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Killer Shorts Announces 2026 Screenplay Competition Finalists
Killer Shorts has announced the Top 10 finalists for its 2026 Horror Short Screenplay Competition, with selections spanning its Main Category, 1-Page Screenplay, and Short Story (Prose) divisions.
The finalists were chosen from more than 1,000 submissions and advanced through multiple rounds of evaluation. Winners will be announced April 27.
Scripts marked with a dagger (†) received a “Recommend” rating from Killer Shorts readers and are included on the competition’s “Scream List.”
Main Category Finalists
- Lucy Foster — Answer Man
- Benjamin Luk — Buttons †
- Elaine Frost — By Yourself
- Joshua David Matthews — Grim
- Michael Clifton — Lyla’s Last Dance
- Michael Pisaturo — No Faces
- Sebastian Watson — No Fishing
- Taylor Shofner — The Cockatrice
- Shane Thompson — Welcome to Our Cabin
- Sam Das — What Remains
- Deerest Darling — Eislinn Gracen
- How Was Your Day? † — Sapphire Sandalo
- Riding with the King — Salvatore Liuzzi
- Super Absolutely — Francesca Pazniokas
- We’ll Be In Touch — Andrew Maron
1-Page Screenplay Finalists
- Giovanna Umpierrez — Blackberry
- Liam Fitzpatrick — Guess Again
- Paul Starkey — Loose Lips
- Colby Helton — Nothing Yet
- Olivia Loccisano — ProtoTyke
- Rose Vatel — School Shopping
- Inês Reis — The Homebody
- Maureen Trinh — The License Plate Game
- Jose Cruz — The Shaft †
- TJ Berry — Weakness Leaving the Body †
- Amma — Andrew Dunstan
- Beaming — Cass Cooper
- PARTY BLOB — James Allen
- Peeping Tom — Justin Burford
- What Big Muscles You Have! — Stephen Chen
Short Story (Prose) Finalists
- Nicholas Thomas — A.Eye
- Aric Harrison — Alligator Boy
- Austin Langley — Apple Tree
- Akuorkor Allotey — Doggy in the Window
- Mark Renshaw — Fungi
- Tom Browngardt — Gravestone Concussion
- Mike AD — Hulled Out
- Martin Delaney — Nothing Is Scary Any More
- Shannon Weston — Rendered Speechless
- Brooke Solomon — Texas Tea
- Harold aka Fed by Pain — Millie Price
- The Lamb — Travis Williams
- Things That Came Through With the Baby — TJ Berry
- To Reach New Horizons — Gabriel Cofield
- Yesforatu — C. Lenz
Now in its seventh season, Killer Shorts continues to serve as a platform for emerging horror writers, offering finalists exposure to industry professionals along with prizes including software, consultations, and script coverage.
Updated: 03/16/2026
Additional Contest Info: The Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition
ScriptLinks
Post Your Script Here!The Ephod
Based on a true story. After a troubling Bible study shakes her lifelong Catholic faith, a woman experiences a vivid dream turned Spirit encounter when a mysterious Black Noble Man enters her dream and began preaching to her with passion and authority.
AT THE MERCY OF FAITH
A former preacher, haunted by the tragic rape/murder of his twin sister, spirals into darkness as supernatural forces, both angelic and demonic, wage war for his soul.
Only the Bad Guys
In a dystopian world where killing a killer brings their victim(s) back to life, ex-soldier turned bounty hunter Daniela Dushane makes a killing killing killers as she walks the fine line between hero and villain (THE NICE GUYS meets THE PUNISHER).
The Return of the Bad Boys
A group of friends from a working-class Detroit neighborhood cheat their way through a three-on-three basketball tournament to prove to themselves that they’re not losers (WHITE MEN CAN’T JUMP meets THE HANGOVER).
The Soul City Salvation
Ten months—that’s how long twenty-six-year-old writer and aspiring actor Jay Sakovsky decides to stay and teach in the bohemian beach town of Soul City, California, to save up cash and overcome his anxiety before moving on to Hollywood.
Chasing White Rabbits
When a famous true-crime podcaster returns to her hometown to investigate the murder of a childhood friend's family, she slowly begins to realize that she's actually investigating her own traumatic past.
Hammond
A group of troubled but charismatic boys in a tough Buffalo, NY neighborhood play basketball at a local park and dream of winning a state high school championship.
The Kidnapped
In Mexico, a drug cartel boss kidnaps a washed-up Hollywood director, and the two are driven to insanity while shooting a documentary about the boss's once-powerful cartel--a project meant to help both men reclaim lost glory.
The Summer of Crud
The summer after graduating from college, a troubled 22-year-old takes a cross-country US road trip with a friend, hoping to find the inspiration to reach his songwriting potential, start a band, and avoid student teaching in the fall.
Understanding the Alacran
A troubled 22-year-old man moves to Mexico and better understands the addiction and mental illness destroying his life [#1 Amazon Best Seller, Florida Authors and Publishers Association President's Awards, 2017, 2nd Place (contemporary/literary category)].
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