A Short Story Contest Open to Filipino Writers
Quick answer: Filipino writers can enter Writory's short story contest. 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. Stories may be in English, Filipino or any other language, 100 to 6,000 words, any genre, and cost $8 a story. Every entrant receives a certificate and a judged score out of 100; the top story wins $100. Deadline is 30 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, results on 5 December 2026.
Enter from anywhere in the Philippines by 30 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST. Stories of 100 to 6,000 words, judged blind against a published rubric, with a certificate and a marked score out of 100 for everyone who enters, not only the winners.
The Palanca is the summit; this is the training ground
For Filipino writers the Palanca Awards remain the name that matters, and no quarterly contest run from anywhere should pretend otherwise. But the Palanca is annual, and prestige runs on a slow clock: you submit, then wait the better part of a year to learn anything at all. A writer who wants to improve needs something that answers faster.
Writory returns results after the contest deadline. Enter by 30 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, and on 5 December 2026 you have a certificate and five marks out of 100 against a rubric published before you entered, weighted toward storytelling and character, with language, originality and resonance behind them. Three-month rounds follow the debut, so you can build a dated record of scores between one awards season and the next.
Any language, read blind, from anywhere in the country
Write in English, which Philippine writers have been publishing in for over a century, or in Filipino, Cebuano or any other language: every story is read in the language it was written in and scored in the same pool, and every manuscript reaches the judges stripped of name, school and city. A senior high student in Davao and a Manila copywriter are read on exactly the same terms, which is the whole point of blind judging.
Entry is $8 for a story of 100 to 6,000 words in any genre, and the top story each round takes $100. The deadline, 30 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, is 2:29 AM the next morning in Philippine time, so treat midnight on deadline day as yours. Writory's poetry entrants have come from 40 countries, and poetry winners have included writers from Kenya, Ireland and the USA as well as India. The first Story results are scheduled for 5 December 2026; Story winners have not yet been announced.
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
Is this contest open to writers in the Philippines?
It is, from age 13, with no residency or nationality condition. Filipino students, teachers and working writers enter the same blind-judged round as everyone else.
Do students need a school or teacher to enter?
No sponsorship, school sign-up or endorsement is involved. Anyone 13 or older enters individually, and because judging is blind, nothing about being a student is visible to the panel anyway.
How would I actually receive the $100 prize?
It is paid internationally to the details you provide after results; Writory's poetry winners in Kenya, Ireland and Slovenia have been paid the same way. You will be contacted directly, and the payout does not require a foreign bank account.
Can I pay the entry fee in pesos?
Entry is $8, charged in US dollars by card or PayPal; at current rates roughly ₱450, and your bank converts at its own rate. There is no separate peso price, so the line on your statement is the dollar amount at your bank's rate for that day.
What exactly do the judges see?
The story text, plainly formatted, and nothing else: no name, no bio, no school, no photo. It is scored on the five published criteria, and the marks come back to you whether or not you place.
When are results announced?
On 5 December 2026, after entries close on 30 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST. Each round's results are posted to a dated winners page, and every entrant's certificate and marks go out alongside them.
More story contest pages
This contest page is maintained by the Writory editorial team. Enter the story contest.