A Writing Competition Open to Bangladesh, in Bangla, English or Any Language
Quick answer: Writing competition open to Bangladesh: Writory's monthly short story contest accepts original stories of 100 to 3,000 words in any genre, in Bangla, English, Chakma, Sylheti or any language, for $8 a story. Judging is blind against a published rubric, every entrant receives a certificate and a score out of 100 on 30 November 2026, and the winner takes $100.
Enter one story of 100 to 3,000 words for $8 by 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, and receive a certificate and a five-part score out of 100 whether or not you place.
Bangla golpo, English fiction, and what this round adds
Bangladesh has a short story tradition few countries can match, from Tagore and Manik Bandopadhyay through Akhtaruzzaman Elias and Hasan Azizul Huq to Humayun Ahmed's enormous readership. The Amar Ekushey Boi Mela fills February in Dhaka every year, the Bangla Academy has given its Literary Award since 1960, and the Dhaka Lit Fest, when it runs, brings writers from abroad. Most of those honour published books.
Writory is for the unpublished story on your laptop. Enter by 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, and on 30 November 2026 you receive a certificate and five marks out of 100 against a rubric published in advance: Storytelling & Structure 25, Character & Emotional Impact 25, Language & Craft 20, Originality & Voice 20, Impact & Resonance 10. It is a monthly training round, not a Bangla Academy award, and we say so.
Bangla stories are read in Bangla
Any language is accepted and each story is read in its own language, in the one pool, against the same rubric. A golpo in Bangla from Rajshahi is read by a reader of Bangla, not run through anything on the way, and competes on equal footing with an English story from Gulshan. Sylheti and Chittagonian dialogue is read as written. Bangladeshi English is never marked down.
Judging is blind, so no name, district or university reaches the panel; an HSC student in Khulna and a Dhaka University lecturer are read on identical terms. Writers keep all rights and entering does not publish the story, so it remains eligible for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize, which is free for Bangladeshi citizens, or any little magazine. The sister poetry contest has published dated winners from India, the United States, Ireland, Kenya and Slovenia.
The deadline in Dhaka time
Entries close on 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST. Bangladesh Standard Time is thirty minutes ahead of India, with no daylight saving on either side, so the deadline is 12:29 AM the following morning in Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet and Rajshahi. Treat midnight on deadline day, Bangladesh time, as your deadline and you have half an hour to spare, every round.
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. Stories must be original, 100 to 3,000 words, any genre, from writers aged 13 or over, entered online at /submit-story. Bangla can be typed in Unicode from any keyboard, Avro included, and is read as written.
Paying from Bangladesh, and the PayPal problem, honestly
The fee is $8 for one story, $14 for two, $25 for five, in US dollars, roughly Tk 950 for one story at current rates. Payment runs through PayPal's checkout, which accepts a Visa or Mastercard as a guest. In Bangladesh that means a dual-currency card with passport endorsement for international spending, a Bangladesh Bank rule most banks apply. The entry is tied to your Writory account, not the card, so a relative's card abroad also works.
PayPal does not operate in Bangladesh, and the prize of $100 is paid by PayPal. We will not pretend that away. If you win, you will need a PayPal account that can receive, for instance one held by family in the UK, the Gulf or the United States; write to us before results if that is a problem and we will talk it through. Winners also enter the next round free; that is the only free 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. Monthly winners earn free entry to the next round. Enter at https://writoryofficial.com/submit-story.
Common questions
Can I enter from Bangladesh?
Yes, anyone aged 13 or over, in any division, with no residency or citizenship condition. Entry is online at /submit-story and judging is blind.
How much is the entry fee in taka?
The fee is fixed in US dollars: $8 for one story, $14 for two, $25 for five. One story is roughly Tk 950 at current rates, converted by your card on the day.
Do I get a certificate if I do not win?
Yes. Every entrant receives a certificate and a score out of 100 with all five rubric marks on 30 November 2026, with a verification link.
What time does the round close in Bangladesh?
25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, which is 12:29 AM the next morning in Dhaka, since Bangladesh runs thirty minutes ahead of India. Submit by your local midnight and you are safe.
Can I submit a golpo in Bangla?
Yes. Bangla, English, Chakma, Sylheti and any other language are accepted, each read in its own language, in one pool against the same rubric.
Will my Bangladeshi card work for a dollar payment?
A dual-currency card with passport endorsement will. Taka-only cards will not. If yours is refused, a relative's card abroad works, since the entry is tied to your Writory account, not the card.
More story contest pages
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- A Writing Competition Open to Pakistan, in Urdu, English or Any Language
- A Writing Competition Open to Everyone in the UAE, in Any Language
- A Writing Competition Malaysians Can Enter, in Malay, English or Any Language
- Writing Competitions Kenyans Can Enter Every Month, in English or Kiswahili
- Writing Competitions Ghanaians Can Enter Every Month
- Writing Competitions Sri Lankans Can Enter, in Sinhala, Tamil or English
- Writing Competitions in Ireland: A Monthly Short Story Contest You Can Enter From Any County
- Novel Writing Contests: Why Writory Is Not One, and What a Novelist Can Enter
- A Dystopian Short Story Contest That Scores the Person, Not the Premise
- How We Judge: The 100-Point Rubric in Full
- Short Story Competition Topics: There Is No Set Theme
- All short story contest pages
- Winning Stories
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.