Rules of the contest «What hides in the dark»

1. Organiser

The contest is organised by Antonio López Romero (A. L. Romero), owner of the website elnarradordealmas.com. Contact: axa5600@gmail.com.

2. Who can take part

Taking part is free and requires no purchase. Anyone aged 18 or over — or under 18 with their parents' or guardians' permission — may take part, from any country, with a single piece of flash fiction written in Spanish.

3. Theme and length

Theme: What hides in the dark. The story must be horror, no longer than 200 words (title not counted) and original, unpublished and your own: plagiarism and texts generated with artificial intelligence are not accepted.

4. Dates

Entries: from October 1, 2026 at 00:00 (Spanish time) to October 31, 2026 at 23:59 (Spanish time), through the form at elnarradordealmas.com/concurso. Finalist voting: from the moment they are announced until November 9, 2026 at 23:59 (Spanish time).

5. Publication and selection

The organiser reads every story and publishes on the website those considered to be of sufficient quality; stories that do not follow these rules or that include offensive or discriminatory content, incite hatred or infringe third-party rights may be left unpublished without further justification.

Among the published stories, the organiser will choose up to three finalists. The winner will be the finalist with the most reader votes on the website (one vote per person). In the event of a tie, the organiser decides. Fraudulent or automated votes will be voided.

6. Prize

The author of the winning story will appear as a character in an upcoming story by A. L. Romero, will receive a signed ebook and will have their story published in pride of place on the website.

The prize cannot be exchanged for money. The winner will be contacted through the email address given when entering; if there is no reply within 15 days, the prize may pass to the next most voted finalist.

7. Copyright

Each participant keeps every right over their story. By taking part, they grant the organiser a free, non-exclusive licence to publish it on elnarradordealmas.com and to share it on social media, always with the name or pen name provided. They may ask for it to be taken down at any time by writing to the contact address.

8. Personal data

The name or pen name, email and text are used only to run the contest. The chosen name is published next to the story, never the email. More information in the privacy policy.

9. Acceptance

Taking part implies accepting these rules. The organiser may resolve any situation not covered by them and, for justified reasons, change the dates by announcing it on this page.