A Universe for writers
Send a poem or a story. Leave with a score.
WriteVerse is a monthly contest for poetry and short fiction. Every paid entry is read against the same five-part rubric, scored out of 100, and issued a certificate. Top scores take cash prizes and a place on the public leaderboard.
- Closes
- 25 September 2026, 23:59 IST
- Results
- 5 October 2026
- Tracks
- Poetry · Short story
Choose a track
Poetry in any language, or a short story between 100 and 2,000 words. Pick a tier that matches how much you want to send.
Send the work
A single poem is free for now. Extra poems and stories will take a fee once payments go live. You get an entry ID as soon as the piece is filed.
Get scored
Judges mark five criteria, 0–20 each. When results publish, your total, notes, and certificate appear on your profile.
What our writers say
Meera Iyer
24 · Bengaluru
“I sent one poem on a Tuesday and got a number I could actually sit with. The notes were short, but they landed.”
Jonah Hale
31 · Leeds
“Most contests vanish your work. Here the rubric is on the wall before you pay. That honesty is why I came back the next month.”
Ananya Rao
19 · Pune
“I write in Hindi. Nobody asked me to translate first. The score still made sense in the language I think in.”
Farid Khan
27 · Hyderabad
“The certificate is a small thing, but it meant the entry was read. I keep mine above the desk.”
Voices from this desk — poems and stories, from more than one city.
On the record, every month
The WriteVerseshelf of winners
When results land, first, second, and third in each track keep a place here — title, excerpt, and the score out of 100. The shelf grows as the months do.
0
Writers on the shelf
2
Tracks: poetry and short story
100
Score on every judged piece
Global
Work judged in any language
What a placing writer takes home
Cash for the top three in poetry and in short story, a certificate, and a mention on Instagram. This month’s board or past winners.
- First₹5,000 / $75
- Second₹2,000 / $40
- Third₹1,000 / $12
- CertificateA scored certificate for the placing piece
- InstagramNamed on the WriteVerse account
Entry fees
India prices in rupees; everywhere else in US dollars. A single poem is free for now. Write in the language you think in — we do not restrict that.
Poetry
- Single1 poemFree
- Pair2 poems₹229 / $8
- Sheaf5 poems₹449 / $15
Short story
- Flash100–750 words₹199 / $7
- Short751–2,000 words₹279 / $10
Prizes & judging
First, second, and third in each track, plus a certificate and a mention on Instagram. Write for three months in a row and the next entry is free.
- First₹5,000 / $75
- Second₹2,000 / $40
- Third₹1,000 / $12
- CertificateA scored certificate for the placing piece
- InstagramNamed on the WriteVerse account
- Imagination0–20
- Feeling0–20
- Shape0–20
- Language0–20
- Theme0–20