Written in the Dark

    Terms and Conditions

    Organizer:
    WRITTEN TECH LIMITED
    Registration No.: HE 471186
    Address: Konstantinou Paparrigopoulou 15, Charalambides Chambers, 1st Floor, Neapoli, 3106 Limassol, Cyprus ("Written", "Organizer", "we", "us" or "our").

    By submitting an entry to the Written in the Dark contest (the "Contest"), you confirm that you have read and agree to these Terms and Conditions (the "Rules"). No purchase or entry fee is required.

    Table of Contents

    1. Contest period
    2. Eligibility
    3. Entry requirements
    4. How to enter
    5. Selection of winners
    6. Prizes
    7. Winner notification and verification
    8. Ownership and limited permissions
    9. Integrity, disqualification and removal
    10. Privacy and publicity
    11. Administration, changes and cancellation
    12. Liability
    13. Governing law and disputes
    14. Relationship with other Written terms
    15. Contact

    1. Contest period

    The Contest opens at 9 AM EST on September 18th, 2026 and closes at 7 PM EST on October 15th, 2026 (the "Entry Period"). All times are stated in Eastern Standard Time. Entries received outside the Entry Period are not eligible. The Organizer's systems are the official timekeeping method for the Contest.

    2. Eligibility

    The Contest is open only to individuals who:

    • are at least 18 years old on the date of entry;
    • have a valid Written account in good standing and provide complete and accurate account information;
    • are legally permitted to enter and receive a prize in their country or territory of residence; and
    • are not subject to sanctions or other legal restrictions that would prevent the Organizer from lawfully awarding or paying a prize.

    Employees, officers, directors and contractors of the Organizer, Nightmare Street Studios, Wonder Street and their respective affiliates, and members of their immediate families or households, are not eligible to enter. The Contest is void where prohibited by law.

    Entries must be submitted by the individual author. Co-authored entries are not eligible unless the Organizer confirms otherwise in writing before the end of the Entry Period.

    3. Entry requirements

    1. One entry per person and per Written account. Use of multiple accounts, identities or email addresses may result in disqualification of all related entries.
    2. The entry must be one completed short story written in English or Spanish and created by the entrant. Each entry will compete only in the language category corresponding to the language in which the story is submitted.
    3. The story must belong to the horror genre and should draw the reader into the unknown, unsettling or disturbing and evoke fear or dread.
    4. The story text must contain between 10,000 and 20,000 characters, including spaces but excluding the title and platform metadata, as reasonably determined by the Organizer.
    5. The story must be uploaded in PDF or EPUB format and must be readable, complete and free of password protection, malware or technical restrictions that prevent review.
    6. The story must be previously unpublished. For these Rules, "previously unpublished" means that the story has not previously been made publicly available or commercially distributed in substantially the same form, whether in print, online, through a self-publishing platform or otherwise. Private circulation to editors, beta readers or a closed writing workshop does not by itself constitute publication.
    7. The story must not: (a) infringe copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity or any other third-party right; (b) contain unlawful or defamatory material; (c) promote hatred or unlawful discrimination; (d) incite real-world violence or other unlawful conduct; or (e) otherwise violate the Written Terms of Service or applicable law. Depiction of violence or disturbing themes that is relevant to a horror story is not prohibited merely because of its subject matter.
    8. The entrant must have obtained all permissions and releases necessary for any third-party material, names, likenesses or other protected elements included in the story.

    The Organizer may ask for reasonable evidence of authorship, originality or permissions. Failure to provide it within the stated deadline may result in disqualification.

    Entries that are generated, in whole or in part, by artificial intelligence are not eligible for submission to the contest. Any entry found to violate this policy will result in disqualification.

    4. How to enter

    1. Go to written.app/in-the-dark.
    2. Click "Publish your story".
    3. Upload the story as an EPUB or PDF and add the required story details.
    4. Log in to an existing Written account or create an account to complete publication.

    Only a story successfully published through the designated Contest page during the Entry Period will be entered. An upload, draft, failed submission or submission through another page does not constitute an entry. The entrant is responsible for confirming that the story appears as successfully published.

    Unless the Organizer permits otherwise, an entry may not be materially edited or replaced after the Entry Period closes. An entrant may withdraw before the closing deadline by contacting [email protected], but withdrawal does not extend the deadline or guarantee a replacement entry.

    5. Selection of winners

    The Contest consists of two separate language categories: an English-language category and a Spanish-language category. Four winners will be selected in each category: first place, second place, third place and a Readers' Choice Award winner (eight winners in total).

    5.1 Jury awards

    Eligible entries will be evaluated by a judging panel appointed by the Organizer. The panel will consider the following factors, without a predetermined weighting unless the Contest page states otherwise:

    • originality and strength of concept;
    • quality of writing, structure and character development;
    • effectiveness as a horror story, including atmosphere, tension and emotional impact; and
    • overall artistic merit and suitability for the Contest.

    The judging panel will select a first-, second- and third-place winner separately in each language category based on skill and the criteria above. The Contest is not a random draw. In the event of a tie within a language category, the panel will re-evaluate the tied entries against the same criteria and the panel chair will make the final determination if the tie remains.

    5.2 Readers' Choice Award

    Eligible stories will be available for reader voting from 9 AM on September 18th, 2026 until 7 PM on October 15th, 2026 in Eastern Standard Time. Each verified Written account may cast one vote per entered story. The eligible story receiving the highest number of valid votes in each language category will receive the Readers' Choice Award for that category.

    The Organizer may invalidate votes generated through bots, scripts, duplicate or fraudulent accounts, incentives prohibited by these Rules, vote exchanges, manipulation or other conduct that compromises the integrity of the vote. A tie within a language category will be resolved by the judging panel using the criteria in Section 5.1.

    Within its language category, an entry may receive both a jury award and the Readers' Choice Award.

    6. Prizes

    The following cash prizes will be awarded separately in each language category:

    • First place: USD 1,500.
    • Second place: USD 1,000.
    • Third place: USD 500.
    • Readers' Choice Award: USD 1,000.

    In addition to the cash prize, only the first-place winner in the English-language (U.S.) category (the "U.S. Winner") will receive a direct pitch for a potential screen adaptation to Nightmare Street Studios, a Wonder Street company. The direct pitch means a reasonable opportunity to present the U.S. Winner's story to representatives of Nightmare Street Studios, which may be provided by a meeting, video call or written submission as reasonably arranged by the Organizer and Nightmare Street Studios. The direct pitch is not part of the prize for the first-place winner in the Spanish-language category. It does not guarantee that the story will be optioned, purchased, developed, produced, distributed or otherwise adapted. Nightmare Street Studios and Wonder Street have no obligation to negotiate or enter into any agreement. Any option, acquisition, adaptation or other rights will be subject to a separate written agreement with the relevant rights holder.

    Cash prizes will be paid in USD, or in an equivalent payment form or currency where required by law or reasonably necessary for payment, within 30 days after the winner completes verification and provides the requested payment and tax information. The Organizer will not charge a winner a fee to receive a prize.

    Prizes are personal to the winner and may not be transferred. A winner is responsible for all taxes, reporting obligations, bank or wallet charges and currency conversion costs applicable to the prize. The Organizer may withhold amounts if required by law.

    7. Winner notification and verification

    Potential winners will be notified using the email address or account details associated with their Written account and may be publicly announced through Written channels. A potential winner must respond and provide any reasonably requested identity, age, eligibility, authorship, rights, tax and payment information within 10 business days after notification.

    A potential winner is not confirmed until the Organizer completes verification. If a potential winner cannot be contacted, does not respond on time, refuses the prize, is found ineligible or breaches these Rules, the Organizer may disqualify that entrant and select the next highest-ranked eligible entry under the applicable selection method.

    The Organizer intends to announce the winners by October 31st, 2026, subject to verification and any reasonable delay required to protect the integrity of the Contest.

    8. Ownership and limited permissions

    Entrants retain copyright and ownership of their stories. Entry into the Contest does not transfer copyright or adaptation rights to Written, Nightmare Street Studios or Wonder Street.

    By entering, each entrant grants the Organizer a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to host, reproduce, format, display, communicate and make the story available through Written to the extent reasonably necessary to operate the platform and administer, judge, publicize and document the Contest. This includes using the story title, entrant name or pen name, cover image and reasonable excerpts in Contest-related announcements and promotional materials. The Organizer may allow its judges and service providers to access the story solely for those purposes.

    This Contest-specific license does not permit the Organizer to create or authorize a screen adaptation or other material derivative work. Any additional rights require a separate written agreement. The licenses separately granted under the Written Terms of Service continue to apply to content published on the platform according to those terms.

    9. Integrity, disqualification and removal

    The Organizer may reject, remove or disqualify an entry where it reasonably determines that the entrant or entry:

    • does not comply with these Rules, the Written Terms of Service or applicable law;
    • contains false or misleading information;
    • infringes or is reasonably alleged to infringe third-party rights;
    • uses plagiarism, impersonation, multiple accounts, automated voting, vote manipulation or other fraud;
    • interferes with the Contest, another entrant or the Written platform; or
    • would expose the Organizer or its partners to material legal, security or reputational risk.

    Where reasonably practicable, the Organizer will notify the entrant of a disqualification and its general basis. The Organizer may withhold, revoke or recover a prize obtained through fraud, material misrepresentation or a material breach of these Rules, to the extent permitted by law.

    10. Privacy and publicity

    Personal information submitted in connection with the Contest will be processed in accordance with the Written Privacy Policy and applicable data protection law for the purposes of administering the Contest, verifying eligibility, contacting entrants and winners, awarding prizes, preventing fraud, handling disputes and complying with legal obligations.

    The Organizer may share relevant information and entries with judges, platform and payment service providers, professional advisers, and Nightmare Street Studios or Wonder Street where necessary to administer the Contest or provide the direct pitch to the U.S. Winner. Service providers may process information in other countries subject to the safeguards described in the Privacy Policy.

    Subject to applicable law, entrants acknowledge that the Organizer may publish a winner's name or pen name, story title, country or territory, prize and reasonable biographical information for Contest announcements. Any use of a winner's image, voice, testimonial or additional personal information for advertising will require any consent required by applicable law.

    11. Administration, changes and cancellation

    The Organizer may interpret and apply these Rules, verify entries and votes, correct manifest errors and make decisions reasonably necessary to administer the Contest fairly. Decisions are final except in the case of manifest error, fraud or rights that cannot be excluded under applicable law.

    If fraud, technical failure, security incident, force majeure, legal restriction or another event beyond the Organizer's reasonable control materially affects the fairness, security or operation of the Contest, the Organizer may suspend, modify or cancel the Contest or adjust its timetable. Any material change will be announced through the Contest page or another reasonable Written channel and will not be applied retroactively in a manner that unfairly prejudices entrants, unless necessary to comply with law or protect Contest integrity.

    The Organizer is not responsible for late, lost, corrupted, incomplete, misdirected or technically inaccessible entries caused by systems or networks outside its reasonable control. This does not limit liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.

    12. Liability

    To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Organizer, Nightmare Street Studios, Wonder Street and their respective affiliates, officers, employees, contractors and agents are not liable for indirect, incidental, special or consequential loss arising from participation in the Contest or acceptance or use of a prize. Nothing in these Rules excludes or limits liability for fraud, willful misconduct, death or personal injury caused by negligence, or any other liability that cannot be excluded or limited by law.

    Nothing in these Rules requires an entrant to indemnify the Organizer for claims outside the entrant's breach of the representations and obligations expressly stated in these Rules.

    13. Governing law and disputes

    These Rules and any dispute, claim or controversy arising out of or in connection with the Contest, including its administration, interpretation or enforcement, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Cyprus, without regard to its conflict of laws principles. Subject to any mandatory rights available to entrants under applicable consumer protection laws, the courts of the Republic of Cyprus shall have exclusive jurisdiction to resolve any such dispute, claim or controversy. Nothing in this Section deprives an entrant acting as a consumer of the protection of any mandatory provisions of the law of the entrant's country of habitual residence or of the right to bring proceedings before any court having jurisdiction under applicable mandatory law.

    Before starting formal proceedings, an entrant should send a written description of the dispute and requested resolution to [email protected] and allow 30 days for good-faith discussions. This informal process does not prevent urgent relief or suspend any mandatory limitation period.

    14. Relationship with other Written terms

    Use of the Written platform remains subject to the Written Terms of Service, Privacy Policy and other applicable platform policies. If these Rules conflict with the Written Terms of Service on a matter specific to the Contest, these Rules control for that matter. The Written Terms of Service control all other matters relating to the platform.

    If any provision of these Rules is held invalid or unenforceable, it will be applied to the maximum extent permitted and the remaining provisions will remain in effect. Failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver.

    15. Contact

    Contest questions and notices: [email protected]