Writing Competitions for Adults in the UK: A Monthly One That Replies
Quick answer: Writing competitions for adults in the UK mostly close once a year and reply only to the shortlist. Writory's short story contest is monthly, open to anyone aged 13 or over, costs $8 a story, and is judged blind against a published five-part rubric. Every entrant receives a certificate and a score out of 100 within days of the deadline.
A short story competition open to UK adults every month for $8, deadline 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST in the UK early evening. Every entrant receives a certificate and all five rubric marks out of 100 on 30 November 2026, and keeps every right.
How this fits beside the UK's annual competitions
The UK has good annual short story prizes, and a working writer should keep entering them. Their shape is the problem, not their quality: one deadline, a long wait, and for most entrants no reply at all. A monthly competition with a returned scorecard fills the gap between those dates. It is cheap enough to enter often, and it tells you something even in the months you lose.
Writory's contest is open to anyone aged 13 and over, which in practice means the adult field is the field. One original story of 100 to 3,000 words in any genre, entered at /submit-story before 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST. Judging is blind: no name, age, gender or country reaches the panel. Stories are read in the language they were written in, all in one pool, so a story in Welsh or Punjabi is not shunted into a translation category.
Fees, UK time, and what comes back
Entry is $8 for one story, $14 for two, $25 for five, charged in US dollars and converted by your card at the day's rate. Writory is based in India and would rather say that plainly than invent a sterling price. The top prize each round is $100, paid to the winner, who also enters the following round free. Writers keep all rights, and entries are never published.
The deadline is 11:59 PM Indian Standard Time, which is 6:29 PM in the UK during GMT and 7:29 PM during British Summer Time; the first round closes on 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST. Results, certificates and all five rubric marks out of 100 arrive on 30 November 2026, about five days later. Optional written feedback on your story is available at entry for writers who want more than the marks.
What a certificate and a score mean for a working writer
For an adult with a submissions spreadsheet, the certificate is the least of it. It carries your name and the contest month, records that you entered, and belongs in the folder rather than on the wall. A placement is a different thing: winners are named on a dated results page, so it can be cited in a covering letter and checked by an editor in one click. Do not describe an entry certificate as an award; editors notice.
The score is what you are paying for. Storytelling & Structure 25, Character & Emotional Impact 25, Language & Craft 20, Originality & Voice 20, Impact & Resonance 10, from a reader who did not know your name. Over three or four rounds, the pattern in those five numbers is a more reliable diagnosis than any single rejection slip, and a story that scores 62 in one round and 79 after revision has told you which draft to send to the magazines.
Craft notes for adults entering monthly
Treat the month as a unit: draft in the first week, leave it, cut in the third, enter in the fourth. Read the five rubric headings before you draft, not after, and check the ending answers the opening. Send the story that is finished, not the one that is longest; nothing in the rubric rewards length, and the 100-word floor is a real invitation for flash pieces that have been sitting in a drawer.
Two more. Re-enter a story only after revising it, since the same draft twice buys the same five numbers twice. And keep the folder of scorecards, dated; it is the only honest record of your own progress you will ever be given, and reading four of them side by side tells you which of the five headings has been holding you back all year. The free Story Craft course at /academy/story-craft is written for exactly this rhythm.
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
What time does the deadline fall in the UK?
11:59 PM Indian Standard Time is 6:29 PM GMT, or 7:29 PM during British Summer Time. The first round closes on 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, which falls in GMT. Early evening either way, with no midnight finish.
Why is the fee in dollars rather than pounds?
Writory is based in India and prices international entry in US dollars: $8 for one story, $14 for two, $25 for five. Your card converts at the day's rate. We state it that way rather than quote a sterling figure we do not charge.
Can I enter a story that has already appeared somewhere?
Yes. Writory has no previously-unpublished rule, so a story from a magazine, anthology or your own site qualifies as long as it is your own work between 100 and 3,000 words. Many UK competitions and journals do have that rule, so keep your own record of where each story has appeared.
Do I keep the rights?
All of them, permanently. Entries are not published, winners are named by name and title only, and a win changes nothing about ownership. You can send the same story to a UK magazine or another competition the day after results, and you do not need to tell Writory when you do.
Is there written feedback beyond the five marks?
Yes, as an option at entry. The five marks out of 100 come to every entrant regardless; the written feedback is a separate report on your story, quoting your own lines, for writers who want the reasoning behind the numbers before the next draft. It is optional and the scorecard does not depend on it.
How often does the competition run?
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. A story finished after one deadline is an early entry for the next.
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.