A Flash Fiction Contest That Judges Flash as Flash
Quick answer: Writory's debut contest accepts flash fiction from 100 words up, judged against a rubric that reads short work on its own terms: structure scored as shape and ending, not plot volume. Entry is ₹199 in India or $8 internationally, every entrant gets a certificate and a score out of 100, and the deadline is 30 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST. Three-month rounds follow the debut.
Pieces from 100 words compete in Writory's debut contest under a rubric that reads short work on its own terms. Deadline 30 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, results on 5 December 2026, and a certificate with a five-part score for every entrant.
Flash loses in contests that read it as a short story cut off
Enter 500 words into most open-length contests and you are gambling that the judge does not read it as an underfed 2,000. Writory's rubric closes that gap in writing: Storytelling & Structure is read for the arc a piece actually attempts, so a story that builds one image and lands it in the final line is marked on the landing, not the mileage.
Language & Craft carries 20 of the 100 points, and in flash that weight works for you. A story with no room for a wasted sentence tends not to have one, and the scorecard notices.
A quarterly deadline is the right size for flash
Flash is a form you can draft on Tuesday, cut on Thursday and enter on Saturday. Three-month rounds follow Writory's debut, giving you recurring deadlines for that practice. The current deadline is 30 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, scores and certificates arrive on 5 December 2026, and if you write in batches, $14 enters two pieces and $25 enters five (₹349 and ₹699 in India).
Read the marks, keep the strongest instinct, drop the weakest habit, and the next round is already open.
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
What length counts as flash here?
There is no separate flash category; the contest takes anything from 100 to 6,000 words in one field, and pieces under 1,000 words are judged on flash's own terms. A 150-word story is a complete, legitimate entry.
Can I enter several flash pieces in one round?
One story is $8, two are $14, five are $25; in India the same entries are ₹199, ₹349 and ₹699. Each piece is judged separately and receives its own five-part scorecard.
Can I revise a piece that didn't win and enter it again?
A story that did not place can be reworked and entered in a later round, where a blind panel judges it fresh with no memory attached to your name. Watching the same piece climb from a 71 to an 82 is precisely what the scorecard is for.
Is the prize smaller for shorter work?
No. Every length competes for the same roundly prizes, a ₹5,000 top prize in India and $100 internationally, and judging is blind to everything except the words.
What does written feedback look like on 400 words?
Dense. The optional feedback report is prepared by the editorial team and quotes your own lines, and on a piece that short it can walk through nearly every sentence: which ones earn their place, and which one the ending actually turns on.
More story contest pages
This contest page is maintained by the Writory editorial team. Enter the story contest.