large number of submissions. However, the top prize of $100 is the baseline for the competition.
The Contest will run from January 1st, 2026 to June 1st, 2026. The winner(s) will be announced on Halloween, October 31st, 2026.
Payment can be made through PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle. All entrants are nonrefundable. As questions come up, we will send additional emails to clarify any points that remain confusing.
How to Participate
The story should be 3000 words or less.
Email Samjoko Magazine for the participant form. Once filled out, choose the method of payment and submit the participant form and the submission. An invoice will be sent in reply. Only after payment is made will the submission be considered eligible and added to the list.
How to Format
Absolutely no PDFs, for either submission or participant’s filled out form. Story format should be Times New Roman, 12” Font, Double Spaced. 3000 words maximum. Send file as .doc or .docx only. No PDFs under any circumstances.
If these guidelines are not followed, pieces will be automatically disqualified.
The story should be 3000 words or less.
ENTRANT’S TITLE AND DATE