The Writing Contest That Comes Back Every Month
Quick answer: Writory's short story contest has monthly rounds after its debut. The first contest runs from 1 September 2026 to 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, with results and certificates on 30 November 2026. Monthly rounds follow the debut: entries close on the 25th and results arrive on the 30th. Every entrant gets a certificate and a score out of 100. Winning a round, or entering three rounds running, earns free entry.
Monthly rounds follow Writory's debut. Enter the current story round by 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST and receive your scorecard on 30 November 2026. A story finished after a deadline belongs to the next round, so there is no annual window to wait for.
Twelve deadlines change how you write
An annual contest asks for your one perfect story and pays you back with months of waiting. A monthly contest is a different instrument: a deadline that always exists. After the debut, enter a monthly 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 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST. Judging is blind against the published rubric, and results arrive on 30 November 2026: winners announced by name, a certificate and five-part scorecard for every entrant. Each month's winners are published on dated pages, so the rhythm is checkable, not claimed.
The Short Story Contest accepts 100 to 3,000 words in any genre, at $8 a story. The first contest runs from 1 September 2026 to 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, with results and certificates on 30 November 2026. Monthly rounds follow the debut: entries close on the 25th and results arrive on the 30th. 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 month and your next entry is free. Enter three consecutive months 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 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. 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?
The first contest runs from 1 September 2026 to 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, with results and certificates on 30 November 2026. Monthly rounds follow the debut: entries close on the 25th and results arrive on the 30th. The earlier dated winners record belongs to Writory's poetry contest. The first Story results are scheduled for 30 November 2026; Story winners have not yet been announced.
Can I revise a story that did not place and enter it again next month?
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 deadline, 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, does not extend. But the cost of missing it is weeks, not a year: the next round is already taking entries the moment one closes, and the story is usually better for the extra pass you give it.
Does a good score one month 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 month 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.