Bengali Story Writing Competition: ছোটগল্প Read in Bangla
Quick answer: Bengali story writing competition entries are accepted in Bengali script, 100 to 3,000 words, from writers aged 13 and over in India or Bangladesh. Indian writers pay ₹199 in rupees; writers outside India pay in dollars. Judges read the story in Bangla, blind, against the published rubric, and every entrant receives a certificate and a score out of 100.
For writers in Kolkata, Dhaka, Siliguri, Chattogram and everywhere Bangla is written. Enter your ছোটগল্প in Bengali script, ₹199 in rupees from India and in dollars from Bangladesh, and receive a সার্টিফিকেট and a score out of 100. Deadline 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST.
Read in Bangla, on both sides of the border
A Bengali entry is read in Bangla by people who read Bangla fiction, never translated first. That matters for a language with two capitals. The Kolkata idiom and the Dhaka idiom, সাধু ভাষা in a period piece and চলিত ভাষা in a kitchen argument, a Sylheti line of dialogue: each is a choice, and the judges score what the choice does inside the story. Names, cities and countries come off before reading, and one published rubric applies to the whole round: Storytelling & Structure 25, Character & Emotional Impact 25, Language & Craft 20, Originality & Voice 20, Impact & Resonance 10.
The limit, plainly: there is no separate Bangla pool and no Bangla-only prize. Bengali stories sit in the same round as English, Hindi or French ones, and the top prize goes to the highest score in that round. What is promised is a reading that knows the line from Tagore's Postmaster through Banaphool's page-long stories to Akhtaruzzaman Elias and Hasan Azizul Huq, and a scorecard that explains its number rather than handing over a total.
What qualifies, and in what script
No theme, no set genre. A ছোটগল্প of 100 to 3,000 words qualifies, whether it belongs beside the Sharadiya issues of Kolkata or the Eid issues of Dhaka's dailies, whether it is a ghost story, a love story or science fiction. Original work only, by a writer aged 13 or over. It need not be unpublished: a story from your blog or a little magazine is eligible if it is yours, and copied work is rejected rather than scored.
Bengali script is expected. Romanised Bangla is accepted but it costs rhythm, and rhythm sits inside Language & Craft. English words in dialogue are fine, because that is how Salt Lake and Gulshan actually talk. Send the text as you would want it printed, with paragraph breaks where you mean them, and give the story a Bangla title so the certificate carries its real name.
One deadline, two clocks
The contest keeps Indian Standard Time. Entries close on 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST. In Kolkata, Siliguri and Agartala that is 11:59 PM on the day itself. In Dhaka, Chattogram and Sylhet, half an hour ahead, it is 12:29 AM the following morning, so a Bangladeshi writer working late has until just after midnight. Results and certificates arrive on 30 November 2026 for everyone at once.
The first round has run long, from 1 September 2026, so the debut is judged on a full field. From December the contest is monthly: entries close on the 25th at 11:59 PM IST, results on the 30th, and the next round opens as they land. A story finished late is an early entry for the next round rather than a year lost, which is not how the annual Puja and Eid competitions work. Winners take the top prize and free entry to the next round; free entry is earned, never open.
Entering and paying from India or Bangladesh
Writers in India pay ₹199 for one story, ₹349 for two and ₹699 for five, in rupees by UPI, card or netbanking at /submit-story, and the top prize for an Indian winner is ₹5,000, paid in rupees. Writers in Bangladesh and everywhere outside India pay in dollars by card; the entry page shows the dollar fee when opened from there, and your bank converts it to taka. Nobody posts anything.
Every entrant receives a certificate with a verification link on writoryofficial.com and the full five-part score out of 100. Winners are published on a dated results page with their scores. Optional written feedback can be added at entry; for a Bangla story it is written in Bangla and quotes your own lines. The free Story Craft course at /academy/story-craft is in English, and its lessons on scene, structure and endings hold in any language.
The published rubric, 100 points
- Storytelling & Structure (25 points): Does every scene cause the next, and does the ending pay off the opening?
- Character & Emotional Impact (25 points): Do we want something with your character, and does the story make us feel it?
- Language & Craft (20 points): Clean, deliberate prose: rhythm, precision, and nothing wasted.
- Originality & Voice (20 points): The angle only you could write, told in a voice that sounds like nobody else.
- Impact & Resonance (10 points): What the story leaves behind after the last line.
How it works
Submit an original story of 100 to 3,000 words by 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST. Every story is judged blind against the rubric above, and results arrive on 30 November 2026: every entrant receives a certificate with their name and a score out of 100. Writers keep all rights. Monthly winners earn free entry to the next round. Enter at https://writoryofficial.com/submit-story.
Common questions
Can I enter a story in Bangla?
Yes. The contest accepts stories in any language and reads each in its own language, so a Bengali entry is read as Bangla by readers of Bangla fiction, not translated first. It competes in the same round as every other entry against the same published rubric and receives the same certificate and score out of 100.
Should I write in Bengali script or Romanised Bangla?
Bengali script. Romanised Bangla is accepted, but the judges are reading for rhythm and precision under Language & Craft, and Roman letters blur both, along with the difference between শ, ষ and স that a Bangla reader sees at once. English words inside dialogue are ordinary speech and are scored on what they do.
What does entry cost in India and in Bangladesh?
In India, ₹199 for one story, ₹349 for two, ₹699 for five, in rupees by UPI, card or netbanking. In Bangladesh and everywhere else outside India the fee is charged in dollars by card; the entry page shows it in dollars when you open it from there. Winners enter the next round free.
Do I receive a certificate even if I do not win?
Yes. Every entrant receives a certificate with a verification link on writoryofficial.com and all five marks out of 100, on 30 November 2026. A university office in Kolkata or Dhaka can open the link and confirm it, and the score itself says more than a participation line.
Can I use সাধু ভাষা, or Sylheti and Chittagonian speech in dialogue?
Yes to all three. Sadhu bhasha in a story set in 1905 is a period decision; a Sylheti or Chittagonian line in a Dhaka kitchen is characterisation. Both are scored on what they do for the story, and a judge who reads Bangla tells a chosen register from a slip.
Do I keep the rights, and can the story appear in a Sharadiya issue later?
You keep every right, permanently. Entering grants Writory permission to judge the story and, if it wins, to showcase it with your name and consent. Sending the same story to Desh, a Sharadiya or Eid issue, or another competition, before or after results, is your decision alone.
More story contest pages
About Writory
Writory (writoryofficial.com) is an international monthly poetry contest founded in 2025 by Shivay Mehra. Poets from 31 countries have entered, readers come from over 150 countries, and every submitted poem is judged and scored out of 100 across five criteria: creativity, emotion, structure, language and impact and resonance. Every entrant receives a certificate; winners receive cash prizes and are published by name. Entries close on the 25th of each month and results are announced on the 30th. Writory is listed by Duotrope, Poetry Kit, Christopher Fielden's competition list and Creative Writing NZ, among other organisations. Past results are public at past winners and the leaderboard.