The Itch Lit: The Itch Prize | Haunted-October | CNF Gold Star Program Gold Star Fee: usd $5.00

The Itch Prize: HAUNTED

Closes October 31, 2026

Some things don’t leave when they’re supposed to.

For this round of The Itch Prize, we’re looking for work that is HAUNTED.

Interpret that however you want.

Ghosts count. Obviously.

But so do old houses, old lovers, old versions of yourself. Memory. Regret. Desire. Family mythology. A sentence somebody said twenty years ago that somehow still lives in your head rent-free.

We are interested in the things that linger.

Send us fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, hybrid work, flash, micros, prose poems, strange little things we don’t quite know how to classify—if it fits the theme, we want to see it.

We are not looking only for horror.

We are looking for work that understands haunting.

One piece will receive The Itch Prize: Haunted and $50.

The winner will be published in The Itch Lit and featured across our platforms.

Additional work may also be selected for publication.

Standard Prize Entry — $5

All entries are judged by the same editorial standards. Choosing a higher-priced tier does not increase a submission’s likelihood of winning or publication. Additional fees cover expedited processing and editorial feedback only.

We welcome:

• Fiction
• Creative nonfiction
• Poetry
• Flash and micro work
• Hybrid and experimental writing

Submit up to 1,000 Words.

Previously unpublished work only.

Simultaneous submissions are absolutely fine. Just let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere.

Please submit only one entry to this prize period.

Deadline: October 31, 2026.

We don’t care whether your ghost rattles chains.

We care whether it follows us home.