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Community contest
Status: Open
Hosted by LadySpark
Entry deadline: Closes Nov 8, 2026 · 34 days remaining
Two prompts, one grand prize!
Prompt
As the days become shorter, the air turns crisp, and the shadows grow longer - I want to challenge the poets of YWS to write something a little... haunting. Below are two prompts. The challenge? Write a poem fulfilling one or both prompts below, and submit for consideration!
Prompt One
Horror isn't always found in graveyards or abandoned mansions; sometimes, it’s sitting right on your kitchen counter. Choose a completely ordinary, everyday object: a teapot, a hallway mirror, a streetlamp, a favorite sweater - and write a poem where it becomes the source of an escalating terror. The goal is the corruption of the familiar.
Prompt Two
For this prompt, you must write a haunting poem that seamlessly integrates these five words to anchor the horrific or spooky elements of your piece:
- Porcelain
- Hum
- Clock
- Velvet
- Marrow
Rules
Due to the nature of the prompt, I'll allow any type of content for submission! I myself am a huge fan of gore and somatic horror to get my point across, so go crazy!
Mature themes and imagery allowed, just please rate appropriately. If you post in the contest thread rather than as a literary work, please add a rating to the top of your post to signify anything above 12+.
Maximum 2 poems per writer. You may choose to fulfill one or both prompts.
Please let me know what prompt you're fulfilling somewhere in the submission.
Judging criteria
Each poem will be judged individually, whether the writer submits poems for one or both prompts.
I will base my decision on the winning poem on the following elements: fulfillment of prompt, "atmosphere of dread", sensory and imagery, rhythm and pacing, syntax, originality of idea.
Entry details
• Max entries per member: 2
• Entry methods: link an existing YWS work; submit contest-only text
• Point donations: allowed
Prizes
- 1st place: 1,000 points
- 1st Place: Detailed analysis and review of poem(s) submitted
Point pool: 1,000 points pledged toward prizes
Discussion for this contest lives in this topic and on the contest page.
