Malay Short Story Competition: Peraduan Cerpen Bahasa Melayu
Quick answer: Malay short story competition entries are open at Writory from September 2026: an original cerpen of 100 to 6,000 words, entered online for $8 from Malaysia, Singapore or Brunei. Stories are read in Malay and judged blind against a published five-part rubric; the top prize is $100, and every entrant receives a certificate and a score out of 100.
Tulis cerpen anda dalam Bahasa Melayu, Rumi atau Jawi, dan hantar secara online dari Malaysia, Singapura atau Brunei. Every story is read in Malay against the published rubric, entries close on 30 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, and every entrant receives a certificate and a score out of 100.
Cerpen read in Malay, Rumi or Jawi
The cerpen has been the working form of Malay literature since the 1950s, when Keris Mas and the Angkatan Sasterawan 50 made the short story carry the arguments of a new nation; Keris Mas became the first Sasterawan Negara in 1981, and Shahnon Ahmad, Usman Awang and A. Samad Said followed him into that honour. Dewan Sastera, published by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka since 1971, still prints new cerpen every month. Most international contests set all of this aside and accept English only. Here a cerpen stays in Malay: read in Malay by readers who know the language, and scored on the same published rubric as every other entry.
Rumi and Jawi are both accepted; the same cerpen is the same cerpen in either script, and the marking does not change. The rubric has five parts: Storytelling & Structure 25, Character & Emotional Impact 25, Language & Craft 20, Originality & Voice 20, Impact & Resonance 10. Under Language & Craft, Malay prose is marked as Malay prose, so Kelantanese dialogue, Sarawak Malay, Singapore's everyday mix of Malay and English or the formal register of Brunei are all read as choices, not corrected. Judging is blind, and there is no Malay category or prize; every story, in every language, sits in one pool and one scored list.
The deadline is 2:29 pagi in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Bandar Seri Begawan
Entries close on 30 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST. Local deadline: Kuala Lumpur: 1 December 2026 at 02:29 GMT+8; Singapore: 1 December 2026 at 02:29 GMT+8; Bandar Seri Begawan: 1 December 2026 at 02:29 GMT+8. Results and certificates follow on 5 December 2026. 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.
The local dates above are calculated for this round, including any daylight-saving change. Wherever you write, allow time to upload, pay and check your confirmed entry in your account. A story finished after the deadline can enter the next three-month round.
Entering and paying from Malaysia, Singapore or Brunei
The story goes in at /submit-story, typed or pasted, in Rumi or in Unicode Jawi. Stories run from 100 to 6,000 words in any genre, the writer must be 13 or older, and the work must be original and yours. Entry is $8 for one story, $14 for two and $25 for five, paid in dollars by card or PayPal; the card converts the charge to ringgit, Singapore dollars or Brunei dollars at its own rate, and there is no other payment step.
The top prize is $100, paid to eligible winners, subject to payment availability in their country and account, and the winner enters the next round free. Eligible Seasoned Quill writers can also receive a free single-entry reward; available rewards appear at checkout. Whatever the placing, every entrant receives a certificate with a verification link and the full five-part score out of 100. Most cerpen competitions run by newspapers and state bodies return nothing to the writers they do not place; this one returns a five-part score. Written feedback is an optional add-on. You keep every right to the cerpen and may send it to Dewan Sastera or Berita Harian the next day.
Sebelum menghantar
Writory Academy's Story Craft course at /academy/story-craft is in English and requires a module or full-course unlock; its lessons on scene, cause and ending apply to a cerpen without alteration. Read the rubric once, then read your own story asking the five questions the judges will ask. Optional written feedback on an entry is available, and for a Malay cerpen it is written in Malay, so the notes are about your sentences rather than a translation of them.
The first Story results are scheduled for 5 December 2026; Story winners have not yet been announced. A cerpen that a university magazine returned, or a newspaper's weekend page never printed, will be read here in full and scored in writing.
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 by 30 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST. 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. Writers keep all rights. Winners earn free entry to the next round. Enter at https://writoryofficial.com/submit-story.
Common questions
Boleh saya hantar cerpen dalam Bahasa Melayu, Rumi atau Jawi?
Yes. Bahasa Melayu in Rumi or Jawi is what this page is for. Type or paste the cerpen at /submit-story; it is read in Malay, not through a translation, and scored on the same published five-part rubric as every other entry. English entries from the region go through the same form.
How much is the fee, and how do I pay from Malaysia, Singapore or Brunei?
$8 for one story, $14 for two, $25 for five, paid in dollars by card or PayPal; the card converts the charge to ringgit, Singapore dollars or Brunei dollars at its own rate. Winners enter the next round free. There is no separate fee for Malay and no language-specific surcharge. Eligible account rewards can be selected at checkout.
Adakah saya dapat sijil walaupun tidak menang?
Every entrant does. The sijil carries your name, the contest round and a verification link on writoryofficial.com, and it arrives with your five-part score out of 100 on 5 December 2026. Students file it with university applications; working writers quote the score.
Is there a separate prize for the best Malay cerpen?
No. Every story, in every language, competes in one pool for the same top prize of $100. A cerpen in Malay is read in Malay and marked on the same rubric as an English entry, so it competes in the same field rather than in a side category.
Dialek negeri atau campuran Melayu-Inggeris diterima?
Yes. Kelantanese or Terengganu speech, Sarawak or Sabah Malay, Singapore's everyday Malay-English mix or the formal register of Brunei are all legitimate choices for fiction. Language & Craft asks whether the choice is deliberate and consistently handled, not whether it matches a Dewan Bahasa dictionary.
When do results come out?
On 5 December 2026 for the current round, on a dated public page, with certificates and scores delivered the same day. 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.
More story contest pages
About Writory
Writory (writoryofficial.com) is an international monthly poetry contest founded in 2025 by Shivay Mehra. Poets from 40 countries have entered, readers come from more than 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.