We are delighted to announce The Return To Shallow Creek Short Story Competition is now open for entries!

We are also excited to reveal Shallow Creek's new characters and locations - and a sinister new storyline - The Blue Moon Circus has arrived at Shallow Creek, but people have been mysteriously vanishing...could the two be connected?

Oddity Curator Mallum Colt is on the case, enlisting help from an old friend to find his missing niece - and YOU can help solve the mystery.

Upon entering the Return To Shallow Creek Short Story Competition, authors will receive an exclusive visitor pack, consisting of the following precious items:

- A Map of Shallow Creek -
- One Character Profile and Info sheet-
- One Specified Location -
- One Incident of Interest -

The STORGY 'RETURN TO SHALLOW CREEK' Short Story Competition is open to all.

1st Prize – £1000

2nd Prize – £100

3rd Prize – £50

Finalists will be published in the Return To Shallow Creek anthology

£10 Entry Fee

Entry Dates

  • Submissions for the competition will be accepted from 1st March 2022
  • The deadline for receipt of entries is 11.00pm 31st May 2022.

How to Enter

  • Pay the competition entry fee via Paypal using the button below:

  • Wait for your RETURN TO SHALLOW CREEK COMPETITION pack to arrive in your inbox (paypal associated email). Please allow 24 hours for delivery.
  • Write your short story.
  • Email submit@storgy.com and attach your entry. Please include:

NAME: Author Name
BIO & DETAILS:  Short biographical statement (including publication history), contact details (email), and links to author websites and/or social media accounts.

  • Celebrate.

Formatting

Type and format the short story as per the following instructions:

Save as a Microsoft Word document (.doc or .docx) with the CHARACTER IDENTITY and LOCATION (CHARACTER - LOCATION) in the file name.

  • One entry per author
  • Written in English
  • A maximum of 6,000 words
  • Front page with title of the story, character name, location, and word count

We encourage entrants to read the original Shallow Creek anthology to discover more about our eerie little town and its curious cast of inhabitants. You can find out more here...

Map of Shallow Creek:

Character Profiles:

The Residents of Shallow Creek:

Please Note

Entries not submitted in accordance with the Entry Instructions and Entry terms and Conditions will not be eligible for consideration.

Entry Terms and Conditions

The Awards

1) All entries will be read by at least two (2) STORGY editors and a shortlist of exceptional short stories will be chosen from which a winner and two runners up will be selected.

2) 1st place award is worth £1000.

3) 2nd place award is worth £100.

4) 3rd place award is worth £50.

Eligibility

1) The Award is open to all.

2) The story must not contain more than 6,000 words.

3) The entry must be submitted by the author or his/her representative.

4) Only one entry per author permitted.

5) Authors can only enter individually and not as part of a writing team.

6) The story entered must be unpublished.

7) The story submitted must be original, fictional, and entirely the author's own work.

8) Entries are limited to stories written in English.

Copyright and Terms of Use

By submitting a story for the award the entrant hereby acknowledges and agrees that the winning or any other shortlisted story will be published free of any fees or royalty payments. By entering the competition authors also agree to accept editorial changes to their story for the purposes of cohesion of the full anthology.

Judging

The STORGY Short Story Award will be looking for the best new writing and will consider all entries on the basis of quality and originality of prose and narrative voice. The Award aims to support excellence in the short story genre.

Judging of the Award will be as follows:

1) All entries will be judged by STORGY editors against the Award criterion.

2) Shortlisted and winning writers will be contacted personally by email.

3) The voting outcome is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Welcome to Shallow Creek...You'll never want to leave.

Silverpine Forest

If you go down to the woods today, you'll be in for a great surprise!

Mallum Colt, owner and proprietor of 'Colt's Curiosity Corner,' came into possession of a scratched, portable dictation machine. It was found on a tree-stump in the middle of Silverpine Forest - and when he played the tape inside, he found this macabre recording...

In Silverpine forest, there's much to see and do. There's the Hanging Tree, a hangout for teens and junkies alike, there's Arkady Asylum, and more importantly, rumours of beasts and bogeymen lurking among the pine trees during the witching hour.

You'll never know what you'll find in Silverpine forest...

Arkady Asylum

Psychologist Ruth Usiskin will see you now...but perhaps it's best if you take a sedative...you're looking awfully peaky...

Arkady Asylum was built in the late 1800's, to provide shelter and care for the mentally unequipped. Rumours have it that Dr. Malcolm Arkady practiced arcane rituals in the basement of the establishment - and presently there's whispers in town of unethical experiments and abuse of its patients.

Mallum Colt has used every trick in the book to get a glimpse of what goes on inside the asylum...

Krinkles the Klown

It's the special ingredient that makes Krinkles the greatest cereal treat around! STORGY welcomes you to Shallow Creek, the town of a thousand hollow laughs... Back in the 60's, The Mayor of Shallow Creek thought giving the town a brand would increase tourism revenue exponentially. Enter Krinkles The Klown - and his own brand of cereal, 'Krinkles'. Krinkles was a popular attraction for some time and even had his own TV show, but then some of the local kids got sick - upon investigating it was discovered that Krinkles' secret ingredient was a nutty Aflatoxin - a poisonous and cancer-causing chemical produced by certain molds which grew in the town's soil - which decayed vegetation, hay, grains and Krinkle's nuts. Krinkle's TV show was pulled, and the actor playing the eponymous jester went into hiding. It's rumoured that when the carnival comes into town once a year, a shabby, elderly man dressed in an old Krinkle's costume lurks by the tents, ranting incoherently about his favourite cereal. More worryingly though is that he tries to lure kids to his gingerbread house in Old Shallow Creek...Police are on the lookout and if you spot someone matching Krinkle's description, get in contact straightaway... Please note that STORGY does not hold the copyright for Krinkles cereal or the advert - this has been used as a demonstration for creative purposes.

Colt's Curiosity Corner

Mallum Colt is the curator and owner of 'Colt's Curiosity Corner,' a museum that presents an incoherent vision of the world displayed through wonder, enclosed in a small shop at the heart of Shallow Creek. Mallum will be the writer's guide and will be updating the STORGY.com website each week regarding information of the town itself, to help inspire writers. Shallow Creek has encountered its fair share of trouble in the past. From religious zealots that tried to claim ownership of the town back in the late 70's, to sightings of beasts, freaks and monsters, its own inhabitants are burdened with their own dark secrets. It's the kind of place that Silent Hill and Innesmouth shudder away from. It's the town that Rod Serling visited once and came away with an idea for a little known TV show called The Twilight Zone.

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Unlike many other Arts & Entertainment Magazines, STORGY is not Arts Council funded or subsidised by external grants or contributions. The content we provide takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce, and relies on the talented authors we publish and the dedication of a devoted team of staff writers. If you enjoy reading our Magazine, help to secure our future and enable us to continue publishing  the words of our writers. Please make a donation or subscribe to STORGY Magazine with a monthly fee of your choice. Your support, as always, continues to inspire.

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