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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#223: Academia

A recent re-watch of Gilmore Girls has had me thinking about academic life — there’s something uniquely compelling in the combination of idolized institutions, tweed, the pursuit of knowledge, and thousands of young people all living in close quarters. I’m not alone: dark academia is an established genre by now.

This week, let’s step into the halls of ivy together — I’ve got academics, libraries, students, and exams in these prompts, so whether your imaginary life in the academy is dark, fantastical, suspenseful, or humorous, I hope you’ll find a prompt that feels right.

This week's prompts

Start your story with a student discovering a hidden room in a university library.

Mystery – 77 stories

Write about two rival academics pursuing the same grant.

Character – 14 stories

Write a story in which a jaded academic makes an unexpected, rash decision.

Angst – 41 stories

Write about a student reporter uncovering a university scandal.

Mystery – 22 stories

Set your story during exam season, when tensions run high and a minor incident sends your protagonist into a panic spiral.

Character – 30 stories

Stories

“Clashing Philosophies of the Dark Kind” by Bill Yeagle

Submitted to Contest #223

Ominous shadows permeated every crevice of Whitmore University's ancient assembly hall, swallowing the dark aged wood panels and worn leather chairs in waves of inky darkness. A few ornate lamps valiantly tried to pierce the oppressive gloom that clung to the cavernous room like a choking fog.Dr. Wolfgang Miles settled into his assigned seat, arranging his folders, note cards, and pens into an orderly configuration. He'd prepared for this until late into the previous evening, even avoiding the latest news headlines.Across the long table, Dr....

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“Indefinitely Homogeneous...” by Walter Harris

Submitted to Contest #223

“You’re heavier than you look…” I strained to say as I dragged the limp body across the polished wood floors of the gymnasium. A pattern of blood trailed behind us from the blow to the head she’d taken. We were in debate in regards to the “debate” we were having against one another tomorrow before circumstances led to this. I’d won this round. I needed to get the body somewhere no one would notice. The shower room doors sprung open before me as I tugged at both of her ankles. I pulled the body about halfwa...

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“Duel Credit” by Shannakee Weaver

Submitted to Contest #223

Queen Charlotte’s Academy had once trained warriors. Now it trained statesmen, but they still sparred every day, only with different weapons: One point higher on an exam equaled a punch to the jaw; a smug smile across a courtyard twisted the knife. Students wielded pens like swords and waged their wars on battlefields of study; the hierarchy shifted with each assignment graded – with one exception. Eve Montesino always remained on top.Always.Eve’s phone burned a hole in her pocket as she strode forward, a dozen and a half formulas jockeying ...

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“Ouroboros” by Daniel Kleba

Submitted to Contest #223

The problem with planning your future is that eventually, it becomes the present. And you have to be prepared to live in that present when it comes. Walter was wallowing in that present, presently. Mountains of papers spread out before him in a wave of mediocrity. This year's students were particularly mundane. Months of terrible reports had ground his once meticulous grading system into a rudimentary three-step process. Step one was checking for name accuracy. He had wasted hours on poorly written slogs of academic heresy from papers with s...

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“It Goes Without Saying” by Nora Thompson

Submitted to Contest #223

It was Justine that came forward first. She’d shown up to the Sid Press offices and asked to speak with me alone. I sat her in my personal office and shut the door. Sade caught my eye as I drew the blinds but she didn’t disturb us. “The President has been sleeping with a student.” She said. I swallowed, student-run newspapers usually didn’t get this kind of scoop, in my opinion they shouldn’t. But I was the last person to squander the opportunity to have my name in the national press. “How do you know this?” I asked, “I bel...

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“Dropouts of Mr. Lakeland’s Class” by Megan Bacher

Submitted to Contest #223

“Shhhhhhh.” The librarian whispers loudly, bringing her crooked finger up to her mouth, as she passes our table in long uneven strides. Her black robe is draped too far over her head making her look like a lost ghost. Kaylin giggles silently as I gag, wiping away the spit droplets that now lay on my stack of papers. It’s disgusting, I mouth with a smile slipping through my lips. Kaylin and I had spent the past four hours in old rustic wooden chairs that were in desperate need of some cushions. We both have three finals this week...

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“Magic Unleashed - A Tale of Blackgate University” by Rebecca Kohles

Submitted to Contest #223

Chapter 1 “What do you think about the Black Masque Ball next week? Want to go as friends?” I was silent for a moment, holding my breath while waiting for an answer, then added while shrugging and inwardly wincing, “It could be fun.” It was my feeble attempt to take our friendship a step deeper by inviting my one and only friend to the school's morbid effort at a social gathering. Each of us had been thrust into the rigors of academia at Blackgate University, and I thought the event might be a nice break from our studies. Neither of us w...

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“Secrets of the Forbidden Room” by Bob Faszczewski

Submitted to Contest #223

Secrets of the Forbidden Room On one quiet Friday evening, Rutgers junior Jan Newsome sat in the still corner of the university library studying for her psychology final. She found it difficult to concentrate–that mysterious room a few feet away kept attracting her, as it had for each of the la...

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“The Currency of Knowledge” by Jade Lawson

Submitted to Contest #223

I was vibrating with the conflicting urge to hurry and the need to not draw attention to myself. Turning sharply down an aisle, I forced a smile and nod at the other student who looked up as he was flipping through a text before putting the book back. I breathed a little more easily once I reached the end of the aisle. This section of the library had less of a footpath lately due to them updating the electrical system in the study rooms. But things evidently have been slow going, making it much darker along this stretch. I glanced ...

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“Fate All the Same” by C. J. Peters

Submitted to Contest #223

The convergence of David and I could be considered nothing short of a cosmic inevitability, as unavoidable as an earthbound meteor. Something that would irreparably alter the bounds of life and death, the fundamental meaning of humanity, a concept to which I’d never truly become accustomed.Only months earlier, at the start of our freshman year, an instance of synchronicity had us standing in the same forgotten section of the campus library for the first time. He’d been seeking out the university’s selection of occult works, discarded in a lo...

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“Toby, the Magical Hero” by Diane Mason

Submitted to Contest #223

Toby, the Magical HeroA student discovering a hidden room in a university library would be hailed forever as a hero for generations to come. Toby, a compassionate and gentle individual with a touch of geekiness, had recently relocated to a new city with his devoted mother. Seeking a fresh start, his mom had embarked on a new job opportunity, bringing them both along for the journey. He was not very happy about starting at a new university in an unknown territory. As Toby prepared himself for his first day at the unfamiliar school, he couldn'...

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“The Hidden Room” by Simon Kailing

Submitted to Contest #223

It was early in the morning, and Philomena didn’t have class until ten. Therefore, she was justifiably upset when her boyfriend snuck into her dorm and woke up her at six in the morning. But then he said three little words, and her whole world changed. “I found it.” There was no confusion ab...

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“Cleopatra’s Mirrors” by Pinaki Kar

Submitted to Contest #223

The Discovery As Alex absentmindedly traced his fingers over the cool, metallic surface of the Sphinx bookend, the Egyptology scholar within him nudged him to readjust the figurine, aligning it with the traditional "East" instead of some arbitrary direction. Playfully turning it, he was astounded as the sphinx replica effortlessly spun on its base, securing itself with a satisfying click. Suddenly, the floor beneath him began to tremble, and a segment of the seamless granite floor parted, revealing a small, squarish opening. The light from t...

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“Bina’s Room” by Hilary Yelvington

Submitted to Contest #223

“Up here!” Terry shouted. Marcus followed the sound of Terry’s voice as he wove between rows and rows of bookshelves. Terry yelled again, and this time Marcus saw him, his belligerent freshman roommate turned friend perched high above, head poking out of an opening in the ceiling Marcus had never noticed before. “How in the hell did you get up there, Terry?” he yelled, before tripping and falling into one of the ancient wooden bookshelves. Marcus looked back at what he’d stumbled on, and the method of Terry’s ascensio...

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“Steps” by Andrey Trofimov

Submitted to Contest #223

I ran in and closed the door behind me. Thankfully, the kick didn’t rip it off the hinges, but I knew that the lock would be broken by now so I could only hold the door by pressing my back against it. I squeezed my eyes shut in anticipation of a powerful force to push from the other side. But nothing happened. I held my breath to better hear if more heavy footsteps were approaching. Nothing. The library was silent again. And once again the silence did not make me feel better. I was certain that all those, who were rushing to get me earlier, ...

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$250

Prize money

184

Contest entries

84

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Nov 10, 2023 EST

Won by AnneMarie Miles 🏆

Title: Cerulean

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

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