The Short Story Prize, and How It Reaches You
Quick answer: The short story prize at Writory is $100 to the winner of each round, paid to the winner in any country, plus free entry to the next round and publication on /winning-stories with consent. Entry is $8, deadline 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, and every entrant receives a certificate and a score out of 100.
One writer a round takes the $100 prize and free entry to the next round; entry is $8, entries close 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, and every entrant receives a certificate and a score out of 100.
The prize, itemised
The winner of each round receives $100. The winner also enters the next round free, and the winning story is published on /winning-stories with the writer's consent and full credit. The certificate the winner receives is the same certificate every entrant receives, and the score is the same five-part score out of 100. Writers keep every right, so a prize-winning story can be sold to a magazine or included in a collection afterwards with nothing owed to Writory and no permission to ask.
There is no story winner yet to name: the first round closes on 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST and its winner is announced on 30 November 2026. The poetry contest beside it has paid winners every month for over a year, named on dated pages at /past-winners, with winners in India, the United States, Ireland, Kenya and Slovenia. That is the record the story prize stands on until it has its own, and this page will say so until then.
How the money is paid, worldwide
Winners outside India are paid in US dollars, to an account the winner nominates after results are announced; no country is excluded from payment, and a winner under 18 can have the prize paid to a parent's or guardian's account. The poetry contest has already paid winners on four continents, so the mechanics are not theoretical. Nothing about collecting the prize requires an address in India or anywhere else.
The prize is announced with the results, not before, and the announcement, the certificates and the scores all go out on 30 November 2026. Winners are contacted by email. The prize does not depend on the winner promoting anything, buying anything or assigning any right; the only thing asked is consent to publish the story on /winning-stories with credit. Entry costs $8 for one story, $14 for two, $25 for five.
What every entrant who does not win receives
The prize goes to one writer; the scorecard goes to all of them. Every story is judged blind against the published rubric, Storytelling & Structure 25, Character & Emotional Impact 25, Language & Craft 20, Originality & Voice 20, Impact & Resonance 10, and every entrant receives all five marks and a certificate on results day. A story that scores 76 without placing has told its writer something a rejection never does: which quarter of the hundred to work on next.
Free entry is part of the prize and is earned only two ways: winning a round, or entering three rounds running for the Seasoned Quill badge. Beyond the scorecard, an optional written feedback report from the editorial team is available for writers who want the reasoning behind the marks. The free six-lesson Story Craft course at /academy/story-craft and the rubric notes at /short-story-judging-criteria cost nothing and need no entry.
Who competes for it, and when the round closes
Anyone aged 13 or over in any country may enter a story of 100 to 3,000 words in any genre and any language, and the prize is open to the whole field with no separate category for any country or language. Every story goes into one pool, is read in its own language with the writer's name removed, and competes for the same $100. The winner is the highest score in the round, nothing else.
Entries close on 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, Indian Standard Time, because the contest is run from India. IST is UTC plus five and a half hours with no daylight saving, so the deadline is early evening in London, early afternoon in New York and mid-morning in Los Angeles. 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.
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
How much is the short story prize?
$100 to the winner of each round, plus free entry to the next round and publication of the story on /winning-stories with consent. The figure on this page is read from the same source as the entry form, so it is the amount in force for the round currently open.
How is the prize paid to a winner outside India?
In US dollars, after results on 30 November 2026, to an account the winner nominates; no country is excluded. Winners are contacted by email. The poetry contest has already paid winners in the United States, Ireland, Kenya and Slovenia, so the route across borders is proven rather than promised.
Do I give up any rights by winning?
No. Writers keep all rights permanently, winner or not. Publication on /winning-stories requires the winner's consent and carries full credit, and nothing else is asked: no exclusivity, no promotion, no purchase. The story can be sold or republished anywhere afterwards.
Who is eligible for the prize?
Every entrant. Anyone aged 13 or over in any country who enters an original story of 100 to 3,000 words competes for the same prize in the same pool. There is no separate category by country, language or age, and the winner is simply the highest score against the published rubric.
What do entrants who do not win receive?
A certificate with their name and the contest round, and their score out of 100 as five separate rubric marks, on 30 November 2026. Entry is $8 a story. The score is private to the writer and is never published; only the winner appears on the results page.
Is the prize the same every round?
The prize shown here, $100, is the top prize in force for the current round, drawn from the same source the entry form uses, so the figure on this page and the figure at checkout cannot disagree. Any change would appear here and on the form at the same time.
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.