Winter Hauntings

An EPIC Carteret Ghost Story Contest

Eligibility Criteria

Participants must meet at least one of the following conditions:

  • Current resident of Carteret County.
  • Born in Carteret County but currently residing elsewhere.
  • Attended school or college in Carteret County.
  • Currently working in Carteret County.
  • Possessing familial ties to Carteret County (e.g., parents or grandparents from Carteret County).

  • The ghost story must be inspired by Carteret County, encompassing its landmarks, local lore, culture, or history.
  • The story should clearly demonstrate its connection to Carteret County either through its setting, characters, plot, or underlying themes.

  • Submissions must be original, unpublished works of the author.
  • The story must not have been submitted to any other contest or publication at the time of submission.

Writers must be 16 years of age or older at the time of submission.

The story must be 1,300 words or fewer. Stories exceeding this limit will be disqualified.

All stories must be written in English.

Stories should be suitable for a broad audience. We will not accept entries with excessive gore, or those that contain racist, misogynist, or homophobic content or that portray acts of sexual violence.

Each writer is allowed a maximum of one submission for the contest.

Rewards & Recognition

Rewards & Recognition

Dramatic Reading

Finalists’ ghost stories will be brought to life by talented local actors at the Winter Hauntings Ghost Storytelling event in January.

Podcast Feature

Finalists’ stories will be shared via a recorded broadcast of the evening of ghost stories called Summer Spirits in July 2025.

Cash Prize

The winner will receive a $100 cash prize.

Important Dates

August 4, 2024

Barring a zombie apocalypse, we’ll be ready to start accepting your submissions by August 4, 2024.

October 5, 2024

The four-part Winter Hauntings writing ghost stories workshop through CCC Life Enrichment begins Saturday, October 5.

October 31, 2024

Deadline for ghost story contest submissions.

January 29, 2025

The winner of the contest will be announced at Winter Hauntings 2025, an evening of ghost stories.

Summer Spirits 20242025-02-06T18:02:51-05:00

Visit the Summer Spirits 2024 Show Notes Page

Listen to a barebones broadcast recording of our live event Winter Hauntings 2024, an evening of ghost stories, to hear last year’s top three stories, get the scoop on how the event benefited the Title Wave Book Mobile, and more on the Show Notes page.

Just click the pic.