Bog People Competition

Hollie Starling and Chatto & Windus are launching a competition for unpublished working-class writers to have their fiction featured in a folk horror anthology.

Bog People: A Working-Class Anthology of Folk Horror will be published in autumn 2025 by Chatto. The book is the vision of Hollie Starling, author of The Bleeding Tree who runs @FolkHorrorMagpie online, and who will edit and introduce the anthology as well as writing one of the stories. Eight spaces will be taken up by established working-class authors.

It’s important the publication reflects folk horror’s messages of community and protest, so one slot is open for an unpublished writer from a working-class background. They will be paid the same fee as all the other writers.

Folk horror is many things. It’s protest. Vengeful spirits. It’s a bit of Wicker Man, Midsommar or Jerusalem but it’s also the Peasant’s Revolt and maybe the 2011 London Riots. It’s Robin Hood, it’s the Lord of Misrule. With Bog People we assert a reclamation of this status as one deserving of reification. In its pages we’ll recognise the countless dead unnamed by the chroniclers of history. Stories of reaping and sowing, stories as sharp as a guillotine blade, stories that stand for all time.

Applicants must submit:

  • an outline of their folk horror story (up to 600 words)
  • an opening paragraph (up to 300 words)
  • a sample of their fiction writing of any genre (up to 6000 words)
  • a short bio of the writer (up to 200 words)
  • please format a Word document including these three sections in plain, serif font, 1.5 spacing, black type on white background, with no pictures. Do not send separate documents or pdfs.

Three shortlisted authors will then be asked to submit the full short story (5000-7000 words).

All applicants must identify as working class or from a working-class background. They must not have had their fiction or non-fiction published as a book, but this does not exclude those who have had work published in magazines or websites. The story must adhere to the tropes of folk horror, though we welcome experimentation and fresh takes on the genre.

Dates:
First entries deadline: 16 June, 2024
Shortlist chosen: 15 July, 2024
Final deadline: 4 August, 2024
Winner announced: 12 August, 2024

Judges:

Hollie Starling (she/her) is a writer and folklorist from the North East of England and author of The Bleeding Tree: A Pathway Through Grief Guided by Forests, Folk Tales and the Ritual Year. She runs the page Folk Horror Magpie (@folkhorrormagpie) on social media.

Rose Tomaszewska (she/her) is Editorial Director at Chatto & Windus, an imprint of Vintage at Penguin Random House, publishing fiction and non-fiction, and teaches Creative Writing at Faber Academy and Arvon.

Asia Choudhry (she/her) is an assistant at Chatto & Windus and co-chair of ColourFull, the network for employees of colour at Penguin Random House.

Folk Horror

We see folk horror as a sensibility rather than a genre, and its rules are pliable. That said, settings are very often isolated and insular, there is often pressure exerted by some form of ancient darkness that is linked to landscape, and shared reality may exist alongside an alternative one of myth and folklore. While the rural – and environmentalism – usually predominates, folk memory exists wherever people do, and so we feel that an urban setting is not at odds with the interests of folk horror. It is very much not Christian, and the ‘old ways’, pagan ritual, and occultism may be found simmering beneath the surface. The horror element can be unsettling and uncanny; the assault can be psychological or even spiritual, rather than the bodily or gratuitous (though this may feature). Supernatural elements are often present but are not required; the antagonist very often resides within the rigidity of superstition or the madness of the crowd. Folk horror frequently offers incidental beauty. It is enraptured by nature. Most of all it is concerned with a fear of outsiders and a clash of cultures.

Terms and conditions
  1. By entering this short story competition, each applicant agrees to be bound by these terms and conditions (Terms and Conditions).  
  2. The competition is open to all writers aged 18 years or over and who are a resident of the UK and the Republic of Ireland (Applicant), except for the permanent employees (including their families) of The Random House Group Limited, Penguin Books Limited or associated companies of the Penguin Random House group (Publisher), or the permanent employees (including their families) of DHH Literary Agency Ltd (Agent).
  3. Only one entry per person.
  4. This opportunity is only open to writers who identify as coming from a socio-economically disadvantaged background.  This will be self-defined by Applicant as part of the application.  
  5. The application window opens on May 9, 2024 and the closing date for the submission and receipt of all applications is 23.59 BST on June 16, 2024 (Closing Date).
  6. Details of the competition are set out at https://www.penguin.co.uk/company/publishers/vintage/chatto-windus/the-bog-people-competition and Applicant must send their Submission (as detailed below) through the form together with their name, address and phone number.  The applicant must submit in one Word document (please do not send separate documents or pdfs) an outline of their folk horror story (no more than 600 words), an opening paragraph (no more than 100 to 200 words) and a sample of their previous fiction writing (a short story of no more than 6,000 words) in the English language, (Submission).
  7. By entering this competition, all entrants agree to the use of their personal data by the Promoter for the purposes of running the competition as detailed in these terms and conditions.  Details on how we process the personal data of entrants can be found in our Privacy Policy (http://penguin.co.uk/company/about-us/notices/privacy-policy)
  8. All Submissions must be the original work of the Applicant.  If Applicant is unable to produce its Submission without third party assistance, the Applicant must fully disclose the nature (including name of the third party) and extent of that assistance.  
  9. Subject to the following, Submissions must be previously unpublished works of fiction, in the folk/horror genre. Applicant must not have previously written a novel published under a valid ISBN.  The exception to this is where Applicant has either been published: (i) by a non-for-profit publisher; (ii) via self-publishing; and/or (iii) published in digital/e-book format only.
  10. Submissions received after the Closing Date will not be considered.  Publisher is not responsible for illegible, incomplete, delayed, corrupted, malfunctioning, unreadable or lost Submissions.  Submissions sent by post or any other format or medium other than via the email address specified above will not be accepted.  Applicant should only submit copies of their work and should keep backups for their own files.
  11. By entering the competition, Applicant warrants that all information submitted as part of its application and Submission is true (with the exception of any fictional written Submissions), current and complete.
  12. All valid Submissions will be assessed by a judging panel (Judging Panel) made up of individuals with publishing expertise within Publisher’s organisation and an independent judge.  The Judging Panel will select a short list of up to three (3) Submissions (Shortlisted Applicants). In determining the Shortlisted Applicants, the Judging Panel will evaluate various aspects of the Submission including: contributing to folk horror as a genre or style, working well in an anthology of other writers, the quality, originality and commercial promise of the writing.
  13. Shortlisted Applicants shall be notified by email by July 15, 2024. Shortlisted Applicants will be required to write and submit their full short story (no more than 5,000 to 7,000 words in length) by August 4, 2024. After this date, the invitation will expire and Publisher reserves the right to offer the invitation to a substitute Applicant selected in accordance with these rules.
  14. Publisher regrets that it will not be able to give feedback on individual entries (other than that to be provided to the successful applicants at subsequent assessment stages).
  15. All decisions of the Judging Panel are final and not subject to appeal.
  16. All valid Submissions from this Short List will be assessed by the Judging Panel, which will then select the winner.
  17. In determining the winner, the Judging Panel will once again evaluate various aspects of the Submission including: contributing to folk horror as a genre or style, working well in an anthology of other writers, the quality, originality and commercial promise of the writing and the winner will be the entry that in the opinion of the judges is of the highest quality, is the most ready for publication and fulfils the aims of the competition to find a new voice in folk horror.
  18. For the avoidance of doubt, Publisher is under no obligation to select the maximum number of Shortlisted Applicants or a winner, if it is felt that not enough of the Submissions are of a sufficient quality.
  19. One (1) winner will be announced no later than August 12, 2024.
  20. The winner must claim their prize within 30 days of the Publisher sending notification. If the prize is unclaimed after this time, it will lapse and the Publisher reserves the right to offer the unclaimed prize to a substitute winner selected in accordance with these rules.
  21. Notwithstanding anything set forth in these terms and conditions if, in the sole opinion of the Publisher, none of the entries (including that of the winner) are of a sufficiently high standard to merit the winner’s prize, such prize shall not be awarded but shall instead be substituted with 10 books of the winner’s choice which are published in the UK by the Publisher.
  22. Subject to Clause 21 above, the prize for the winner will be to have their short story published in the upcoming short story anthology currently entitled BOG PEOPLE which will be published by the Publisher.
  23. Publication of the winning entry is subject to the winner entering into a contract with The Random House Group Limited (Publisher). This will afford an exclusive licence to the Publisher, permitting the editing, adapting, publishing and licensing of all or part of the story in all editions, formats (including print and electronic), in all languages and territories globally and subsidiary rights including but not limited to film and TV, setting out a flat fee of £1,500.  Should entrants not want to grant these rights they should not submit materials.  In the event an agreement cannot be reached, as regards the contract, within thirty days of the discussions commencing, the winner shall instead be awarded the substitute prize as set out in Clause 20 above, and we reserve the right to select an alternative winner from the Shortlist.
  24. The prize is non-transferable and no cash alternative will be offered.
  25. All decisions of the Judging Panel and Publisher are final and will not be subject to appeal, nor will any correspondence be entered into in relation to the competition.
  26. The Publisher regrets that entries cannot be returned, nor will the Publisher or the competition judges enter into correspondence or give feedback on individual entries. 
  27. By entering this competition each entrant confirms that: (i) his/her/their entry is their wholly-owned creation and to the extent that such entry makes use of any third party materials, that these have been fully cleared unless they are no longer protected by copyright or other intellectual property rights; (ii) no deliberate attempt has been made to base any fictional characters in the novel upon any individual, living or dead; and (iii) the submitted materials contain nothing that is illegal, obscene or of a defamatory nature. Entrants will keep the promoter harmless from any claims that the entry infringes the personal or proprietary right of any other person. Notwithstanding anything set forth above, the Publisher reserves the right to choose the most appropriate format for the work on publication.     
  28. Events may occur that render the competition impossible to fulfil due to reasons beyond the control of Publisher.  Should those events occur Publisher may, at its absolute discretion, vary, amend, suspend or cancel the competition and shall provide notice to all applicants of proposed variations, amendments, suspensions or cancellations.
  29. The Publisher may plan promotional events which may require the attendance of the shortlistees and the winner.  The Publishers will discuss such events with the shortlistees and the winner once organised and will seek their express consent before confirming their attendance.
  30. Other than those specified above, the promoter shall not be liable for any costs or expenses arising out of or in any way connected with this prize and does not accept any responsibility for any damage, loss or disappointment suffered by the winner as result of accepting this prize.
  31. We will make the winner’s name and county available on request to the following email address achoudhry@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk (please state the name of the competition in the subject heading 10 weeks after the closing date).  If you do not want your name and county to be made available in the event that you win, please let us know by emailing achoudhry@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk. Please note we are required to make the winner’s details available to the ASA if requested.
  32. Publisher may disqualify any entrant whose entry does not comply with these terms and conditions (in Publisher’s sole opinion) or who, in Publisher’s sole determination, has acted in a manner that is fraudulent, dishonest or unjust to other entrants including, without limitation, tampering with the operation of the competition, manipulating or rigging votes, hacking, deceiving (including not being truthful about their background and eligibility to enter this competition), using multiple accounts to submit multiple entries, cheating or by harassing or threatening other entrants, the panel or a representative of Publisher.
  33. These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of England and any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.
  34. The promoter’s contact details are: The Random House Group Limited registered office address 20 Vauxhall Bridge Road London SW1V 2SA, located at One Embassy Gardens, 8 Viaduct Gardens, London SW11 7BW.