The Short Story Contest That Answers Every Writer Back
Quick answer: US writers can enter Writory's debut short story contest for US$8 a story. Submit 100 to 3,000 words by 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST. Judging is blind, and every entrant receives a certificate plus a score out of 100 with all five marks shown on 30 November 2026. Monthly rounds follow the debut.
Enter Writory's debut round by 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST. Judging is blind against a published rubric, and every entrant receives their five scores and a certificate on 30 November 2026. Monthly rounds follow the debut.
Choosing between US story competitions
Writer's Digest competitions and NYC Midnight's timed challenges offer different formats, fees and deadlines. Check the current organiser rules when comparing them. Consider the word limit, entry fee, rights, prize and whether you receive an assessment if you do not win.
Writory's entry is $8, with a top prize of $100. 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 receives a judged read and all five rubric marks, whether or not they place. You can compare that return with the cost and format of the other opportunities on your list.
Blind judging against a rubric you can read first
Every story is judged blind, no byline, no bio, no cover letter, against five published criteria: Storytelling & Structure (25), Character & Emotional Impact (25), Language & Craft (20), Originality & Voice (20), Impact & Resonance (10). Every entrant, not just the winners, receives a certificate and the full breakdown out of 100 on 30 November 2026.
The deadline is 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, which lands mid-afternoon Eastern and late morning Pacific, and you keep all rights, so your submission queue at magazines is unaffected. Writory's poetry winners so far have come from the USA, Ireland, India, Kenya and Slovenia, and an optional written feedback report, prepared by the editorial team and quoting your own lines, can be added to 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.
- 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
Can I keep the story on submission at literary magazines?
Entering is not publication: your story appears nowhere public and no rights change hands, so simultaneous submissions to magazines carry on exactly as before.
What is the deadline in US time?
The current story round closes on November 25, 2026 at 11:59 PM GMT+5:30 (India Standard Time). US times: Eastern: November 25, 2026 at 1:29 PM EST; Central: November 25, 2026 at 12:29 PM CST; Mountain: November 25, 2026 at 11:29 AM MST; Pacific: November 25, 2026 at 10:29 AM PST. Other US time zones may differ; convert this exact instant to your own time zone and submit before it. Submit before that instant; later entries belong to the next round.
Is the prize money taxable in the US?
The $100 is paid in full with nothing withheld, and Writory, which is run from India, does not issue US tax forms. Reporting it is the winner's own affair: prize money counts as income under the rules that apply to you, and a tax professional can confirm how to declare it.
What would disqualify my entry?
The list is short: a story that is not your own original work, or one outside the 100 to 3,000 word range. Copied text, and text the entrant did not write, is not scored; it is rejected. Genre, subject and style are open, and there is no house taste to guess at; the rubric is the whole standard.
What does the $8 entry fee include?
It includes entry to the current round, blind judging against the published rubric, and a scorecard and certificate whether or not you win. The top prize is $100. A written feedback report is optional and priced separately.
How is the $100 prize paid to a US winner?
Internationally, in dollars, after results post on 30 November 2026; you will be contacted for payout details. The certificate and the five rubric scores arrive digitally, so nothing waits on the mail.
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.