Jolly Horror Press Contest

Accursed items. Some people believe in them, some people don’t. With a truly cursed item, belief doesn’t matter. It’s gonna do its best to get you anyway. You might survive, with the worst luck ever. Or you might not. Maybe you'll be compelled to do things you never would without its influence. Maybe you thought it would help you at the casino. Maybe it did. But there’s always a price to pay, one you aren’t ready for. That little lucky charm you have in your pocket may be doing more damage than good. But you think its helping. It's cursed, and does not have your best interests in mind. Sometimes it’s not even an item, it’s a person. Be careful what you pick up. Be careful who you friend. You never know. It, or they, might be accursed. Your story must prominently feature some kind of cursed item.

Jolly Horror Press LOVES horror/comedy, but we will publish pure horror as well. We give humorous stories a slight edge however, when considering whether to include them.



Diversity and Inclusiveness: Yes, we want stories from all sectors, from all kinds of people! We encourage submissions from women, people of color, and the LGBTQ + community. We seek to include writers from all walks of life who have a scary/funny story to tell.

The Details: Please see our generic submission guidelines page for how to submit.



Word Count: 2500-6000 (query us if more/less)


Submission Period: April 1, 2019 to June 30, 2019


Reading Period: July 1, 2019 to September 30, 2019


Expected Publication Date: December 2019


We reserve the right to close early, but no earlier than May 31, 2019


Payment: $25 per accepted story (via Paypal)


More Info Here