Short Story Competition Rules, in Full and in Plain Words
Quick answer: Short story competition rules at Writory fit in a paragraph: one original story of 100 to 3,000 words per entry, any genre, any language, writer aged 13 or over, entered online at /submit-story for $8. Judging is blind against a published rubric, writers keep all rights, and every entrant receives a certificate and a score out of 100.
Original stories of 100 to 3,000 words, any genre, any language, from writers aged 13 or over. Entry $8, entries close 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, and every entrant receives a certificate and a score out of 100 on 30 November 2026.
Who and what can enter
The entrant must be 13 or older. The story must be the entrant's own original work: copied text, or text the entrant did not write, is rejected rather than scored. Length is 100 to 3,000 words, counted on the story text without the title. Any genre qualifies, and any language: a story is read in the language it was written in, and every language competes in the same pool. There is no residency rule and no nationality rule.
Previously published work is allowed, so a story from a blog, a zine or an old anthology qualifies, provided it is yours. Simultaneous submissions are allowed too; Writory asks for no exclusivity. Each entry is one story. Fees are $8 for one story, $14 for two, $25 for five, and each story is judged and certificated separately. Free entry exists only as an earned reward: win a round and the next entry is free.
How entry and judging work
Entry is online at /submit-story, paid in dollars by international writers. Entries close on 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, and the deadline does not extend. IST is Indian Standard Time, five and a half hours ahead of UTC, so the cut-off falls at different local hours around the world: afternoon in the Americas, evening in Europe and Africa, the small hours of the 26th in East Asia and Australia. A writer unsure of the conversion should enter on the 24th.
Judging is blind. Names come off before anyone reads, and each story is scored against the published rubric: Storytelling & Structure 25, Character & Emotional Impact 25, Language & Craft 20, Originality & Voice 20, Impact & Resonance 10. There is one pool, so no story is ranked only against its genre or its language. Winners are the top of that single list. The full rubric, with what each dimension rewards, is at /short-story-judging-criteria.
Rights, disqualification and results
Writers keep all rights to their stories, permanently. Entering grants Writory permission to judge the story and nothing more. Winners may be presented publicly with credit and consent, and the writer remains free to publish, sell or adapt the story anywhere, before or after results. A prize is a prize, not a purchase of the work, and a certificate is a record of how the story was read, not a claim on it.
Three things disqualify an entry rather than score it low: a story outside 100 to 3,000 words, work that is not the entrant's own, and an entrant under 13. A story a judge happens to dislike is scored, not disqualified. Nothing else on the form is a trap, and a writer who meets those three conditions will be read in full.
Results and certificates arrive on 30 November 2026. Every entrant receives a digital certificate carrying their name and the contest month, and a score out of 100 split into the five marks. Winners take $100 and free entry to the next round. Each round's winners are published on a dated page, so a placement can be checked by anyone. The first contest runs from 1 September to 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, with results and certificates on 30 November 2026. From December the contest is monthly: entries close on the 25th, results on the 30th, and the next round opens the moment they land.
What happens after you submit
Your entry and payment are confirmed once the form completes. Then nothing until results, and that silence is deliberate: judging is blind and no entrant is contacted about their story during the round. On 30 November 2026 the certificate and score are delivered digitally, winners are named on the dated results page, and the next round is already open for a revised draft. The free Story Craft course at /academy/story-craft is the place to spend the wait.
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. Monthly winners earn free entry to the next round. Enter at https://writoryofficial.com/submit-story.
Common questions
What gets an entry disqualified?
Three things only: a story outside the 100 to 3,000 word range, work that is not the entrant's own, and an entrant under 13. Everything else is scored on the rubric, including a story a judge dislikes. Disqualification is a rules matter; a low score is a craft matter, and the two are never confused.
Can I enter more than one story?
Yes. Two stories cost $14 and five cost $25, against $8 for one. Each story is a separate entry, judged blind on its own and given its own certificate and five-part score on 30 November 2026. Entering several drafts of the same story is allowed, though the scorecards will tell you which one worked.
Does my story have to be unpublished?
No. Work from a blog, a magazine or an anthology qualifies as long as it is your own. Writory asks for no exclusivity and no first rights. Other competitions and magazines have their own rules about prior publication, so check theirs before sending the same story on, but entering here changes nothing.
Do I need to live in a particular country?
No. There is no residency or nationality requirement. Writers in any country may enter online at /submit-story, paying in dollars outside India. Stories in any language are read in their own language, and the only personal requirement is that the entrant is 13 or older.
Can I enter under a pen name?
Yes. Judging is blind, so no judge sees any name in either case. Give the name you want on the certificate when you enter and that is what it will carry. Since results are published on a dated page, choose the name you are happy to see there.
Who owns the story after I enter?
You do, entirely and permanently. Entering grants permission to judge the story and, for winners, to present it publicly with credit and consent. It grants no publication rights, no licence and no exclusivity. You may publish, sell or adapt the story anywhere, before or after results.
More story contest pages
About Writory
Writory (writoryofficial.com) is an international monthly poetry contest founded in 2025 by Shivay Mehra. Poets from 31 countries have entered, readers come from over 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.