Writing Contests with Cash Prizes, and a Paper Trail
Quick answer: Writory runs poetry and short story writing contests with cash prizes. The poetry contest is open now: entry ₹150 in India / $5 internationally, top prize ₹5,000 / $100. Story entries close on 30 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, with results on 5 December 2026: entry ₹199 / $8, top prize ₹5,000 / $100. Both judge blind against published rubrics, and every entrant receives a certificate and a score out of 100.
Two writing contests, one standard: poetry runs monthly, and Story entries close on 30 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, with results on 5 December 2026. Both offer cash prizes and a scored certificate for every entrant. The existing dated winners record comes from poetry.
A cash prize is a claim. Ask for the receipts.
Any page can print a prize amount. Before you pay any contest's fee, including ours, look for the three things that prove money actually moves: winners named on dated pages, results that arrived when the rules said they would, and a rights clause that leaves the work with the writer.
Writory's poetry contest has run monthly rounds for over a year on exactly that pattern. Every round's winners are published with dates, entrants have come from 40 countries, and winners so far have been named in India, the United States, Ireland, Kenya and Slovenia.
Two contests, in numbers
The poetry contest is open now and runs every month. Entry is ₹150 in India or $5 internationally, and the top prize is ₹5,000 in India, $100 for international winners. It is where the year-long paper trail comes from: every round judged blind, every round's winners published with their scores.
The Short Story Contest accepts 100 to 6,000 words in any genre. 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. Entry is ₹199 in India or $8 internationally, $14 for two stories, $25 for five. The deadline is 30 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST, results come on 5 December 2026, and the top prize is ₹5,000 in India, $100 for international winners.
In both contests cash prizes go to the placed writers in each round, while the scorecard goes to every entrant. Every entrant receives a certificate and all five rubric marks out of 100, which is why the losing months are not wasted money: you know what to fix before the next deadline.
Costs, and the two ways entry becomes free
Contest winners enter the next round free, and entering three rounds running earns the Seasoned Quill badge and a free entry. Beyond that, the only extra anything costs is the optional written feedback report, prepared by the editorial team, which quotes your own lines back and tells you what to do with them.
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
What exactly are the cash prizes?
Poetry, open now: top prize ₹5,000 in India, $100 for international winners, every month. Short story, from September 2026: top prize ₹5,000 in India, $100 for international winners. Both contests name their winners, with scores, on dated public pages.
How is the prize paid in my country?
Indian winners are paid in rupees; international winners are paid in dollars. Writory's poetry contest has already paid winners in India, the United States, Ireland, Kenya and Slovenia, so the mechanics are proven across five countries.
What gets an entry disqualified?
Work that is not the entrant's own, stories outside the 100 to 6,000 word range, and entries arriving after the deadline (30 November 2026 at 11:59 PM IST). Nothing exotic: the rules are short, and the rubric does the judging.
How do I check that past winners are real?
Open the poetry winners pages: each month is dated and names its winners with their scores, going back more than a year. The first Story results are scheduled for 5 December 2026; Story winners have not yet been announced. A contest that pays out monthly leaves a paper trail; read it before trusting anyone's prize claim, including ours.
Is the fee worth it if I don't win?
That depends on what you want back. Entry is ₹199 in India, $8 internationally, and it returns blind judging, a certificate and a five-part score out of 100 even when you lose, which is more than most contests return to their winners. If a round teaches you nothing, the scorecard was not read closely enough.
More story contest pages
This contest page is maintained by the Writory editorial team. Enter the story contest.