The Ink-credibles: Participate in these unique writing competitions to publish your stories

Hell hath no fury like a womanhellipBlaft Publications has put out a call for short story submissions with a singular theme Women with Weapons The indie publishing house is looking for short fiction mdash between 1000 to 8000 words mdash featuring women wielding weapons While writers of any sex are welcome to enter the contest the stories will need to not only decentre men but also pass the reverse Bechdel test Entries of 10008000 words can be sentDeadline September 15Prize Rs 900011000To know more blaftpublicationsKhat for Mother NatureSiddhartha GigooIf writing a short story or essay still intimidates you why not dip your toes into the literary pool with a sweet letter to Mother Nature India Post is back with its annual Dhai Akhar letterwriting competition Citizens of any age can participate by posting a handwritten letter on the theme lsquoA Letter to Mother Earth My Promise to Protect Naturersquo Entries can be written in English Hindi or any regional language either on an inland letter card 500 words or on an A4 sheet 1000 words mailed in an envelope addressed to the Chief Postmaster General of your respective postal circleDeadline October 31Prize Rs 500050000To know more indiapostgovinWrite in rainbow coloursThese competitions and the handsome prizes should be more than enough incentive to push you to start writing PicsistockYoda Press and The Rainbow Literature Festival are inviting submissions for their first anthology on the intersection of queerness and disability Entry is open to residents of India particularly queer and trans writers including writers with disabilities Submissions may include personal essays speculative nonfiction political commentary cultural criticism and other narrative nonfiction forms limited to 20003000 wordsDeadline September 15Prize To be determinedTo know more rainbowlitfestA story of onersquos ownThe London Magazine Short Story Prize is also open for submissions Winners will be published in The London Magazine which has published the likes of Virginia Woolf and Raymond Carver Yes the competition is open to international entries but be warned there is a pound12 entry fee Students and lowincome writers can enter for pound6Deadline October 18Prize Rs 4400011 lakhTo know more thelondonmagazineThe shortest story everThe Hemlock Journal is calling for writers to send in onesentence stories maximum of 20 words There is no entry fee Deadline August 31Prize Rs 4700 The Hemlock membership for a yearTo know more thehemlockjournalThe big oneOne of the most awaited writing competitions of the literary calendar the Commonwealth Short Story Prize came into controversy after three of the 2026 regional winners were accused of using AI in their submissions Following the scandal the submission window for the 2027 prize has been moved from September 2026 to January 2027 But this means more time for you to really hone that story in your saved files or even get started on that idea thatrsquos been brewing in your head Writers from Commonwealth nations can submit stories between 20005000 words The overall winner will receive pound5000 Rs 56 lakh and have their entry publishedTo know more cwfcreatives on InstagramlsquoWrite the story you want to tellrsquoldquoWinning or being shortlisted certainly gives a writer visibility but I think the real value goes beyond thatrdquo says Siddhartha Gigoo who was much feted in literary circles after winning the 2015 Commonwealth Short Story Prize Asia for his short story The Umbrella Man He then went on to publish several books and win two books of poetry as well as win more awardsldquoCompetitions push you to finish a story polish it and actually send it into the world They can also introduce your work to editors publishers and new readers More importantly they make you part of a larger community of writers and readersrdquo he says also adding ldquoA prize can open a door but what matters is what you do with that opportunity afterwardsrdquoHere are his tips for emerging writersgtgt Write the story you want to tell rather than the story you think a jury might want to readgtgt Read the guidelines carefully respect the word limit and revise your work as much as you cangtgt Give the story some time before you send it out so you can return to it with fresh eyesgtgt Donrsquot be discouraged by rejection Love the rejections There is no such thing as rejection in art Writing competitions can be unpredictable but every submission is also an opportunity to put your work out there and keep growing as a writerRs 56 LReward for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize winnerJan rsquo27New submission window for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize