A Writing Competition Australians Can Enter Online
Quick answer: Australians can enter Writory's debut short story round: 100 to 6,000 words in any genre, $8 a story. Judging is blind against a published rubric, every entrant receives a certificate and a score out of 100 across all five criteria, and writers keep all rights. Deadline is 30 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST; results on 5 December 2026. Three-month rounds follow the debut.
Submit a story of 100 to 6,000 words by 30 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST. Judging is blind against a published rubric, every entrant gets back a certificate and a score out of 100 with all five marks shown, and you keep every right to your work.
If you already do Furious Fiction
Furious Fiction is a free, quarterly 500-word challenge from the Australian Writers' Centre. Check its current prompt and entry window before submitting. Writory is a separate, paid option for writers who want a five-part judged score and certificate whether or not they place.
Writory is the other half of that routine. Entry is $8, the story is your own idea at your own length between 100 and 6,000 words, and every entrant gets back a certificate plus five marks against the published rubric: Storytelling & Structure out of 25, Character & Emotional Impact out of 25, Language & Craft out of 20, Originality & Voice out of 20, Impact & Resonance out of 10. You do not have to place to find out what a judge made of your work. That is what the fee is for.
Dates and details that matter from Australia
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. Entries close on 30 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, which is early the next morning on the east coast, so treat midnight on deadline day, your time, as the deadline and you will never miss it. Results are out on 5 December 2026, and the top story each round wins $100.
Judging is blind: no names, no bios, no locations reach the panel. You keep all rights, and Writory does not publish entries, so a piece you enter here can still go to an Australian journal afterwards. Writory's poetry contest has been running monthly for over a year with dated winners pages you can check on the site, and entrants have come from 40 countries.
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
What time is the deadline in Australia?
Entries close on 30 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST. That is 4:29 AM the next morning in Sydney and Melbourne, an hour later once daylight saving starts, so the working rule is simple: submit by your own midnight on deadline day and you are in.
What does it cost from Australia?
$8 for one story, which is roughly $12 AUD. Two stories cost $14 and five cost $25, and every one of them is judged and scored individually.
Is there any way to enter free?
Only by earning it. Each contest winner enters the next round free, and entering three rounds in a row earns the Seasoned Quill badge, which carries a free entry. Those are the only two routes; there is no open free entry.
Can I use a pen name?
Judging is blind either way, so a pen name changes nothing for the judges; they never see any name at all. Just tell us the name you want on the certificate, because that is the name the verification link confirms.
How do I know this competition is legitimate?
Check before you pay: Writory's poetry winners pages are dated month by month and go back more than a year, with poetry entrants from 40 countries. The separate Story rubric is published in full. The first Story results are scheduled for 5 December 2026; Story winners have not yet been announced. A contest that shows its records is easy to verify.
More story contest pages
This contest page is maintained by the Writory editorial team. Enter the story contest.