Submissions Challenge!

Do you want to improve your chance of acceptance? If your work is accepted, do you want it (and you along with it) to receive special promotion and be part of an exclusive, themed Exhibit? Do you want to show off your awesome, versatile talent?

Respond to a Horrific Scribes Submissions Challenge!

We’re always open to general submissions of the sorts described in the main submission guidelines, but we’re also usually on the hunt for something in particular. Until July 15, 2026, we’re seeking submissions for our upcoming Special Exhibit “We shouldn’t be here,” stories (and perhaps some poems) about liminal spaces.

A liminal space is a place, usually human-made, that lacks living things, most notably people and/or crowds. Think dead malls, shopperless Home Depots, late-night highways, offices after hours, off-season airports, and cities during COVID. Though they can evoke a wide spectrum of emotions–sadness, loneliness, longing, and awe–foremost they evoke dread. Their presence in horror is impossible to ignore, from Kubrick’s legendary adaptation of The Shining (1980) to recent examples such as Genki Kawamura’s Exit 8 (2025). Stories submitted for this Challenge should focus on liminal spaces. Either the majority of your story should take place within one of these spaces, or the conflict and/or intrigue should revolve around such a space. 

We will NOT accept stories set in the Backrooms. 

Submit stories no later than midnight U.S. Pacific Time July 15.

Other than focusing on liminal spaces, submissions for the Challenge should follow all the regular submission guidelines, including the final step of submitting via this Google form: https://forms.gle/nrqoWsY1iY3dZphq8