Writing Contests in the USA With Free Entry: An Honest Answer
Quick answer: Writing contests in the USA with free entry are rare, and Writory is not one of them: entry costs $8 a story, in dollars. Free entry is earned by winning a round. In return every US entrant gets blind judging against a published rubric, a certificate with their name and contest round, and a score out of 100.
Entry is $8 a story, paid in dollars, and free entry is earned by winning a round rather than handed out. Entries close 30 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST; every entrant receives a certificate and a score out of 100 on 5 December 2026.
Why this page does not promise free entry
A search for free-entry contests usually ends at one of three places: a contest that is free because a magazine or a university funds it and takes a few hundred entries a year; a contest that is free to enter and sells something afterwards; or a page that says free in the title and names a fee in the small print. Writory would rather state the fee at the top. One story costs $8, two cost $14, five cost $25.
Free entry is earned rather than open to everyone. Eligible winners and Seasoned Quill writers receive a single-entry reward. Other eligible account rewards can reduce the entry fee; available codes appear in the checkout dropdown, where their discount and conditions are shown before payment.
How a US writer pays and what the fee buys
Payment is in US dollars through PayPal. Your payment provider or bank may apply conversion or cross-border charges; check the amount shown before confirming. Entry is online at /submit-story. Entries close on 30 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST. IST is Indian Standard Time, five and a half hours ahead of UTC, which in practice gives a US writer until the early afternoon Eastern or late morning Pacific on the closing day, an hour later during daylight saving.
The fee buys a blind reading against a published rubric: Storytelling & Structure 25, Character & Emotional Impact 25, Language & Craft 20, Originality & Voice 20, Impact & Resonance 10. It buys a certificate, delivered digitally on 5 December 2026, carrying your name and the contest round, and a score out of 100 broken into those five marks. Winners take $100. Everyone else takes the certificate and the numbers, which is more than most free contests return to anyone.
What the certificate is, for a US reader
American writers tend to ask whether a certificate from an international contest carries weight. It carries exactly what it says: your name, the contest round, a placement if you placed, and a verification link to writoryofficial.com, where each round's results sit on a dated page. It is not a publication credit and not a credential. Listed honestly on a college application or in a bio, as a judged score from an international competition on a stated date, it is a checkable fact rather than a boast.
Writory has named and paid contest winners in the United States before, alongside India, Ireland, Kenya and Slovenia, so a US entrant is not the first to cross this border. The first Story results are scheduled for 5 December 2026; Story winners have not yet been announced. Writers keep all rights, so a story entered here can still go to a US magazine or a free university prize afterwards, with nothing signed away.
Comparing this with a genuinely free US contest
If a free contest suits you better, take it, and read its terms first. Some free prizes take first publication rights, some announce only winners and tell no one else anything, and some fund themselves by selling anthologies to the entrants. None of that is wrong, but it is the trade. Writory's trade is $8 for a scored, dated, certificated reading of your story, with all rights retained.
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. The Story Craft course at /academy/story-craft requires a module or full-course unlock and teaches the same five dimensions the judges score.
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 by 30 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST. 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. Writers keep all rights. Winners earn free entry to the next round. Enter at https://writoryofficial.com/submit-story.
Common questions
Is there any way for a US writer to enter free?
Eligible winners and Seasoned Quill writers can receive a free single-entry reward. Other account rewards may provide a discount. Select an available code at checkout to see its eligibility and saving; standard entry is $8 a story. Reward entries receive the same blind judging, certificate and score as paid entries.
How do I pay from the United States?
In US dollars through PayPal at /submit-story. The fee is $8 for one story, $14 for two and $25 for five, and any conversion or cross-border charges depend on your payment provider and bank. Confirmation follows once payment completes.
What time is the deadline in US time zones?
Entries close on 30 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST. IST runs five and a half hours ahead of UTC, so the cut-off falls in the early afternoon on the US east coast and late morning on the west coast on the closing day, roughly an hour later while daylight saving is in force. Enter the day before if in doubt.
Is the prize paid in dollars to a US winner?
Yes, $100 in US dollars through PayPal, after results on 5 December 2026. Any tax obligations depend on the applicable rules; winners can contact Writory about payout arrangements. Winners also take free entry to the next round and a certificate recording the placement.
Can I enter a story I posted on my blog or Medium?
Yes, as long as it is your own original work. Prior posting does not disqualify a story here. Some US magazines treat public posting as published under their own rules, so check the other side before sending the same story on, but entering Writory changes nothing about its status.
Is the certificate worth anything to a US college?
It carries your name, the contest round and a verification link, and it comes with a judged score out of 100 in five parts, so it reads as an assessment rather than an attendance line. Describe it accurately, as a scored placement or participation in an international competition, and it is a checkable fact on an application.
More story contest pages
About Writory
Writory (writoryofficial.com) is an international monthly poetry contest founded in 2025 by Shivay Mehra. Poets from 40 countries have entered, readers come from more than 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.