Announcement: Dagmay Horror Fiction Mini-Contest, September 1 to September 30

Editor's Note by | September 1, 2022

We’re running a mini-contest for short horror fiction in Dagmay! Selected works will be published in Dagmay every Sunday of October 2022 and will each earn a token prize of P200. Read on for the rules!

Theme / Writing Prompt: Davao Diabolique
“For some, Davao is the best city in the world; but what did it give in exchange for this glamor? And now dark forces are coming to claim their due….” We’re looking for subdued stories where the terror is hiding just beneath the surface and the fear comes as much from guilt, foolish choices, and powerlessness as from the supernatural. No overt sex or violence, and no outright vampires, zombies, or manananggals, please!

Rules:

  1. Original previously unpublished English prose fiction only, with length of 1,200 to 2,000 words. The stories must adhere to the theme. Poetry, while accepted for publication, will not be considered for the contest.

  2. Submissions must be made via email to with the title of your story as subject line and preceding [Horror] tag. For example, “[Horror] The Anointed One”. The story must be in the body of the email. Please include your real name and short bio in the text.

  3. You can submit as many stories as you want, but only one can be published. Last day of submission for the contest is September 30, 2022.

  4. Only horror stories selected for publication in Dagmay in October 2022 will be eligible for the token P200 prize. Stories that don’t make the cut may be optioned for future publication if the author so agrees but are not guaranteed a payout.

  5. Likewise, we follow other Dagmay contributor rules: only Mindanao residents or former Mindanao residents may participate.

  6. In case there are not enough qualifying submissions, other non-contest works may be published in their place; but these do not qualify for the P200 prize.

  7. Payment will be made via GCash in the first week of November 2022.

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