A Fiction Writing Contest for Every Kind of Storyteller
Quick answer: Writory's fiction writing contest accepts any fiction of 100 to 6,000 words in any genre: flash, literary, thriller, fantasy, horror, romance, or a self-contained piece from a longer project. Three-month rounds follow the debut; entry is $8, judging is blind against a published rubric, every entrant is scored out of 100, and writers keep all rights.
Flash in 300 words or a full arc at 2,000: if you invent people and make things happen to them, this is your round. Any genre read seriously, judged blind against a published rubric, with all five marks returned whatever the result.
One contest, every kind of fiction writer
Fiction contest is an umbrella, and we mean the whole umbrella. Flash writers compressing a single turn into 300 words. Short story writers working the classic arc. Novelists who want a regular practice for sentence-level craft, entering a self-contained piece from a larger world. If you invent people and make things happen to them, the round is yours: 100 to 6,000 words, any genre. The first contest runs from 1 September 2026 to 30 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, with results and certificates on 5 December 2026 at 8:00 PM IST. Story rounds run every three months, closing on the last day of February, May, August and November. Results follow on the 5th of the next month. The next round opens on the 1st, before the previous round's results.
Flash is judged as flash. A short piece is scored on whether its shape and ending do what they set out to do, not on how much plot it fits, so compressed work stands level with stories at the cap.
Genre is not a handicap
The rubric has no literary bias built in. A thriller earns its Storytelling & Structure marks by escalation; a quiet domestic story earns them by tension under the surface; both are read blind and scored on the same five dimensions. Execution beats category every time: a ghost story told with command will outrank a mannered literary piece that never finds its stakes.
That cuts the other way too. Genre furniture does not score by itself. The dragon, the body and the meet-cute all still have to be attached to a person we want something for, because Character & Emotional Impact carries 25 of the 100 points regardless of shelf.
The mechanics
Blind judging against the published rubric: Storytelling & Structure 25, Character & Emotional Impact 25, Language & Craft 20, Originality & Voice 20, Impact & Resonance 10. Deadline 30 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, results on 5 December 2026, and every entrant receives a certificate and all five marks. Entry is $8 a story, the top story takes $100, and writers keep all rights to everything they enter.
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 6,000 words, in any genre and any language, by 30 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST. Entry is $8 for one story, $14 for two and $25 for five, or Rs 199, Rs 349 and Rs 699 in India; optional add-ons are shown separately before payment. Writers worldwide aged 13 or older may enter under the contest rules. Entrants under 18 need a parent or guardian's permission to enter and receive a prize. Every story is judged blind against the rubric above, and results arrive on 5 December 2026: every entrant receives a certificate with their name and a score out of 100. Cash prizes for the top three are ₹5,000, ₹2,000, ₹1,000 in India or $100, $50, $20 internationally, and winners earn free entry to the next round. Writers keep all rights. Enter at https://writoryofficial.com/submit-story.
Common questions
Is flash fiction judged against full-length stories?
It competes in the same round but is read as flash: structure is scored as shape, not as plot volume. A 300-word piece that lands its single turn can outscore a 6,000-word story that wanders, and the rubric's weights apply identically at every length.
Can I enter a chapter from my novel in progress?
Yes, if it reads as a whole at 6,000 words or fewer. Judges see only what is on the page, so choose a stretch with its own arc: an opening it earns, a middle that escalates, an ending that lands rather than pauses. A chapter that merely sets up the next one will score like a fragment, because it is one.
Is there a set theme or prompt each round?
No. Any genre, any subject, 100 to 6,000 words; the constraint is craft, not topic. The five judged dimensions are the same for a space station as for a kitchen table, so write the story you actually want to write.
I posted the story on my own blog. Can I still enter it?
Yes. Work that has only appeared on your personal blog or social accounts is eligible; judging is blind and scores what is on the page, not its publication history. If a magazine later takes the story, nothing about the contest gets in the way.
How many stories can I enter in one round?
Up to five: $8 for one, $14 for two, $25 for five, and each story is judged and scored separately. A single entry is Rs 199 for writers in India. Entering two very different pieces is a good way to learn which of your modes scores higher.
More story contest pages
This contest page is maintained by the Writory editorial team. Enter the story contest.