Lunar Awards S10 | Round 5 is Closed | Horror
We are no longer accepting submissions for Round 5 | Hosted by Leigh Parrish
Welcome to the Lunar Awards!
The Lunar Awards is a yearlong event split into six genre-specific rounds (two rounds of Fantasy, Horror, and Science Fiction). At the end of the year, we’ll publish the winning stories in a physical book. We’ve reached Round 5, the second Horror round. Thanks for making Rounds 1–4 a success!
Leigh Parrish, writer of Halcyon Horror, is our judge for Round 5. Leigh is a fantastic writer and takes her time crafting her work. She writes historical and psychological horror, blending them to great effect. Leigh won Season 9 of the Lunar Awards for her short story “The Vigil,” and will be featured in the upcoming anthology “Take a Breath: A Collection of Claustrophobic Horror.”
Please read this post in its entirety before submitting a story. Any entries that do not follow the guidelines will not be accepted.
Your participation and stories make this event possible. Thanks for stopping by to give the Lunar Awards a chance. I wish you the best of luck for Round 5! ~ WM
Introduction by Leigh Parrish
People are often surprised when I tell them I write horror. Apparently, I don’t seem like the type. Maybe they expect someone a bit more elegant or mysterious or even unsettling. Not someone normal and decently well-adjusted who has a job and pays her taxes on time. Of course, most horror writers are perfectly normal. Or as normal as writers can be. But there’s something special about us all the same. Not everyone is willing to grapple with their fears publicly. It takes bravery to do that. To paraphrase the old saying, “No scares for the writer, no scares for the reader.” It’s vulnerability that makes for the best horror stories, and these are the kinds of stories I want to celebrate. Your stories. I’ve been continually amazed at the quality of the work published here, so I’m thrilled to judge this round of the Lunar Awards.
So tell me a good story about what scares you the most. I can’t wait to read it.
Season 10 | Round 5 Details
Please read the FAQ, which contains complete rules and word limits. If you have questions, ask in the comments.
Horror includes any of its subgenres: Historical, Supernatural, Gothic, Psychological, Slasher, Body, Monster, Cosmic (Lovecraftian), Folk, Survival, Sci-Fi, Campy, Post-Apocalyptic. Your story will be considered as long as it heavily features Horror elements.
Round 4 Schedule
September 15 - Open call for submissions
September 30 - Submissions closed
October 1 - Judging begins
October 20 - Judging concludes
October 26 - Winner and runner-up announced
For the complete schedule of Season 10, check out the post below:
Prizes
The winner will receive a permanent link on the Past Winners page and a high-resolution badge to display on their Substack.
The winner and runner-up will be offered a publication contract to be featured in the Lunar Awards official 2025 anthology.
The winner and runner-up will receive a 3-month trial to Storyletter XPress Publishing.
Featured authors in the anthology will receive a copy of the book after publication.
Entry
Post a link to your short story in the comments of this post. The entry will be verified with a “confirmed” comment. It will be temporarily declined if it violates a rule until a correction is made.
https://open.substack.com/pub/losersfiction/p/y-a-o?r=3517l8&utm_medium=ios
Good luck everyone
My entry for the Lunar Awards S10/R5 is a short tale of gripping horror that I hold complete rights to. I know this is something that still gives me a chill when I re-read it and I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. https://nicholassamuelstember.substack.com/p/in-the-dark