Writing Competitions Ghanaians Can Enter Every Month
Quick answer: Writing competitions in Ghana are few and mostly annual. Writory's monthly short story contest accepts stories of 100 to 3,000 words in any genre, in English, Twi, Ewe or any language, for $8 a story. Judging is blind against a published rubric, and every entrant receives a certificate and a score out of 100 on 30 November 2026.
One story of 100 to 3,000 words for $8, entered online by 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, and a certificate with a five-part score out of 100 for every writer who enters.
After Pa Gya in October, the rest of the year
Ghana's literary calendar has one clear fixture: Pa Gya, the literary festival run by the Writers Project of Ghana in Accra each October since 2017. The Ghana Association of Writers has existed since 1957, and the tradition behind them runs from Ama Ata Aidoo and Kofi Awoonor to Ayi Kwei Armah. The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is free for Ghanaian citizens and worth entering every year.
Between those dates a writer in Kumasi or Tamale has almost nowhere to send a single story and hear back within the month. Writory reads it blind and returns, on 30 November 2026, a certificate and five marks out of 100: Storytelling & Structure 25, Character & Emotional Impact 25, Language & Craft 20, Originality & Voice 20, Impact & Resonance 10. It is a monthly training round, not a national prize.
Twi, Ewe, Ga, English: read in their own language
Any language is accepted and each story is read in its own language, in the one pool, against the same rubric. A Twi story from Kumasi, an Ewe story from Ho and a Ga story from Jamestown are read by readers of those languages. Ghanaian English is never marked down, and Pidgin dialogue is read as Pidgin. Language & Craft rewards precision and rhythm, not conformity to one dictionary.
Judging is blind, so no name, region or school reaches the panel; a senior high student and a lecturer at Legon are read on identical terms. Writers keep all rights and entering does not publish the story, so it stays eligible for the Commonwealth Prize or any journal that wants first publication. The sister poetry contest has published dated winners from Kenya, India, the United States, Ireland and Slovenia.
The deadline in Accra time
Entries close on 25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST. Ghana keeps Greenwich Mean Time all year, five and a half hours behind India, so the deadline is 6:29 PM in Accra, Kumasi, Tamale and Takoradi in every round. Neither country uses daylight saving, so the sum holds in every month of the year, and the whole of Ghana shares one clock. Early evening, before the light goes.
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 over MTN or Telecel data, and nothing is printed or posted.
Paying from Ghana, and the PayPal problem, honestly
The fee is $8 for one story, $14 for two, $25 for five, in US dollars. We do not quote a cedi figure because the rate has moved too much in recent years to print one. Payment runs through PayPal's checkout, which accepts a Visa or Mastercard as a guest; most Ghanaian bank cards work for international online charges once the bank has enabled them. The entry is tied to your Writory account, not the card, so a relative's card abroad also works.
PayPal does not operate in Ghana, 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 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 Ghana?
Yes, anyone aged 13 or over, in any region, with no residency or citizenship condition. Entry is online at /submit-story and works on a phone.
How much is the entry fee in cedis?
The fee is fixed in US dollars: $8 for one story, $14 for two, $25 for five. The cedi figure depends on the rate your card applies on the day, so we do not quote one.
Do I get a certificate even 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 you can share with a school or employer.
What time does the round close in Ghana?
25 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, which is 6:29 PM in Accra. Ghana keeps GMT all year and India has no daylight saving, so it never moves.
Can I write in Twi or Ewe?
Yes. Any language is accepted, each story is read in its own language, and all entries compete in one pool against the same rubric.
Can I pay with MTN Mobile Money?
Not directly. Entry is paid through PayPal's checkout with a card. If your card is refused, a relative's card abroad works, since the entry is tied to your Writory account, not the card.
More story contest pages
- A Short Story Competition Open to Scottish Writers Every Month, in English, Scots or Gaelic
- A Short Story Competition Open to Welsh Writers Every Month, in English or Cymraeg
- A Short Story Competition Open to Writers in Germany Every Month, in English or German
- A Short Story Competition Open to Writers in France Every Month, in English or French
- A Writing Competition Open to Singapore, in Any of Its Four Languages
- 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
- A Sci-Fi Short Story Contest That Scores the Idea and the Person
- A Romance Short Story Contest That Takes the Love Story Seriously
- Short Story Competition Word Limit: 100 to 3,000 Words, and How to Use Them
- How to Write a Short Story for a Contest
- 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.