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[Title] => Fright Club
[Description] => Can you scare someone in just 100 words?
[Subheading] => A knock at the door. A figure in the dark. A curse. A missing person. A ghost who's having the time of their afterlife...
[Age] => Ideal for 10-18 years
[Intro] =>
Fright Club challenges students to create an original ghost story in just 100 words. Creepy, mysterious, funny, or truly terrifying, the story is theirs.
DEADLINE EXTENDED!
New Closing Date: Friday, November 13, 2026
Write it. Enter it. Get published.
A 100-word story could turn a student into a real author.
Give your students the thrill of becoming published writers, with the opportunity to see their Fright Club stories published in a Young Writers anthology.
And, there's more to play for:
3 STUDENT WINNERS
Our 3 favorite published writers will each win a $50 Amazon gift card.
TOP SCHOOL
The school with the best set of entries will receive the Young Writers Award of Excellence.
Enter if you dare...
Not sure where the story begins? Start with something that makes you want to know what happens next...
My friends dared me to knock...
What’s behind the door, and why does nobody else want to find out?
I didn’t believe in ghosts until...
What happens that makes them change their mind?
The curse was unleashed...
What caused it, who is in danger, and can it be stopped?
My curiosity turned to terror...
What did they discover that they wish they hadn’t?
He’d been missing for months...
Where has he been, and why has he suddenly returned?
It’s fun being a ghost...
Who says a ghost story has to be scary?
Or create something completely your own.
Haunted houses, creepy dolls, abandoned schools, strange footsteps, ghost ships, secret passages... anything can become the beginning of a 100-word story.
Easy to offer. Easy to get started.
Use Fright Club in whatever way works for you and your students.
Run it as a class activity, share it with interested writers, use it for enrichment, or offer it as a fall creative writing challenge.
We've created everything you need to make getting started simple, including:
- a video introduction
- story starter cards
- a graphic organizer
- examples
- lesson support
Use as much or as little support as you need.
1
CHOOSE
Choose a creepy idea
2
BUILD
Build the tension
3
WRITE
Tell it in 100 words
Free resources to make it easy...
Whether you’re sharing Fright Club with your whole class or simply giving interested students the chance to enter, pick the support that works for you.
GET THEM INTERESTED
Video introduction • Contest poster
GET THE IDEAS FLOWING
Story starter cards • Graphic organizer
GET THEM WRITING
Examples • Lesson plan • Writing support
GET THEM ENTERED
Student entry forms • Printable and online entry options
Big suspense. Just 100 words.
Creating an atmosphere in only 100 words means every detail matters.
As students shape their Fright Club story, they can experiment with tension, suspense, setting, and vocabulary - choosing the words and details that will have the biggest impact.
The challenge is keeping it short while keeping the reader hooked:
Can they build the tension and deliver a story readers won't forget in just 100 words?
Prizes and recognition
Give your students the thrill of having their writing published in a real book, being recognized for their creativity, and the chance to win a prize.
FOR STUDENTS
3 writers will each win a $50 Amazon gift card
Get published
Every student has the chance to see their ghost story published in a Young Writers anthology.
Be recognized
Writers whose work we'd love to publish will receive a certificate of merit.
PLUS:
Every entrant receives a limited edition Fright Club bookmark.
FOR SCHOOLS
Young Writers' Award of Excellence
The school that submits the best set of entries will receive the Young Writers Award of Excellence.
Free copies for your school
Participating schools will receive a free copy of the book that features their students’ work.
The more entries you send, the more free books you’ll receive:
1–30 entries = 1 free copy
•
31–60 entries = 2 free copies
•
and so on.
Ready to enter?
Entering your students' Fright Club stories is easy:
IT'S EASY TO TAKE PART - HOW TO ENTER
COLLECT THEIR STORIES
Each story should be no more than 100 words.
CHOOSE HOW TO ENTER
Submit your students' entries online, by email, or mail them to us.
SEND THEM BY NOVEMBER 13, 2026
Then leave the judging to us!
MORE CONTEST INFO
Everything you need to take part:
Content Guidelines
Students are very welcome to make their stories scary, creepy, dark, or unsettling. Horror themes and some violence can be included where they’re part of the story, but we’d ask students to avoid anything excessively graphic or gratuitous.
A good rule of thumb is that the horror should help create atmosphere, tension, or a great twist, rather than relying on detailed gore or violence purely for shock value. We’d also ask students not to include cuss words/profanity in their entries.
Students can explore all sorts of horror, from supernatural threats and monsters to psychological horror, eerie situations, and chilling twists.
Previous winning stories
are a useful guide to the kind of content and level of horror that can work well in the contest.
[Rules] =>
THE STORY- Mini sagas must be the students' own work.
- Mini sagas can be written on the entry form, on a separate sheet of paper, or typed.
- The word limit is 100 words, not including the title, but entries can be shorter.
- Students can work together. Please include both names on one entry form.
WHAT TO INCLUDE
- Each entry should include the student's name and age.
- First names only or initials can be used if needed.
SENDING YOUR ENTRIES
- There is no limit to the number of students a school can enter.
- There is one entry per student.
- Where possible, please submit your students entries together.
- please include one Teacher Entry Form per teacher.
GOOD TO KNOW
- Free to enter.
- No purchase necessary to win.
- Open to US entrants only.
- Copyright remains with the author.
[School Prizes] =>
TOP SCHOOL
Young Writers' Award of Excellence
Free copies for your school
Participating schools with students published will receive a free copy of the anthology featuring their students’ work.
The more entries you send, the more free books you’ll receive:
1–30 entries = 1 free copy
•
31–60 entries = 2 free copies
•
and so on.
[Student Prizes] =>
3 WINNING WRITERS
$50 Amazon gift card each
Get published
Students can have their ghost story published in a Young Writers anthology and see their writing in print.
Be recognized
Writers whose work we'd love to publish will receive a certificate to celebrate their achievement.
Every entrant receives a bookmark
Every student who enters will receive a limited edition Fright Club bookmark.
(School and student winners will be chosen from entries received Sept-Nov 2026. No purchase necessary.)
[Tips] =>
[YouTube] => -8TUYu3jgjg
[Opens] => 2026-08-20
[Closes] => 2026-11-13
[Extended] => 1
[Orion ID] => 765
[RR Ontraport ID] =>
[DL Ontraport ID] => 854
[Post Class] => Middle & High
[Orion Teacher Year] => Middle & High
[How to Enter] =>
[Winners Subheading] =>
[Winners Intro] =>
[Winner Word] =>
[Schools/Clubs] => Schools
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[Independent Intro] =>
CAN YOU SCARE SOMEONE IN JUST 100 WORDS?
A knock at the door. A figure in the dark. A curse. A missing person. A ghost who’s having the time of their afterlife...
Fright Club challenges you to create an original ghost story in just 100 words.
Creepy, mysterious, funny, or truly terrifying, the story is yours.
WRITE IT. ENTER IT. GET PUBLISHED.
Your 100-word ghost story could turn you into a published author.
Enter Fright Club for the chance to see your ghost story published in a real Young Writers anthology.
3 WRITERS WILL EACH WIN A $50 AMAZON GIFT CARD
Writers whose work we'd love to publish will also receive a certificate, and every entrant receives a Fright Club bookmark.
ENTER IF YOU DARE...
Not sure where your story begins? Start with something that makes you want to know what happens next...
My friends dared me to knock...
What’s behind the door, and why does nobody else want to find out?
I didn’t believe in ghosts until...
What happens that makes you change your mind?
The curse was unleashed...
What caused it, who is in danger, and can it be stopped?
My curiosity turned to terror...
What do you discover that you wish you hadn’t?
He’d been missing for months...
Where has he been, and why has he suddenly returned?
It’s fun being a ghost...
Who says a ghost story has to be scary?
Or create something completely your own.
Haunted houses, creepy dolls, abandoned schools, strange footsteps, ghost ships, secret passages... anything can become the beginning of a 100-word story.
READY TO WRITE?
You only need an idea and 100 words. Here’s how to turn it into your Fright Club story.
1
CHOOSE
Choose a creepy idea
2
BUILD
Build the tension
3
WRITE
Tell it in 100 words
4
ENTER
Send us your story
BUILD THE SUSPENSE
You don’t need hundreds of words to give someone the creeps. Try these quick tips:
Dive straight into the story
Start with the strange noise, unexpected visitor, mysterious discovery, or moment something goes wrong.
Create an atmosphere
Think about what your character can see, hear, or feel.
HOW SCARY CAN MY STORY BE?
Pretty scary! Fright Club is all about creating stories that thrill, chill, and unsettle your reader.
Dark themes, frightening situations, supernatural horror, and some violence are all OK where they’re part of the story. Just avoid excessively graphic or gratuitous gore and violence, and don’t include cuss words/profanity.
Think atmosphere, tension, suspense, and chilling twists rather than shock value.
Not sure where the line is? Take a look at some of our previous winning stories to see the kind of horror that has impressed our judges.
READ PREVIOUS WINNERS →
IT'S EASY TO TAKE PART - HOW TO ENTER
OR
OR
MAIL
Mail your entry, along with your name and full address, to:
Young Writers Fright Club
77 Walnut Street
Unit 11
Peabody, MA 01960
[Independent Rules] =>
YOUR STORY
• Your mini saga must be your own work.
• Your mini saga can be written on the entry form, on a separate sheet of paper, or typed.
• The word limit is 100 words, not including the title, but your story can be shorter.
YOUR ENTRY
• Include your name and age on your entry.
• First names only or initials can be used if needed.
• There is one entry per person.
GOOD TO KNOW
• Free to enter.
• No purchase is necessary to win.
• Open to US entrants only.
• Copyright remains with the author.
[Independent Prizes] =>
3 WINNING WRITERS
$50 Amazon gift card each
Become a published author
Our 3 favorite published writers will each win a $50 Amazon gift card.
Every entrant receives a bookmark
Everyone who enters will receive a Fright Club bookmark for taking part.
Celebrate getting published
Every student whose story we'd love to publish will also receive a Certificate of Merit.
Winners will be chosen from entries received Sept–Nov 2026, and independent entrants are eligible for student prizes. No purchase necessary.
[Meta Title] => Fright Club: Free Writing Contest for Middle & High School Students
[Meta Description] => Challenge students to write a spooky 100-word mini saga with Fright Club, a free creative writing contest for US middle and high school students.
[Meta Keywords] => middle school writing contest, high school writing contest, creative writing contest for teens, spooky story contest, horror writing contest for students, 100 word story contest, free writing contest, Young Writers USA
[Share Title] => Can You Scare Someone in Just 100 Words?
[Share Description] => Ghosts, curses, creepy discoveries, and things lurking in the dark. Challenge young writers to create a spine-chilling story in just 100 words.
[Layout] => main-comp
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[Category] => Middle & High
[Type] => creative-writing
[Country] => USA
[Resource Hub Text] =>
[Letters Sent Date] => 2027-02-12
[Letters Sent Satus] => ⏳ In Progress
[Books Published Start Date] => 2027-01-29
[Books Published End Date] => 2027-04-30
[Books Published Status] => ⏳ Coming Soon
[Winners Announced Date] => 2027-05-28
[Winners Announced Status] => ⏳ Coming Soon
[How to Enter Image] =>
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)
[date_created] => 2026-08-14 10:33:35
[last_updated] => 2026-11-09 09:22:52
[sort_order] => 6
[incoming] => 0
[live] => 1
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