Cthulhu Mythos Fiction Writing Contest

The website Play@Yog Sothoth is putting on a Cthulhu Mythos fiction writing contest to celebrate its anniversary. Got an original story under 5,000 words that's burning to escape your Lovecraft haunted mind? Then perhaps you should stop by the site's forums and submit according to the guidelines there. The contest runs through the end of the year. Finalists will be announced in January, and a winner selected sometime by March, 2009. With the relative lack of new Cthulhu Mythos anthologies the past few months, this is a great avenue for new and experienced writers to get a Lovecraftian tale published and read by a fairly sizable audience.

The contest's complete details are below. For more information, see the official guidelines linked above.

• The competition is open to original and unpublished short Cthulhu Mythos fiction pieces not to exceed 5000 words.
• Entries outside the word limitation will be disregarded.
• One entry permitted per author.
• All entries must be in English, original, unpublished, and not submitted elsewhere until the winners are announced.
• Play@YSDC reserves the one-time publication rights of all entrants - a submitted entry assumes you agree to this.
• Entrants retain reprint and copy rights to their work.
• Entries must be submitted electronically (via email), either in the form of a plain text file, a Microsoft Word document or standard PC-compatible email body text to fictioncontest@callofcthulhu.org.uk by midnight (GMT) December 31st 2008 with subject line reading: Play@YSDC Mythos Fiction Contest 2008
• Make sure to include the title and word count of your piece.
• All successful entries will be published on the Play@YSDC website.
• Submissions will be disregarded if they breach existing copyright.


• Judging will be based on the emailed submission, do not submit more than once. Judges will agree a finalist shortlist of at least five entries for final voting by the members of the Play@YSDC site.
• Finalists will be notified by email will commencing 1st February 2009. The overall winner (by member vote) by the end of February 2009.
• Judges, Administrators of Play@YSDC and members of their immediate family are not permitted to enter the competition.
• Illustrations of any kind are not permitted.

-Grim Blogger