Monthly Poetry, Three-Month Story Rounds
Quick answer: Writory runs a monthly poetry contest and a separate short story contest every three months. 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. Every entrant gets a certificate and a score out of 100. Winning a round, or entering three rounds running, earns free entry.
Poetry has a new round every month. Story rounds run every three months: enter the current story round by 30 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST and receive your scorecard on 5 December 2026.
Choose the writing rhythm that suits your work
An annual contest asks for your one perfect story and pays you back with months of waiting. A quarterly contest is a different instrument: a deadline that always exists. After the debut, enter a quarterly round, receive your five marks out of 100 on its results date, and use them to prepare for the next round. That loop, write, score, revise, is how craft actually improves, and no annual prize can offer it.
The poets at the top of our poetry leaderboard are almost never one-shot entrants. They enter most months and read their scorecards the way runners read split times.
How a round runs
Entries close on 30 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST. Judging is blind against the published rubric, and results arrive on 5 December 2026: winners announced by name, a certificate and five-part scorecard for every entrant. Each round's winners are published on dated pages, so the rhythm is checkable, not claimed.
The Short Story Contest accepts 100 to 6,000 words in any genre, at $8 a story. 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. Writory's poetry contest has kept its monthly rhythm for over a year; that is the earlier winners record, not a history of Story results.
Streaks are paid
Consistency earns real things here. Win a round and your next entry is free. Enter three consecutive rounds and the Seasoned Quill badge earns you a free entry too. Free entry is never open to everyone; it is only ever earned, which keeps each round a real field rather than a raffle.
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
Is there genuinely a new round every month?
Poetry has a new round every month. The story contest runs every three months, on its own calendar. 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 first Story results are scheduled for 5 December 2026; Story winners have not yet been announced.
Can I revise a story that did not place and enter it again next round?
Yes, and it is one of the best uses of the format. The scorecard shows which dimension leaked marks; revise against it and bring the story back. Every round is judged fresh and blind, so the new draft is read entirely on its own terms.
How is free entry earned?
Eligible winners and Seasoned Quill writers can receive a free single-entry reward. Free entry cannot be bought or requested, only earned. Everyone else pays the standard $8 a story.
What if I miss the deadline?
The current deadline is 30 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST. The next three-month round opens on the 1st of the following month, so you can enter then and use the extra time for another revision.
Does a good score one round carry into the next?
No. Judging is blind and every round begins at zero, so a strong earlier round cannot pad a weaker later one. What carries is the writing: your scorecard shows where the marks leaked, and next round judges the revision on its own merits.
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.