A Story Contest That Answers Back
Quick answer: Every entrant in Writory's monthly short story contest receives a five-part score out of 100 and a certificate, win or lose. An optional paid report goes further: a verdict on the story, your strongest lines quoted, improvements ordered by impact, and a beat-by-beat read of opening, middle and ending, prepared by the editorial team.
The oldest complaint about story contests is paying a fee for silence. Here every entrant receives a certificate and five judged marks out of 100, and a written report on your exact story is available with any entry.
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.
- Theme & Resonance (10 points): What the story leaves behind after the last line.
How it works
Submit an original story of 100 to 2,000 words by the 25th of the month, 11:59 PM IST. Every story is judged blind against the rubric above, and results arrive by the 30th: 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 does the paid report add that the free scorecard does not?
The scorecard gives you five marks; the report gives you the reasons. It opens with a verdict, quotes your strongest lines with why they work, orders the improvements by impact, adds a note on each of the five dimensions, and reads your opening, middle and ending beat by beat. The scorecard says where you stand; the report says what to do next.
Is the feedback a template with my title pasted in?
No. Every report is prepared by the editorial team against your specific story, which is why it can quote your sentences back to you. Two writers entering the same month get reports that share a rubric and nothing else.
Do I still get the score if I skip the feedback?
Yes. The five-part score out of 100 and the certificate go to every entrant with results by the 30th, no add-on required. The written report is for writers who want the reasons behind their numbers.
Is the report worth it for a first story?
First stories arguably get the most from it. Judging is blind, so your story is read exactly like a veteran's, and an early report names habits before they harden across ten more drafts. If the budget only stretches to entry, the free scorecard still shows which dimension to work on next.
When does the feedback arrive?
With your results, by the 30th of the month, alongside the certificate and scorecard. Entries close on the 25th at 11:59 PM IST, so the gap between finishing a story and holding a considered read of it is days, not the months the sector has trained writers to expect.
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 theme. 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.