Spooky Story Contest

Qualifications

  • Must be a Georgia resident to participate. 
  • Must be in grades 3-8 to participate.
    (Each grade level will be judged separately.) 
  • Students in public and private schools and homeschool students are welcome to participate.

Rules

  • 500 word limit for all submissions.
  • Must be an original story, not the retelling of a story. Plagiarized entries will be disqualified.
  • Only one entry per person will be accepted in this Contest.
  • Only single author stories qualify (no co-authored stories).
  • Must be submitted online, in the form below.

Judging

A panel of judges, primarily teachers and/or published writers, is selected by Georgia Writers Museum. Submissions are judged by grade level. Judges will select a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winner from each grade.

Submission Deadline

Submissions will be accepted from Monday, September 11 to Wednesday, October 11.

Winners will be announced on Thursday, October 26.

How to Enter

Enter Now

Student Honor Pledge: I promise I did not get any help on my story and all the work is my own

Supervising Adult Pledge: I affirm this student did not receive help on her/his story and that all the work is her/his own

Prizes

1st Place: Story in the Eatonton Messenger, GWM website & on social media, and a $20 Bookstore Gift Card

2nd Place: Story on the GWM website & social media, and a $15 Bookstore Gift Card

3rd Place: Story on the GWM website & social media, and a $10 Bookstore Gift Card

Sponsors

2022 WINNERS

3rd Grade

4th Grade

5th Grade

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade

2021 WINNERS

3rd Grade

1st Place

  Tricked and No Treats on Halloween, Eleanor Dickey

2nd Place

The Spooky Neighbor, Asher Hoselton

3rd Place (tie)

Lost in the House, Sophia Higgins

The Baby Controller, Shelby Sandford

4th Grade

1st Place

Sad Ending of the Creepy Halloween, Ninel Maliukova

2nd Place

The Girl Who Disappeared, Chloe Hallford

3rd Place

On the Tall Mountains, Gabrielle Gunter

5th Grade

1st Place

The Angelic Demon, Nova Mackink-Conde

2nd Place

The Human Werewolf, Shelby Graves

3rd Place

The Mysterious Portal, Leland Fordham

6th Grade

1st Place

The Girl’s Doom, Advika Asthana

2nd Place

The Mouse Holes, Jontevia Marshall

3rd Place

The Tragic Events on Halloween, Kaitlyn Mamay

7th Grade

1st Place

Imaginary Friends, Sydney Smith

2nd Place

Stranger and Stranger, Jolie Chamberlin

3rd Place

The Mysterious Killer, Robert Brown

8th Grade

1st Place

Dear Diary, Emily Viscarra

2nd Place

The Betrayal in the Woods, Vidhi Raiyani

3rd Place

The Haunted House, Ava Shurling

VISIT

WED: By Appointment
THU – FRI: 10am – 4pm
SAT: 10am – 4pm
SUN – TUE: Closed

LOCATION

Georgia Writers Museum

109 S. Jefferson Ave.

Eatonton, GA 31024

(706) 991-5119

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SPONSORS & AFFILIATES

Amanda Vining photo

Amanda holds a BS in Biology from Georgia College & State University. She began her career as an educator with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. After leaving the DNR, Amanda became a formal educator with Baldwin County School System and Jasper County School System. Amanda began her museum career at the Museum of Arts and Sciences (MAS) in Macon, Georgia, where she served as Curator of Environmental Science
(2011-2020). While at MAS, Amanda developed a love for sharing the world around us with the many students who visited on school field trips. During her time as Curator of Environmental Science, Amanda launched a storytime
program for preschool children.

Since 2020, Amanda has been serving Georgia Writers Museum as a volunteer on the Education Committee. Amanda has brought her love of sharing stories with students by launching Peaches’ Reading Pasture. As Museum Manager, Amanda looks forward to serving the community and helping to inspire those within our community to put words to paper and share their stories.

Amanda was born and raised in nearby Shady Dale, Georgia. Her husband, Rodney, is a native of Eatonton, and they currently reside in Putnam County. They have three children.