A Writing Contest for Adults at Any Age or Stage
Quick answer: Writory's debut short story contest is open to adults of any age, with no upper limit and no publication history required. Entry is $8 for a story of 100 to 6,000 words, judged blind against a published rubric. Every entrant receives a certificate and a score out of 100 showing all five marks; results on 5 December 2026.
No age cap, no publication history, no biography read before your story. Every entry is judged blind against a published rubric, and every adult entrant receives a certificate and a score out of 100 with all five marks, on 5 December 2026.
For the writer coming back, and the one starting late
This contest is built for the writer who wrote seriously once, stopped for a career or a family, and wonders whether the ability survived. A blind-judged round is the cleanest way to ask. No judge sees your age, your gap or your empty bio; the manuscript is the entire application, and the rubric it is marked against is published before you enter.
The answer arrives as five numbers. Storytelling and character carry 25 marks each, language and originality 20 each, resonance 10, and the total out of 100 comes back to every entrant with a certificate. Nobody else sees your score unless you show them; non-winners' marks are never published.
A regular writing habit, not a yearly gamble
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. That cadence is what makes it workable for an adult with a full life; writing across each round builds a habit, and the scorecard tells you what to aim the next one at.
Entry is $8 a story and the quarterly top prize is $100. Free entry is earned rather than given: winners enter the next round free, and entering three rounds running earns the Seasoned Quill badge with a free entry attached. You keep all rights the whole way through.
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
Is there an upper age limit?
No. The only age rule is the floor of 13, and judging is blind, so whether you are 24 or 78 is information the judges never have.
Do I need a publication history or a writing degree?
Neither. There is no bio field for the judges to read; the manuscript is all that reaches the panel. Unpublished adults enter on identical terms with working writers, which is exactly how the scores stay meaningful.
Can I revise a story and enter it again next round?
Nothing stops you. Every round is a fresh start, and a revised story is a new entry. The five marks make revision practical: if character scored high and structure did not, you know which end of the story to rebuild before the next deadline.
Can two of us enter a story we wrote together?
You can, under one account. One entry means one certificate, one scorecard and any prize paid to the account holder, so decide between yourselves whose name it runs under before you submit.
Does it have to be fiction?
It has to be a story, 100 to 6,000 words, in any genre; memoir-shaped narrative is welcome if it moves like a story: scenes, a shape, an ending. What the rubric cannot reward is an essay or an argument wearing a story's clothes.
More story contest pages
This contest page is maintained by the Writory editorial team. Enter the story contest.