Following the success of our recent Pride Shorts competition – congratulations once again to Cailleah Scott-Grimes and her winning film, Between Us – Short of the Week is thrilled to announce our next global initiative: Nightmare Shorts.

A celebration of horror stories, Nightmare Shorts is a competition dedicated to discovering the most exciting new voices in genre filmmaking. Whether your film delivers creeping psychological dread, supernatural terror, unforgettable monsters, unsettling folk horror or something that defies easy categorisation, we’re looking for stories that will keep our audience awake at night.

Short films have long been a proving ground for some of horror’s most innovative filmmakers, offering a space where bold ideas and experimentation can flourish. With Nightmare Shorts, we’re looking to champion that tradition by showcasing the filmmakers pushing the genre forward today – and perhaps uncovering the next great master of genre storytelling.

If you have a short film capable of terrifying, unnerving or simply leaving a lasting impression on its audience, we’d love to see it.

For those ready to submit, entries are now open. Read more about the competition below.

Awards & Prizes

Winner

• Short of the Week Feature (2.2m subscribers)
• Free Winners Merch

Finalists/Runners-up (x3)

• Inclusion in Short of the Week’s Nightmare Shorts showcase on Shortverse
• Free Finalists Merch

The winner of our Nightmare Shorts competition will be selected by a handpicked jury, including a number of filmmakers previously featured on Short of the Week:

• Caleb Phillips – Responsible one of Short of the Week’s favourite horror short films, Other Side of the Box, Caleb’s debut feature film, Imposters, premiered at SXSW 2026.
• Further jury announcements at a later date.

Nightmare Shorts will run over an eight-week submission period:

• Opens: Tuesday, August 4
• Closes: Wednesday, September 30

The winner will be announced in early October and be featured on Short of the Week in time for Spooky Season – Halloween.

We’re seeking short films that explore the eerie, the mysterious, and the macabre – stories that unsettle, provoke, and captivate.

This could mean psychological horror, supernatural tales, surreal nightmares, or something that defies genre altogether. Whether subtle or shocking, we’re drawn to films that demonstrate strong craft, confident storytelling, and a clear, distinctive voice.

Above all, we’re looking to be surprised.

If you’ve created a horror (or horror-adjacent) short that stands apart – in tone, perspective, or execution – we want to see it.

• Films must be 40 minutes or less
• Selected films must be available for online screening if chosen
• Films must be ready to go online in October 2026
• Films can’t already be featured on SotW
• Open to filmmakers from anywhere in the world
• All rights secured including music.

SUBMIT YOUR FILM

SotW is also inviting organisations interested in collaborating or sponsoring the competition to get in touch at partnerships@shortoftheweek.com