Lunar Awards S11 | Round 2 | Horror

Submissions are open!

Photo by Daniel Jensen on Unsplash

Welcome to Round 2 of the Lunar Awards: Horror

The Lunar Awards is a yearlong event broken into six rounds focusing on three genres (Fantasy, Horror, and Science Fiction). At the end of the year, we’ll publish the winning stories in a physical book.

My name is Shaina Read, author of Kindling, and I’m your Horror Ambassador for the Lunar Awards.

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 giving the Lunar Awards a chance. We wish you the best of luck! And please comment or DM us with any questions.

Your Judge: Garen Marie

Greetings, fellow writers. I’m Garen Marie, creator of Only Child Originals, and I’m so honored to be a judge for Round 2 of the Lunar Awards: Horror.

You may know me from the Substack events I’ve organized, including The Twelve Days of Christmas—Dark Tidings, Small & Scary / Big & Beastly, and this year’s Spring Fever! Horror in Bloom. My short horror stories have appeared in the anthology Give Us This Day from Drek, Death and Doom Publishing as well as the upcoming Eye See You collection from TiF Press.

I love reading and writing horror because it has an uncanny way of getting at the truth. Stories that confront the eerie, macabre, or disturbing do us all a great service by prying up the seemingly ordinary stones of human nature and revealing the wriggling creatures underneath. There’s much to learn from poking around in that hidden underbelly and taking a good, long look at what we find there.

And so, for me, the best horror goes beyond blood and guts and aims straight for the heart. Horror stories thrill and scare, but the ones that take it to the next level understand the risk and reward of confronting the darkness that dwells in all of us.

Writing down these demons takes courage. Sharing your work with others is an act of bravery. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to read your words. I can’t wait to see what strange and unsettling tales you have in store for me.

Season 11 | Round 2 Details

Please read the FAQ for 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 2 Schedule

• March 20 - Open call for submissions.

• March 30 - Submissions close, judging begins.

• April 26 - Winner and runner-up announced.

Prizes

• The winner will receive a permanent link on the Past Winners page.

• The winner and runner-up will be offered a publication contract to be featured in the Lunar Awards next anthology.

• Featured authors in the anthology will receive a copy of the book after publication.

For entry

Submit your story here:

Or copy/paste this link: https://forms.gle/c27NmnSRMWHZfk6TA

How do the awards work?

1. A writer subscribes to the Lunar Awards and is notified via a post when a new round starts.

2. The writer reads the rules, selects a story that fits the genre or theme, removes any attributable information (e.g., author name, website, Substack links), and submits the story via the round’s form.

3. A round lasts roughly 37 days (10 days for submissions and 27 days for judging). When it ends, subscribers receive a post identifying the winner and the runner-up.

What are the general award entry rules?

• It must be written in English.

• It must be a .docx or .pdf file format.

• It must be speculative (Science Fiction, Fantasy, or Horror).

• Only one submission per writer per round is allowed.

• A submission will only be considered once. Do not resubmit the same short story over multiple rounds, even if it has been edited.

• A comment on the round’s post does not have to accompany your form submission during the submission period. But you may add one if you desire.

• The previous round winner of any genre is not eligible to participate in the following rounds for that season.

What are the Short Story category award entry rules?

• It must be between 1000–10,000 words. Word count limitations are necessary to maintain fairness.

• It must be a short story. Micro fiction, flash fiction, novellas, novelettes, novels, or serials will not be accepted.

• Choose-your-own-adventure or interactive fiction will not be eligible.

• You must own the rights to your story.

• It can be published on Substack on any date. It doesn’t have to be published during the submission timeframe for the round.

• It must be standalone (no serials or parts), but it can be a part of an anthology or a shared universe.

• It must match the current round’s genre.

What is a Short Story?

A great short story makes a promise at the start and makes good on that promise by the end. Don’t leave the reader hanging. You can use an even balance of character, plot, and setting, or you can lean heavily into any of those. Avoid familiar tropes, but don’t be afraid to explore common themes from a fresh perspective. It should be polished to the best of your ability. Editorial control over the entire piece is essential – you know what to leave and what to cut. However, it will not be rejected for a few spelling mistakes.

Images are not allowed.

What is Speculative Fiction?

Speculative is the broad range of genres encompassing Science Fiction and Fantasy, including hard science fiction, fables, sword and sorcery, creature features, space opera, time travel, low fantasy, magic realism, etc. There are too many sub-genres to name them all. Dark speculative is allowed, which may cross over into Horror.

The subject matter is left to the author’s imagination.

Do I have to subscribe to the Lunar Awards to be considered?

Yes. The winner will be announced here before an author is contacted directly. This will also be the central location to announce future seasons, essays, reviews, and interviews.

Is there a reading or award entry fee?

Never!

Are AI submissions allowed?

Absolutely not. If you have to ask how much or how little AI can be used to write the story, you should not submit it for consideration.

What are the judging criteria?

In short, the Lunar Awards look at:

• Genre suitability

• Mastery of storytelling

• Originality

• Editorial control

Discrimination Policy:

The Lunar Awards doesn’t discriminate or give preferential treatment. Decisions are made purely on the merits outlined in the judging criteria. Personal bios of any kind should not be included in the comments or submissions. Anyone who wants to know more about you can visit your Substack. Credentials are not necessary. The number of publication subscribers, comments, and likes on a short story doesn’t matter. The goal is to find and award the absolute best speculative fiction on Substack.

Why only a 10-day round for each genre?

It limits the number of entries, and having only one genre per round allows writers to compete against their peers.

Is there an actual award?

The winning submission will be permanently linked on the Past Winners page. The submission and author will also be featured in a spotlight post.

Winning and runner-up writers will be offered a publishing contract to be included in the official Lunar Awards annual anthology.

Submit your story here:

Or copy/paste this link: https://forms.gle/c27NmnSRMWHZfk6TA

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