Announcing our Thriller Creator's Contest!

Write a thrilling story to delight your readers in time for Halloween. To learn more about what we mean by Thriller - see here.

The specific guidelines are:

  1. Your story must have "Thriller" in the title. Stories without "Thriller" in the title will be disqualified. While not required for entry it is strongly recommended that you format your title like this - “Thriller: The Lake House.” This will help readers search for your story and identify it as a contest entry.

  2. You must completely fill out this Google form after you publish your story. Be sure to include your story URL and NOT your share link. Your story URL is visible in the address bar of the web browser you use to access the Writer’s Portal and your script page. It should look something like this: https://www.episodeinteractive.com/write/story/My_Awesome_Story. (<- this part is very important, many, many people mess it up).

In the event that you send the wrong the link or make a mistake on your entry form, please send your story title, email address and the correct link in a support ticket so we can update your entry.

  1. You must write in the Thriller genre. You can choose to set your thriller in any time period or location.

  2. You may write in either Cinematic (full body, animated) or Spotlight (animated upper bodies) Styles or a combo of the two. You can use any art style you prefer.

  3. We would love to see diverse characters in your stories! For example, characters who are people of color, non-heteronormative, or are of varying religions and socioeconomic backgrounds, just to name a few! To read more about diversity and inclusion on Episode go here.

  4. The submission window is 8 weeks. Your story must be published no later than 11:59pm Pacific Time on Sunday, Sept 30th, 2018.

  5. You may NOT use or re-title a previously published story. This must be a new and original work that has not previously been published to Episode or another platform. Sequels, prequels, spin offs, etc. are not allowed.

  6. If you are an official Episode Director or Partner you may enter the contest, but only with original work outside the scope of your contract with us.

  7. Be sure that your story follows our content guidelines and is suitable for a PG-13 audience. Stories that do not follow these guidelines or which violate our Content Guidelines may be disqualified and/or have their story removed from the app. If you are any doubts or questions about whether elements of your story fit with our Content Guidelines please contact the Episode Review team here. We are happy to help you with ANY questions you might have!

  8. Winners are determined based on highest levels of reader engagement, rubric score and fit to contest theme.

  9. There is a length requirement for this contest. You need to write a complete short story by the entry deadline. You must have at minimum 3 fully complete chapters and no more than 5. You may not substantially alter or change your published chapters after the deadline (other than to make minor corrections). Fixing typos and errors are allowed after the deadline for contest entries. This includes things like character or speech bubble placement, spelling / grammatical errors or typos. You may not: add options to your CC, change or update your cover art, add additional scenes, choices, dialogue, backgrounds or overlays. When in doubt ask Support before you make any changes.

  10. Remember to allow at least 3 business days prior to the contest deadline for your backgrounds, overlays and story cards to be processed. This means you should plan on uploading them no later than Tuesday, September 25th. If you do not upload your images by this date we cannot guarantee that they will be approved in time for your contest entry to be eligible.

Winners from this contest will be showcased in a special Thriller shelf in the Episode app and get a shoutout on our social media account! Winners will be announced 2 - 4 weeks after the submission deadlines passes as the stories need time to gain reads in the app and also for our staff to review them.

Happy writing!

Love,

The Episode Team

95 Likes

YES!

@TheTurtleTrainer

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New Contest yay!

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No problem! I know how much this contest means to you and I can’t wait to see your entry! :smile:

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The story that I’m working on right now fits this so perfectly. I’m so flipping excited :laughing:

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Yes!!! My favourite genre :grin:

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I already have an idea for a thriller/horror, but it’s definitely not achievable within 5 episodes, so I’m going to have to publish it separately from this contest. :sweat_smile:
Oh well.

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I’m not entering but I am excited to read a lot of entries : )
Thriller’s a cool genre :wink:

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I wanted it to be thriller!

I have been plotting a halloween plot ever since I completed and published my entry for the Dirty Dancing Contest! I’m actually so excited for this! :smile:

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SO EXCITED! :scream:

Girl, I see you there! :joy: :heart:

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Yaaassss :scream::scream::scream: I’ve been waiting forever… Can’t wait to be a part of this contest. :dancer:
Thank you :heart:

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dab knew it.

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Wait for mine, then. :sunglasses:

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Genius

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@Elena1creates!

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ENTERING! Yas!

entering!

:joy::joy::joy: entering we will see what people have over us “The badass besties” :joy::joy::joy:

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