Welcome back to the third edition of YDL’s Horror Short Competition!
Once again, we invite brave souls to use two sentences to convey their most chilling tales. This deceptively simple format has proven its power to unsettle and unnerve, leaving readers with images that linger long after the final word. In 2024, Logan Corey won with “First Date,” and in 2025 Jessica Herring won for “Till Death Do Us Part.”
Starting October 1, submit your two-sentence horror stories at ypsilibrary.org or a YDL branch. Throughout the month, vote for your favorites on YDL’s social media platforms—Instagram, Facebook, and Bluesky. The finalists will go head-to-head on October 30.
Our final winner will be announced after Halloween and join “First Date” and “Till Death Do Us Part” in YDL’s horror hall of fame.
2025 Contest Winner
Till Death Do Us Part by Jessica Herring
2026 submission schedule
Submission guidelines
- ***Stories must be 100 words or less.***
- There is no limit to the number of stories that one person can submit.
Week 1 – Sickly Sweet
Killer candy, syrupy slayings, and the very early stages of rot. Make it sweet, but don’t forget to make it sick too.
Week 2 – Don’t Turn Around
Week 3 – What’s Underneath the Floor?
What lurks in the basement? The crawlspace? Underground beneath the house? Is it hungry? Are you the snack?
Week 4 – My Other Body
Give us alien states, out-of-body experiences, displacement, alternate dimensions…whatever ‘my other body’ means to you.