Can you tell us a story we won’t forget?
There is something about a ghost story that seems made for the darker nights of winter.
A half-heard footstep. A light where no light should be. A familiar place that suddenly feels unfamiliar. Or perhaps something altogether quieter; a memory, a presence, a voice from somewhere beyond our understanding.
This Christmas, The Writing Clubroom, in association with our sponsor Clubroom Press, is looking for an original ghost story that stays with us long after we’ve finished reading.
Your story might frighten us, unsettle us, move us or make us smile. It might be traditional or contemporary, supernatural or ambiguous, darkly comic or quietly haunting.
We’re not looking for a particular kind of ghost story.
We’re looking for a great story.
And we’d love to read yours.
The Competition
First Prize: £100
Free Entry
Maximum length: 5,000 words
Closing date: 11:59 pm GMT, 31 December 2026
Results: 15 January 2027
The competition is open internationally to writers aged 18 and over.
Alongside our winner, we will also recognise Second Place, Third Place and five Honourable Mentions.
The £100 First Prize is sponsored by Clubroom Press.
Does My Story Have to Be About Christmas?
No.
This is our Christmas Ghost Story Competition, but that doesn’t mean your story has to contain Christmas trees, snow, presents or Christmas Day.
The competition takes place over the Christmas season. The story itself simply needs to be a ghost story.
We want to give you as much freedom as possible to tell the story you want to tell.
So take us somewhere unexpected.
What Are We Looking For?
Above all, we want to discover a story we won’t forget.
We’ll be looking at the story as a whole, including its originality, storytelling, characters, atmosphere, voice and the effect it leaves behind.
A story doesn’t need to use all 5,000 words. If your story is complete in 2,000, don’t add another 3,000 simply because they’re available.
There is no formula we’re asking you to follow.
Surprise us.
Move us.
Unsettle us.
Make us want to turn the page.
Your Story Remains Yours
We think this is important enough to say clearly:
You retain copyright and all rights in your story.
Entering the competition does not transfer ownership, copyright or publishing rights to The Writing Clubroom or Clubroom Press.
Publication is not part of the prize and is not guaranteed.
However, as sponsor of the competition, Clubroom Press may subsequently wish to approach the author of a particularly outstanding story to discuss a possible publishing opportunity.
If that ever happened, it would be an entirely separate conversation between the writer and Clubroom Press. The writer would be under no obligation to accept.
How to Enter
Please submit one ghost story of no more than 5,000 words.
Your story should be sent as a Microsoft Word document (.doc or .docx).
Please do not put your name or other identifying information on the story itself, as entries will be judged anonymously wherever practicable.
In your covering email, please include:
Your full name
Your story title
Your country of residence
A contact email address
Attach your story and send your entry to:
competitions@thewritingclubroom.com
Please use the email subject:
Christmas Ghost Story Competition 2026
Entry is free and limited to one story per person.
Before entering, please read our Competition Terms & Conditions. Submission of an entry confirms acceptance of those terms.
Sponsored by Clubroom Press
We are delighted that the Christmas Ghost Story Competition 2026 is sponsored by Clubroom Press, the independent publishing house developing alongside The Writing Clubroom.
Clubroom Press shares our belief in encouraging writers, discovering distinctive voices and giving good writing the attention it deserves.
We’ll be sharing more about Clubroom Press over the coming weeks.
Ready to Begin?
Perhaps you already know who your ghost is.
Perhaps you know the place but not what happened there.
Perhaps all you have is an empty room, a winter evening and the uncomfortable feeling that somebody else has just walked in.
That’s enough.
Open a new page and see what happens.
Every great story begins with a single page. Perhaps the next one will be yours.
Christmas Ghost Story Competition 2026
£100 First Prize · Free Entry · Up to 5,000 Words
Entries close 11:59 pm GMT, 31 December 2026
Sponsored by Clubroom Press