Nights grow cool, while days stay fair.
(But there are witches in the air!)
Geese fly south in streamlined Vs.
(But ghosties ride the midnight breeze!)
Pumpkins ripen on the vine.
(But monsters lurk where shadows twine!)
Colored leaves make autumn bright.
(But zombies walk the earth at night!)
The harvest moon’s an orange sphere.
HALLOWEEN WILL SOON BE HERE!
And you know what that means, right?
Time for pumpkin carving!
Who thought this up?
Giant sharp knives aside. . . 😊 it involves a whole lot of digging and scraping (excellent for strength and cardio), gobs of slimy pumpkin innards (yum! 😊), and occasional meltdowns (yeah . . . not just the kids 😊) when the carving of the jack-o-lantern face fails to turn out as intended.
If you’re lucky enough to live in an apartment, you also get to spread newspaper all over the floor and extend your workout with scrubbing and mopping after the carving is done!
The end result?
A delightful jack-o-lantern for your kids, and toned arms and abs for you! (plus enough calorie burn to make a bag of miniature chocolate bars totally permissable!)
It’s a win-win!
And once the pumpkin is carved and your fitness has ratcheted up beautifully and you’re fueled with tiny chocolates, you’ll be ready to write, SO. . .
. . .it’s time to announce. . .
the guidelines for. . .
The 14th Annual Halloweensie Writing Contest!!!
~ for children’s writers ~
THE CONTEST: write a 100 word Halloween story appropriate for children (children here defined as 12 and under) (title not included in word count) using the words tiptoe, goblin, and chill.
- Your story can be poetry or prose, scary, funny, sweet, or anything in between, but it will only count for the contest if it includes those 3 words and is 100 words. Get it? Halloweensie – because it’s not very long and it’s for little people 😊
- You can go under the word count but not over!
- Title is not included in the word count.
- You may use the words in any form i.e. tiptoe, tiptoeing, tiptoed, chills, chilling, etc. 😊
- You are welcome to enter more than one entry – just remember you’ll be competing against yourself 😊
- No illustration notes please!
And yes, I know 100 words is short, but that’s part of the fun and the challenge!
POST: your story in the comment section of the Official Contest Post between 12:01 AM Eastern Tuesday October 29th (the day the official contest post will go up here) and 11:59PM Eastern Thursday October 31st (So you have 3 full days to post – Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.)
- For those of you who would also like to post on your blogs, please feel free to do so! You are welcome to include the link to your blog with your entry in the comment section of the Official Contest Post so that people can come visit your blog, but all entries must be posted in the comment section of the Official Contest Post between 12:01 AM Eastern Tuesday October 29th and Thursday October 31st at 11:59PM Eastern. (Please note: THIS is NOT the official contest post! – That post will be put up at 12:01AM Eastern on Tuesday October 29th!)
- If you have difficulty posting your entry to the comments, which unfortunately sometimes happens, you may email your entry to me and I’ll post it for you! [susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com Please place your entry in the body of the email including your title, byline (that means who the story is by – you! – so for example, By Jane Doe) and word count at the top – NO ATTACHMENTS! and please do not submit any entries before the official opening of the contest at 12:01 AM Tuesday October 29th. They will not be accepted.
- I know how hard you all work on your entries, and how anxious you are to get them posted, but please try to be a little patient if your entry doesn’t show up immediately. Many comments have to be manually approved, and it sometimes takes me a little while to post entries that come in by email. I promise I will get to everything as soon as I can. I try never to leave my desk during contests, but sometimes it’s unavoidable 😊
THE JUDGING: over the following days, my devoted assistants and I will read and re-read and narrow down the entries to a finalist field of about 12 which will be posted here for you to vote on as soon as I can get them up! The winners will be announced a couple days after the voting to give everyone time to vote.
Judging criteria will be as follows:
- 1. Kid-appeal! – These stories are intended for a young audience (ages 12 and under), so we’re looking for stories that children will enjoy and relate to.
- 2. Halloweeniness – the rules state a Halloween story, so it must be crystal clear that the story is about Halloween, not just some random spooky night.
- 3. Use of all 3 required words and whether you came it at 100 words or less.
- 4. Quality of story – entries must tell a story, including a main character of some kind and a true story arc even if it’s tiny 😊 Entries must not be merely descriptions or mood pieces.
- 5. Quality of Writing: check your spelling, grammar, punctuation etc. If you’re going to rhyme, give us your best 😊 Use and flow of language, correctness of mechanics, excellence of rhyme and meter if you use it, PROOFREADING!
- 6. Originality and creativity – because that is often what sets one story above another.
- 7. How well you followed the Submission Guidelines – agents and editors expect professionalism. This is a chance to practice making sure you read and follow specified guidelines. If you don’t follow agent and editor submission guidelines, they won’t even read your submission.
THE PRIZES: So amazing! What wonderful, generous people we have in our kidlit community! Just wait til you see what you can win! WATCH THIS SPACE for the full list!!! (Coming as soon as I have it but I didn’t want to keep you waiting for the contest guidelines!)
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ FABULOUS PRIZES FROM GENEROUS PEOPLE!!! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
⭐️ Signed Copy of LITTLE DREIDEL LEARNS TO SPIN PLUS A 30 Minute Ask Me Anything with Rebecca Gardyn Levington, author of BRAINSTORM! (Sleeping Bear Press, 2022), WHATEVER COMES TOMORROW (Barefoot Books, Mar 7, 2023), I WILL ALWAYS BE…(HarperCollins, 4/15/25 – Available for Pre-Order Now), AFIKOMAN, WHERE’D YOU GO? A Passover Hide-And-Seek Adventure (Penguin/Rocky Pond, Spring 2024), LITTLE DREIDEL LEARNS TO SPIN (Scholastic, 9/3/24), WRITE HERE, WRITE NOW! (Capstone, 1/1/25 – Available for Pre-Order Now), FINDING FORGIVENESS (Macmillan/FSG, 8/5/25), SOME DAYS I’M THE WIND (Barefoot Books, Fall 2025), and LOOKING FOR LIGHT: A Shabbat Story (Macmillan/FSG, Fall 2026)
Sign up for Rebecca’s NEWSLETTER: http://eepurl.com/h2sK8X
⭐️ Zoom Ask Me Anything about Indie Publishing or Writing Chapter Books with author Kizzie Hutcheson Roberts, indie author of THE ELVES GO MARCHING (Elemental Ink, December 1, 2022), THE EGGS GO ROLLING (Learning Spark, February 16, 2023), and HARPER AND THE RAPTOR RESCUE (chapter book) (Learning Spark Educational Publishing, June 27, 2023)
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique OR First Chapter MG Critique with Beth Stillborn, writer of middle-grade fiction, occasional picture books, fiction for grownups, and poetry, and qualified editor of anything you put in front of her!
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique (non-rhyming) OR 30 Minute Ask Me Anything Zoom Session (winner’s choice) from Kari Ann Gonzalez, author of HOW TO HATCH A READER (Gnome Road Publishing, August 15, 2023)
⭐️ A Picture Book Manuscript Critique OR First Chapter CB, MG, or YA Critique from Candice Marley Conner, author of M IS FOR MOON PIE: ABCs IN THE BIRTHPLACE OF MARDI GRAS (Derby Press, January 6, 2023), SASSAFRAS AND HER TEENY TINY TAIL (MacLaren-Cochrane Publishing, June 8th, 2021), THE EXISTENCE OF BEA PEARL (Owl Hollow Press, June 15th, 2021), and CHOMPSEY CHOMPS BOOKS (MacLaren-Cochrane Publishing, October 12th, 2021)
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique OR 30 Minute Ask Me Anything Call – winner’s choice – with Ellen Leventhal! Ellen is the author of DON’T EAT THE BLUEBONNETS (Spork, 2017), LOLA CAN’T LEAP (Spork, 2018), HAYFEST: A HOLIDAY QUEST (ABCs Press, 2010), A FLOOD OF KINDNESS (WorthyKids, 2021), and DEBBIE’S SONG (Kar-Ben Publishing, April 4, 2023)
⭐️ A Picture Book Manuscript Critique (rhyming) from Gayle C. Krause, author of
⭐️ A Picture Book Manuscript Critique (rhyming or non-rhyming) from Nancy Derey Riley, author of
⭐️ A 30 Minute Ask Infowoman: A Library Consult Zoom session for an author visit presentation slide deck review from Kathy Halsey! Please visit her website to see her many, many qualifications!
⭐️ A 30 Minute Ask Me Anything Zoom Chat with Carrie Finison, author of DOZENS OF DOUGHNUTS (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers; Illustrated edition, July 21, 2020), DON’T HUG DOUG (He Doesn’t Like It) (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, January 26, 2021), LULU AND ZOEY: A Sister Story (Running Press Kids, June 7, 2022), HURRY LITTLE TORTOISE, TIME FOR SCHOOL (Random House Studio, July 19, 2022), and PIGS DIG A ROAD (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, September 10, 2024)
⭐️ 30 Minute Ask Me Anything Zoom Chat (anything relating to writing/publishing) OR a signed copy of winner’s choice of any of her picture books from Becky Scharnhorst, author of MY SCHOOL STINKS! (Flamingo Books, July 2021), THIS FIELD TRIP STINKS! (Flamingo Books, August 2022), and HOW TO GET YOUR OCTOPUS TO SCHOOL (Flamingo Books, May 16, 2023)
⭐️ A Signed Copy of THE PIE THAT MOLLY GREW (Sleeping Bear Press, August 2023) OR 13 WAYS TO EAT A FLY (Charlesbridge, 2021) – winner’s choice – from Sue Heavenrich, author of THE PIE THAT MOLLY GREW (Sleeping Bear Press, August 2023), 13 WAYS TO EAT A FLY (Charlesbridge, 2021), DIET FOR A CHANGING CLIMATE (21st Century Books, August, 2018), FUNKY FUNGI (Chicago Review Press, July, 2022), the Super Science Series, and The Human Machine Series.
Please join me in thanking these very generous authors and other writing professionals for contributing their books and writing expertise as prizes by visiting their websites and blogs, considering their books and services for birthday, holiday or other gift purchases, rating and/or reviewing their books on GoodReads, Amazon, B&N, or anywhere else if you like them, recommending them for school and library visits, recommending their books for school and library purchases, and supporting them in any other way you can dream up! 😊
Now! Lay in a good chocolate supply (no better time than right before Halloween for THAT!)! Bones In Chair! Pencils, pens, or keyboards ready! Put on your pointy black thinking cap (you know, to get in that Halloween mood 🧙🏿♀️ 😊!) And write those prize-winning stories!!!
I can’t wait to read them!!! 😊
Susanna Leonard Hill 
Yay! This is always so much fun – thanks for masterminding this every year, Susanna!
My pleasure, Elizabeth! Thank YOU for participating every year! 🙂
I think this is just what I need right now. Thank you for all your hard work.
I actually wrote a first draft this morning and made some sketches because I want to work on my illustration skills too.
Yay! I hope it inspires you, Sarah! And how cool that you’re also an illustrator and can use it for practice! Have fun! 🙂
Goblins tip toeing and chillin’ oh my!!! Thank you, Susanna for providing this opportunity each year! 🎃
You’re very welcome, Susan! I LOVE Halloweensie! 🙂
Always appreciate you doing this year after year. Will get my brain working on a ‘chilling’ entry very soon.
I will look forward to being chilled, Carmen! 🙂
So excited to participate for the first time this year! I’m looking forward to seeing everyone’s different takes with such fun prompt words.
So glad you’re excited! I can’t wait to see what everyone writes! 🙂
My Halloween season would not be ready to kick off without this contest. I absolutely love the challenge and reading all the creative works people put out! Thank you for doing this.
This is my favorite writing contest! I’ve missed some of my other favorites this year, but I couldn’t pass up writing a story for Halloweensie! Thank you for organizing/hosting/judging/etc. this contest each year Susanna! Much appreciated:)
I wrote one piece (a poem!)- but me being me – it was twice as long as the contest allows. I mean, why use one word when 10 or more will do? Heh!
So…back to the drawing board. But I did come up with something within the word count, so I’m actually kind of proud of myself.
Or…the shortened version of this:
wrote an entry. too long. wrote another one…
PS – thanks for the prompt!
Hahaha! Very funny! And good work managing to come up with something within the word count! 🙂
My favorite contest, my favorite time of year when we can tiptoe through the goblin’s garden and chill until Halloween is here.
I can’t believe how much I love the way your story contests help me write on a topic or thought I would never have come up with. I am always excited to participate. Thank you!
Im so glad! 🙂
EEEheehee! This has been so much fun and such a challenge!
Question: do hyphenated words count as one word? I assume so since Word and the dictionary do, but I’m new to contests! 😉
Thanks so much!
So glad you’re having fun! 🙂 Yes, hyphenated words count as one as per Word and the dictionary, but please avoid hyphenating-entire-strings-of-words-that-shouldn’t-really-have-hyphens-to lower-your-word-count 🙂
Ha! ♥
🙂
It’s that time of the year,,,spooky, scary and fun! Love Halloween stories!
Woohoo! It’s Halloweensie Eve! Here we go …
Home Alone by Marina Wright
Proving to my parents that I could be responsible, I asked them to let me handle staying home alone. After consideration, they allowed me. Tiptoeing into the kitchen, I cooked
popcorn, sprinkled seasoning, and sat on the couch and turned on a cartoon. As I was about to fall asleep, the TV turned the channel to a goblin horror movie. I tried turning it off, but it was no use. I was about to sleep, then heard the window open quietly. A chill went down my spine. It was 9:30. My parents weren’t supposed to be back until midnight…
Please post your entry on the correct post or the judges will not see it!
Goblin and Cowboy
Vicky Pao
Word Count: 100
I won the Kid’s Halloween contest, but I wanted a friend.
“I’m a Goblin,” I admitted to the finalists. “For real.”
Cowboy David blinked.
“Really?” squeaked Princess Ella.
She tiptoed and felt my tail.
She ran, losing her slipper!
I waited for Cowboy.
“Your tail’s cool,” he grinned.
Heat replaced my chill.
He shared, “I love Twizzlers!”
“I hate candy,” I giggled, handing him my loot.
“What do you love?”
“I love…nature,” I said, sitting beneath my tree.
I shared a foraged carrot.
Next evening, we met at our tree.
We shared radishes and stories.
My Halloween wish came true!
Please post your entry on the correct post or the judges will not see it!
Beach Trick or Treat – by Amy Duchene
In my beach town, we wear costumes without coats.
Our witch hats and goblin garb protect us from the sun.
We build haunted sandcastles and parade through waves.
But the best is Beach Trick or Treat.
We tiptoe across sand, searching…
We dip into cool tide pools and pluck a treat…
A tiny crab!
A starfish!
Into the pail they go.
Later, we spread our treats on chilly sand:
Seaglass and shells!
Driftwood and barnacles!
Sea onions and kelp!
A feather!
When the moon rises, it’s time to go.
One last trick: we empty our pails back to Ocean.
Please post your entry on the correct post or the judges will not see it!
Stopping by Stephen King’s on Hallowed Evening
A true account of my sixth grade self
by Sherry Dubis
Word Count 100
Whose house this is, Bangorians know.
He’s found someplace else to go.
He won’t open the gate for fear
Of goblin fans who get too near.
I’m too old, almost a teen,
To trick-or-treat this Halloween.
My trusty friend says we must go,
I peer and wait upon tiptoe.
My arm ignores insistent tug
Wishing toward the welcome rug.
When the breeze whips up a chill,
I finally give in to her will.
I sigh to think we we’ll soon outgrow
Carved up pumpkins all aglow.
I craft my words in glum retreat.
To plead our case on heavy feet.
Please post your entry on the correct post or the judges will not see it!
A Spectrum of Costumes
by Laura N. Clement
“Just be you.”
Heather heard this every day from her parents.
But every year when chilly weather turned leaves crisp, pumpkins plumped, and goblins peaked out of neighbor’s window, a familiar worry began to tiptoe into her thoughts.
Being herself wasn’t always easy, loud sounds made her shrink, big feelings made her hide, and faces everywhere squinching, twitching, and changing, confused her.
Halloween was the worst.
The masks, makeup, funny clothes made understanding anyone that day harder, so this year… just being herself, Heather put on headphones, sunglasses, her softest clothes, and happily tucked herself into her own quiet world.
Please post your entry on the correct post or the judges will not see it!
Halloween on the farm-a Cowgirl and her Inflatable Dinosaur Herd
By Laura N. Clement
Stella didn’t feel like dressing up for Halloween. She preferred comfortable overalls, beat up muddy boots, and worn-out hat.
“I am a cowgirl,” Stella said, “every day, no matter what.”
But Stella’s goats had other ideas. They loved wearing costumes and trick-or-treating for pumpkin snacks, they didn’t lovetiptoeing around in the dark.
“It’s chilly this year, so maybe we’ll stay home,” said Buddy.
“But I want treats,” said Rose.
“And I want to wear a goblincostume!” said Hazel
But Stella had another costume plans. “Getty up goats,” she said, “This cowgirl is rustling three Dinosaurs! Now hold still.”
Please post your entry on the correct post or the judges will not see it!
Goblin Trick or Treat
By: Susan Summers
Tiptoeing through the yard, Goblin was almost there.
Despite the chill evening, he was sweating.
This was the one night he could pretend to be human.
He didn’t want to miss out.
Goblin was at the door when trouble arrived.
WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!
“I told you to stay home,” he hissed.
The dog didn’t care, it raced towards Goblin.
WHOMP.
Together they knocked open the front door.
He knew this was bad.
As Goblin rushed to leave, a hand grabbed his shoulder.
“HELP!” he yelled.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?”
PLUNK.
Candy landed in his bucket.
“Happy Halloween!”
Goblin smiled, “SUCCESS!”
Please post your entry on the correct post or the judges will not see it!
My Second Halloween
by Kim L. Young
64 words
This Halloween I…
Pressed clingy shapes onto the window.
Painted a pumpkin all by myself.
Chose what I wanted to be.
Carried my own bag and said, “trick-or-treat” and “thank you.”
Snacked on sweet treats.
Tiptoed up close to ghosts and goblins.
Shivered in the chilly air, but…
I didn’t miss a thing on my SECOND Halloween!
Please post your entry on the correct post or the judges will not see it!
Paxton Maxton Mumpledread
by Tracey Kiff-Judson, WC: 97
Paxton Maxton Mumpledread,
carved a pumpkin for his head:
kooky eyes, a goblin grin,
a crooked nose, a dimpled chin.
He slipped it on, and he was chillin’ –
dressed up like a silly villain.
Paxton tiptoed off to school,
where pumpkin-heads broke every rule.
“Paxton’s lost his head,” they said.
“His brain is stuffed with pumpkin bread!”
As tears spilled down his cheeks inside,
he felt relieved that he could hide.
And so, he wears his pumpkin heads,
a shield against the world he dreads,
and no one knows if Paxton’s sad,
afraid, embarrassed, or…
gone mad!
Please post your entry on the correct post or the judges will not see it!
So sorry! Thank you for the heads up!
Halloween Chess
by Betsy J. Bennett (94 words)
A chill trickled down Ronald’s spine. He tiptoed down the stairs, following his older brother. “You don’t really believe that, do you?” he whispered.
“It’s true!” Devon insisted. “Every Halloween night, when trick-or-treating ends, the chess pieces come alive.”
The light was dim, but he could still see the chess set. At first, nothing. Then the white queen slowly stretched her arms above her head.
Kings shook hands.
Pawns celebrated.
Knights pranced.
“Next year I’ll show you what the goblins do on Halloween,” Devon teased.
Ronald stared and believed.
He couldn’t wait for next Halloween.
Please post your entry on the correct post or the judges will not see it!
Halloween Mischief
Rebecca W. Chester
98 words
Out to make mischief on Halloween night,
two naughty goblins prepared to bring fright.
Stealthily lurking down dimly-lit streets,
they scared little monsters and pilfered their treats.
Witches a-plenty and ghosties galore
found their pails empty at each festive door.
Tiptoeing bandits, they looted the town,
burgling mummies and scarecrows and clowns.
Satchels of candy, their pockets so full!
This bone-chilling night was the goblins’ best pull!
Spotting a werewolf, they chose one more mark,
one final victim they’d cheat in the dark.
Stifling giggles, they lunged for the pup,
who bellowed a howl and gobbled them up!
Please post your entry on the correct post or the judges will not see it!
Thank you!
The Spooky Cave
By Ghost Writer
It was Halloween night, and Freddy was dared by his friends from school to spend the night in a spooky cave at the edge of their town. He nervously peered through the shadowy entrance and slowly tiptoed inside. There was a sudden chill in the air that brought goosebumps to the back of his neck. As he walked deeper inside the cave his heart pounded inside his chest. Freddy felt like he was being watched, and when he heard a loud sound behind him, he turned and saw a goblin with large pointy ears and jagged teeth grinning at him.
Please post your entry on the correct post or the judges will not see it!
By Dawn Hauptner
It’s NOT St. Nick (A Halloween Story)
One stormy Halloween,
A flash zaps through the sky…
There’s not even a chill,
Could St. Nick be dashing by?
To the window I tiptoe,
And smile and cheer…
Why it’s not St. Nick at all,
But a goblin with some reindeer!
The goblin shoots down the chimney,
and drops a sack by his feet…
He leaves me a pumpkin,
a trick and a treat…
He darts up the chimney,
Then clear out of sight…
Happy Halloween to all…
And to all a frightful night!