2024 PRIMAL FEARS HORROR SHORT STORY CHALLENGE
Not sure about writing horror? Well, have you heard of quiet horror or literary horror?
What are primal fears?
A primal fear refers to a fundamental, instinctual fear that is believed to be deeply rooted in human evolution. These fears are often universal, transcending cultural and individual differences, and are thought to have developed as adaptive responses to potential threats in the environment. Primal fears are basic and instinctive, triggering a strong emotional and physiological response. Examples of primal fears include: fear of the dark, fear of enclosed spaces, fear of heights, fear of insects, fear of death and decay…
These fears are often considered to be part of the human experience and are shared across diverse populations.
In literature, film, and other forms of storytelling, creators often tap into these primal fears to evoke strong emotional reactions in the audience. By exploring and exploiting these fundamental fears, storytellers can create narratives that resonate on a deep, instinctual level with a wide range of people.
PRIZE: £1,000
Early Bird Ticket: £2.50 for one story
General Ticket: £5 for one story
Late Ticket: £9 for one story
Words: 5,000 (max)
Deadline: 23:59 (UK time) 19th February, 2024
Winner Announced: 3rd Apr, 2024
THE CHALLENGE:
All writers retain full ownership of their stories, including the winner. We only publish the winning story on our website. We welcome international entries!
It's time for another Globe Soup writing challenge!
For this short story challenge, all participants will be randomly assigned a horror sub-genre* and will receive a list of 20 primal fears. All participants will receive the same 20 primal fears. As soon as you receive your randomly assigned sub-genre and the list of primal fears, you'll have until the closing time to write and submit a short story of any length up to 5,000 words. Your story should fit the sub-genre you were assigned and should be underpinned by one of the primal fears from the list. You get to choose the primal fear that will underpin your story.
Now, it may seem as though certain primal fears are supposed to be paired with a particular sub-genre, but don’t be afraid to think outside the box. There’s definitely a way to combine any of the primal fears with any of the horror sub-genres.
*Our judges know that genres are just loose concepts of categorisation, so don’t worry if you’re not that familiar with any of the genres on the list. The judges aren’t looking for something highly specific that you need to work out how to emulate. Instead, they want you to take your assigned genre and put your own spin on it. As long as they can recognise that you’ve been inspired by the genre assigned to you, and your story is definitely underpinned by one primal fear from the list, it will not be disqualified or even penalised if you’ve interpreted things in your own way.
What do we mean by ‘the primal fear must underpin the story’?
What this means is that your chosen primal fear cannot just make up one brief moment of the story. Instead, it should be an integral part of the story's essence, threading its way through the tale. This does not mean that every part of the story must be concerned with your chosen primal fear, but the exploration of that fear should be connected to the idea behind the story as a whole. It should serve as a foundational, unifying element, not something that simply elicits a momentary scare in one part of the story. However, you do not have to centre the plot around your chosen primal fear. Just like a story’s themes, it can be running in the background. In fact, it may even help to think of your primal fear as one of the story’s main themes.
The horror sub-genres for this year’s challenge are:
WARNING: We’ve linked to various horror movie trailers below. Don’t watch them if you think you might find them disturbing or you have small children around!
1. BODY HORROR
Body horror is a sub-genre that focuses on the grotesque and disturbing transformation or deformation of the human body. However, body horror doesn’t have to outright gory or graphic, it can actually be fairly subtle or feel more unsettling for the reader rather than being absolutely horrifying. Examples of body horror: Raw, The Fly, Under the Skin, (movie trailers) and List of Body Horror Novels.
2. FOLK HORROR
Folk horror is a sub-genre that explores themes rooted in folklore and rural traditions. It often involves a clash between ancient, folkloric beliefs and modernity, with a focus on the eerie, mysterious, and sometimes malevolent forces tied to local legends and traditions. Examples of folk horror: The Wicker Man, The Witch, Midsommar (movie trailers), List of Folk Horror Films and List of Folk Horror Books.
3. ECO HORROR
For the purposes of this challenge, we're defining eco horror as any story where the horror element comes from nature itself. This could be flora, fauna, weather, or any ecological component. Examples of eco horror: Jaws, The Beach House, Long Weekend (movie trailers) and List of Eco Horror Books.
4. PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR
Psychological horror is a sub-genre that focuses on the darker side of the human psyche. Characters in psychological horror are often unstable, unreliable, or deeply disturbed, and these traits enhance the suspense and horror through the use of tension and paranoia. Examples of psychological horror: The Silence of the Lambs, Se7en, The Shining, Us, and List of Psychological Horror Books.
5. FANTASY HORROR
Fantasy horror is a sub-genre that combines fantasy and horror, blending the imaginative and fantastical with elements designed to evoke fear, dread, or terror. This genre often involves the supernatural or magic, mythical creatures, or otherworldly settings. Examples of fantasy horror: Gretel and Hansel, The Wolf House, Coraline, Pan’s Labyrinth and List of Fantasy Horror Books.
If you choose to participate in the challenge, you'll be randomly assigned one of these horror sub-genres and receive a list of 20 primal fears. Remember, we’re looking for one story that fits the horror sub-genre and has one of the primal fears underpinning the story.
PLEASE NOTE: PARTICIPANTS IN THIS COMPETITION ARE NOT ALLOWED TO EXCHANGE TICKETS WITH OTHER WRITERS TAKING PART. WE HAVE ALLOWED THIS IN THE PAST, BUT IT’S CREATED A LOT OF EXTRA ADMIN FOR US. AN INCREASE IN THE AMOUNT OF ADMINISTRATION WORK WILL ONLY RESULT IN US HAVING TO INCREASE THE PRICE OF ENTRY AND WE’D RATHER NOT DO THIS. WE STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT ALL WRITERS ARE MORE THAN CAPABLE OF WRITING IN ANY GENRE IF THEY UNDERSTAND HOW FLUID AND MALLEABLE GENRES REALLY ARE. GENRE BASED CHALLENGES ARE NOT ABOUT GETTING WRITERS TO CHANGE THEIR STYLE AND WRITE SOMETHING THAT DOESN’T REPRESENT THEIR SENSIBILITIES, BUT ABOUT GETTING WRITERS TO EXPLORE DIFFERENT GENRES THROUGH THEIR OWN STYLE AND SENSIBILITIES. YOU SHOULD BEND THE GENRES TO SUIT WHO YOU ARE AS A WRITER, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND.
How to Enter:
Please read the official rules of the contest here.
Buy a ticket. There are 5 tickets available: A, B, C, D, and E. We have mixed up the sub-genres to ensure that your assignment is random! Meaning that the numbers from the list above do NOT correspond with the letter of the ticket.
After you select your ticket and make the purchase, you’ll be sent a link to download your ticket. This download will contain your assigned sub-genre, the list of 20 primal fears, submission instructions, and an invitation to join our Members-Only Facebook Group. Make sure you download your ticket right away. The link expires in 24 hours. If your link has expired, please contact us and we’ll send you your ticket directly.
You can buy as many tickets and submit as many stories as you want. If there’s one horror sub-genre you particularly want to write, you can buy multiple tickets until you get the right one. This does not go against the rules. In fact, it’s the people who buy multiple tickets who help keep the cost of entry low for everyone else!
You now have until the closing time to submit. There is a countdown clock on our homepage. We do not accept entries that are even a minute late. Please follow the submission instructions very carefully. We reserve the right to disqualify anyone who does not follow the submission instructions.
Join the Community:
All participants can join our Members-Only Facebook Group, and you’ll get sent the link when you purchase the ticket. Here you can meet other writers taking part in the challenge, ask questions, and get advice. The Globe Soup team are also on hand to offer any support and guidance you may need. At the end of the challenge you can even get extensive feedback on your story or stories. Please consider joining, the community aspect of these challenges is often the best part!
Plus, we run free monthly mini writing contests in the group, exclusively for members, with additional cash prizes up for grabs. Once you're a member, you're a member for as long as you want. This means that you'll have access to a network of like minded writers and free entry to our mini contests for life.
Feedback From Previous Challenges:
"This was tremendous motivation to continue writing and I will always be grateful for the encouragement that Globe Soup has provided me. Globe Soup has also managed to create a wonderful community of writers who motivate and inspire each other. I'm very thankful to be a part of this community." — Nimisha, Mumbai, India
"This competition helped me reignite my passion for writing, so much so that it has started some new writing projects for me.” — Rachel, United Kingdom
“Really enjoyed that it gave me a steady and clear writing goal!” —Fódhla, Ireland
“I wouldn’t have been confident enough to start my MA in Creative Writing if it hadn’t been for Globe Soup. Such a great group to be a part of." — Fhionna, Clyde Valley, Scotland.
“I won’t ever forget that first win, it was an amazing feeling!! (I was in floods of tears, my husband didn’t get why!) You set me on my writing journey and so so much has grown from that first seed of belief, thank YOU!!! — Katrina, Llanfairpwll, U.K.