StokerCon 2026

Annual HWA Board Meeting open to the public. Come meet members of the Executive Board and the Board of Trustees. There will be a Q&A section during the meeting.

The StokerCon 2026 pitch sessions! 

You must have an appointment scheduled in advance to attend the pitch sessions. Please arrive fifteen minutes before your pitch session is to start.

Each year, StokerCon has a raffle to support the HWA’s Diversity Grants.
What are the Diversity Grants?
The Horror Writers Association (HWA) believes barriers—often unseen but very real—exist which limit the amount of horror fiction being published by diverse voices. The goal of the Diversity Grants is to help remove some of the barriers and let those voices be heard.
The Diversity Grant Raffle will be held at 4pm on June 6th, 2026 in the Dealer Room.
**100% of the raffle’s proceeds go to the Diversity Grants.**
How do I purchase tickets?
There are two ways to purchase tickets for the HWA Diversity Grant Raffle:
1. Presale tickets are on sale now via Eventbrite
*Once you have completed your ticket purchase, your paper tickets will be included with your name badge.
*You are responsible for putting your tickets into the box associated with the item/s you are interested in.
*No one from the StokerCon planning committee or registration desk will be adding your tickets to the boxes.
2. At StokerCon2026 in Pittsburgh
*Tickets can be purchased at the registration desk.
*Although a credit card is preferred, cash is accepted.

• Credit card purchases are made through PayPal via [email protected]
• Do NOT send payment via PayPal before the event.

Other FAQs:

• Presale ticket sales begin May 1st, 2026 and end May 31st, 2026.
• The last possible time to buy a ticket at the venue is June 5th, 2026.
• The raffle items will be displayed in the Dealers Room
• A box will be in front of each item.
• Place your ticket/s into the box associated with the item/s you are interested in.
• Tickets will be drawn at 4 pm on June 6th.
• You must be available to claim your items at the time the winners are called.
• Raffle tickets are non-refundable. Please see the general StokerCon cancellation policy for more details.

This year, we have many amazing items to be raffled off kindly donated by friends and colleagues of the HWA, including:
Disclaimer: some items may change by the time of the convention

• Sudden Acts of Horror – the official board game of the HWA
• Signed copy of Futility by Nuzo Onoh:
• Signed copy of Crota by Owl Goingback (out of print edition)
• Signed copy of Breed by Owl Goingback
• Signed copy of The Daughter of Dr. Moreau by Silvia Moreno Garcia
• Signed copy of the anthology Cut: Horror Writers on Horror Film (all contributors signed, ed. Christopher Golden).
• Meghan Arcuri: 

• two pounds horror-themed coffee (Lovecraft and Halloween)
• two ghost mugs

• Why I Love Horror, ed. Becky Spratford (with signatures of many of contributors)
• Copy of King Sorrow by Joe Hill
• Signed copies of two books from Ellen Datlow
• Signed copy of Everything Endless (2025) by Linda D. Addison and Jamal Hodge (Raw Dog Screaming Press)
• Signed copy of An Illegal Feast (2025) by Linda D. Addison, Consuelo G. Flores, Andrea Goyan, Elizabeth Eve King & Elizabeth Wong (Broadstone Books)
• Signed copy of Friends and Foes of Zenobia by Denise N. Tapscott with Linda D. Addison, Marc L. Abbott, Kirk A. Johnson, John Palisano, Robin Reed, Steven Van Patten (Enchanted Flower Productions, 10/10/2025)
• A print from Artist Greg Chapman (Dark-Designs.co)
• Lisa Morton Halloween Package:

• Signed copy of Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween
• Signed copy of Halloween Beyond: Piercing the Veil
• DVD: The Real History of Halloween       

• Ben Rubin: 

• Custom bookmarks made from a 19th century printing presses from the University of Pittsburgh Library Printing Press. To be added to each item (or group of items) up for raffle.

• HWA Book Sampler including:

• The Phantom of the Opera
• HWA Poetry Showcase Volume XII
• Scaring and Daring: Terrifying Takes on 15 Classic Tales
• A copy of the limited-edition Marvel comic, White Tiger Reborn from Cythnia Pelayo
• A copy of a limited-edition chapbook, We Came From An Island (published by Thunderstorm Books; out of print) by Cynthia Pelayo.

Have a drink or two and mingle with fellow attendees before the Bram Stoker Awards Banquet!

This event has a cash bar. The bar accepts credit/debit cards, or, if you are staying at the Westin, you can charge drinks to your room. No cash accepted.

Enjoy a specially prepared banquet meal before the Bram Stoker Awards Ceremony begins.

You must purchase a banquet ticket to attend the event.

This event has a cash bar. The bar accepts credit/debit cards, or, if you are staying at the Westin, you can charge drinks to your room. No cash accepted.

The presentation of the annual Bram Stoker Awards, emceed by by Kevin Wetmore, with the keynote speech about the 10th Anniversary of StokerCon by James Chambers.

This event is open to all attendees. A separate ticket is not required.

This event has a cash bar. The bar accepts credit/debit cards, or, if you are staying at the Westin, you can charge drinks to your room. No cash accepted.

Join us for the celebration and congratulate our new Bram Stoker Award winners!

This event is catered with a cash bar. The bar accepts credit/debit cards, or, if you are staying at the Westin, you can charge drinks to your room. No cash accepted.