A Writing Competition Malaysians Can Enter, in Malay, English or Any Language
Quick answer: Writing competition open to Malaysia: Writory's monthly short story contest accepts stories of 100 to 3,000 words in any genre, in Bahasa Malaysia, English, Mandarin, Tamil 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.
Cerpen, English fiction and everything between
Malaysia writes in at least four literatures at once. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka has anchored Malay letters since 1956, and the cerpen has its own prizes and its own readers. English-language fiction from Malaysia has reached the Booker shortlist through Tan Twan Eng. Buku Fixi has published pulp in Malay and English since 2011, and the George Town Literary Festival fills Penang every November. Chinese and Tamil writing each have their own presses and journals. Few competitions in the country accept more than one of these languages at once.
Few of those take a single unpublished story and return a mark. Writory does. 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 training round, not a national award. A writer in Kuching sees the same score sheet as one in Kuala Lumpur.
Any language, read in its own language
A cerpen in Bahasa Malaysia from Kota Bharu, a Mandarin story from Ipoh, a Tamil story from Klang and an English story from Bangsar are each read by a reader of that language and judged in one pool against the same rubric. Manglish dialogue is read as Manglish. Malaysian English is never marked down; Language & Craft rewards precision and rhythm, not conformity to one dictionary.
Judging is blind, so no name, state, school or race field ever reaches the panel; there is no such field on the form. Writers keep all rights and entering does not publish the story, so it remains eligible for any Malaysian competition that asks for unpublished work. The sister poetry contest has published dated winners from India, the United States, Ireland, Kenya and Slovenia.
The deadline in Kuala Lumpur time
Entries close on 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST. Malaysia is two and a half hours ahead of India, with no daylight saving on either side, so the deadline is 2:29 AM the following morning in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Johor Bahru and Kota Kinabalu. Submit by your own midnight on deadline day and you are always inside the window.
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. The form works on a phone, and there is nothing to print or post.
Paying in dollars from a ringgit card
The fee is $8 for one story, $14 for two, $25 for five, in US dollars. One story is roughly RM 35 at current rates. Payment runs through PayPal, which accepts a PayPal balance or a Visa or Mastercard as a guest. Maybank, CIMB and Public Bank debit cards need overseas transactions enabled in the app first, a one-minute job that catches many first-time entrants.
The prize of $100 is paid by PayPal, which operates in Malaysia and withdraws to a local bank account. Both fee and prize are fixed in dollars, so the ringgit figure moves only with the rate on the day. Winners also enter the next round free; that is the only free entry. Writory Academy Story Craft is a free six-lesson course at /academy/story-craft if you want the rubric explained before writing.
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 Malaysia?
Yes, anyone aged 13 or over, in any state including Sabah and Sarawak, with no residency or citizenship condition. Entry is online at /submit-story and judging is blind.
How much is entry in ringgit?
The fee is fixed in US dollars: $8 for one story, $14 for two, $25 for five. One story is roughly RM 35; your card converts at the day's rate.
Is there a certificate for every participant?
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 competition close in Malaysia?
25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, which is 2:29 AM the next morning in Kuala Lumpur. Submit by your local midnight on deadline day and you are safe.
Boleh hantar cerpen dalam Bahasa Malaysia?
Boleh. Any language is accepted, each story is read in its own language, and all entries compete in one pool against the same rubric.
Why did my Maybank card decline?
Most Malaysian debit cards ship with overseas transactions switched off. Turn it on in your banking app, or pay through a PayPal balance. The entry is tied to your Writory account, not the card.
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.