How to enter our Halloween writing competition #CBCSpookyStory26
BY Maya Fernandes
22nd Oct 2026
Embrace the darker nights and Halloween season with our latest Instagram flash fiction competition! Our #CBCHalloweenStory competition is now open for entries. We’re hosting this competition over on Instagram (@curtisbrowncreative) from Thurs 22 October to Mon 2 November.
Use the spine-tingling prompt set by our brilliant alumna and Sunday Times bestselling folk horror author Lucy Rose as the jumping-off point for an original flash fiction story or opening scene. Post your response to your Instagram page to be in with a chance of winning one of three places on one of our short online courses.
Keep reading for prize details and information on how to enter.
Prizes:
Three winners will be awarded a free place on the online writing course of their choice (courses run for four, five or six weeks and are valued between £135 and £250). Winners can join one course only from the courses listed on this webpage.
Prize may not be exchanged directly for cash. Prize must be redeemed by 31 October 2027.
Winners must email help@curtisbrowncreative.co.uk to claim their prizes.
How to enter:
To enter the #CBCSpookyStory26 competition on Instagram we want you to write an original flash fiction story or opening scene that is inspired by this prompt:
- Abandoned at the end of the cul-de-sac, the little house has always been vacant. Quiet. But something is stirring . . .
Post the prompt image graphic to your Instagram grid either on its own or as part of a carousel post. You can download the graphic by clicking the button below.
Then use the prompt as the first line or jumping-off point for your mini story in the caption of your Instagram post (up to a maximum of 300 words).
Remember to tag @curtisbrowncreative in the post and use #CBCSpookyStory26 in your caption to enter. Please note that we will only be able to read entries posted to public Instagram accounts.
Other rules:
- Please follow the instructions found in the ‘How to enter’ section above.
- Follow us on Instagram (@curtisbrowncreative).
- Like this competition post.
- Winners can redeem their free place for use on any of the short online courses listed on this page. Prizes are not eligible for use on courses that are not found on that web page. Prize must be redeemed by 31 October 2027. Prize may not be exchanged directly for cash.
- You must be 18+ to enter. One entry per person. Public accounts only please. This competition is not affiliated with Instagram.
- Competition starts Thurs 22 October at 11am. Competition closes for entries Mon 2 November at 11am (UK time) and the winner will be announced in our stories and on our blog at 11am Thurs 5 November (UK time).
We will update this blog by posting the three winning stories on Thurs 5 November.
Helpful tips:
Here are some of Lucy's top tips for writing a spooky scene or flash fiction story . . .
Lucy Rose is a Sunday Times bestselling author and award-winning filmmaker with an interest in gothic, girlhood, horror, and literary fiction. Her short fiction and nonfiction have been published in Dread Central, Mslexia, the Observer, The Nerd Daily and more. Lucy’s debut novel, The Lamb is published by W&N Books (UK) and Harper(US) and earned her a place on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list 2025, alongside the Nota Bene Prize 2026. In film, Lucy’s short films have led to three regional Royal Television Society Awards and have attended BAFTA-qualifying festivals – one receiving a nomination for the inaugural BFI Northern Filmmaker Award at Aesthetica Film Festival in 2018.
- To find the unexpected, we have to write unexpectedly. Write your first draft as a poem to find images you might not have unlocked writing more traditional prose. You'll also find, as you redraft and refine, that you're able to peel back what you're really trying to say with any given piece of writing. People view novels and poems as adversaries, but there's so much we can learn from our poetry-inclined counterparts and their incredible, intricate craft.
- All your horror should stem from a deep emotional pulse. What are you really frightened of? What makes you angry? What do you want to scream about? That's where powerful horror is conceived. Before you commit a single word to your story, find a scrap piece of paper and write a short sentence or a single word that feels to be the very emotional centre of your writing – that is your compass.
If you need help posting your competition entry to Instagram, email help@curtisbrowncreative.co.uk
We can’t wait to read your stories!