Keekli’s Pan-India Short Story Writing Competition 2026 Results

Keekli Charitable Trust is delighted to announce the selection of the Best 51 Stories from the Pan-India Short Story Writing Competition 2026. Open to school and college students under the age of twenty, the competition remains one of the Trust’s most cherished initiatives, encouraging reading, writing, imagination, and creative expression among young people across India.

We extend our sincere gratitude to our esteemed jury members—Sonia Dogra, Alok Singh, and Vikas Prakash Joshi—for dedicating their time and expertise to carefully evaluate the entries and select the final 51 stories. We also thank our media partner, Himachal Tonite, and our sponsor, La Himalaya, for their invaluable support.

This year, the competition received 158 submissions in both English and Hindi from aspiring writers representing diverse regions, cultures, experiences, and perspectives. The enthusiastic response once again reaffirmed the remarkable creative potential that exists among young storytellers across the country. While only 51 stories have been selected for publication in the forthcoming anthology, every participant deserves recognition for the courage, effort, and commitment involved in sharing their work on a national platform.

At Keekli Charitable Trust, the competition has never been viewed merely as a contest. Instead, it is envisioned as a comprehensive learning experience that introduces young writers to the complete journey of authorship—from the first draft to publication. The objective is not only to identify talented storytellers but also to provide meaningful opportunities for participants to strengthen their writing skills through workshops, webinars, editorial guidance, and one-on-one mentoring sessions with experienced writers and editors.

The selected participants will now move into the second—and equally important—phase of the programme. Through structured interactions with the editorial team and jury members, they will learn the significance of revision, rewriting, editing, and refining their work. These sessions are mandatory because the Trust firmly believes that good writing emerges through a process of thoughtful revision and continuous improvement. Publication is not merely a reward; it is the culmination of learning, collaboration, and personal growth.

A Rigorous Selection Process

The evaluation process was conducted with utmost care, fairness, and transparency. Jury members independently assessed each story on several parameters, including originality, creativity, storytelling ability, language, emotional depth, age-appropriate expression, and overall impact on readers.

Special attention was given to maintaining the integrity of the competition. As outlined in the competition guidelines, Keekli Charitable Trust follows a strict policy against plagiarism and the use of AI-generated content in creative writing. Stories that appeared to be copied, closely adapted from published books or films, or heavily reliant on AI-generated text were carefully reviewed. Entries found to be in violation of these principles were disqualified.

It is important to note that selection at this stage does not automatically guarantee publication. The Trust reserves the right to disqualify any entry if concerns regarding originality, plagiarism, or misrepresentation emerge during the editorial process. Preserving the credibility of the anthology and ensuring that it showcases authentic young voices remain central priorities.

Insights from the Jury

The jury members brought diverse experiences and perspectives to the evaluation process, helping create a thoughtful and balanced selection.

Writer, poet, and editor Sonia Dogra appreciated the originality, freshness, and sincerity evident in many submissions. She observed that several stories demonstrated heartfelt storytelling and innovative ideas. At the same time, she noted that a few entries resembled summaries or close adaptations of existing books and films, underscoring the importance of acknowledging sources of inspiration. She also highlighted the growing challenge of AI-assisted writing, explaining that repetitive sentence structures, predictable patterns, and commonly generated phrases often revealed an overreliance on artificial intelligence. Her observations played an important role in ensuring a fair and careful selection process.

Author Vikas Prakash Joshi approached the entries with a deep appreciation for imagination and childhood wonder. Reflecting on his own experiences as a young participant in writing competitions, he acknowledged the courage required to submit creative work for evaluation. He was particularly drawn to stories that communicated profound truths through simple narratives, conveyed meaningful values, and reflected the innocence and sincerity often associated with children’s literature. Many stories, he observed, reminded him of the storytelling traditions found in magazines such as Champak and Chandamama, where imagination and joy were at the heart of every tale. For him, stories that were thoughtful, uplifting, and emotionally authentic left the strongest impression.

Journalist, editor, and humour enthusiast Alok Singh focused on one of the most significant contemporary challenges—the growing role of AI in creative expression. While acknowledging that technology has become an unavoidable part of students’ lives, he emphasized that compelling storytelling still depends on a writer’s creativity, judgment, and emotional insight. During the evaluation process, he repeatedly asked a simple but powerful question: Would a young reader enjoy reading this story in print? For him, the ultimate measure of a story was not the tools used to create it but its ability to engage, move, and inspire readers. He stressed that while information and technology are increasingly accessible, the ability to transform ideas into meaningful narratives remains a uniquely human skill.

Together, the jury members ensured that the selected stories reflected originality, imagination, emotional resonance, and literary promise.

Beyond Winning: Learning the Craft

One of the distinguishing features of the Keekli competition is its emphasis on mentorship and skill development. The Trust believes that publishing young writers without helping them understand the editorial process would be an incomplete exercise.

The selected participants will therefore work closely with editors and mentors to revisit their stories, strengthen character development, improve narrative flow, refine language, and address structural concerns where necessary. Through these interactions, young writers will gain firsthand experience of how books are shaped, refined, and polished before reaching readers.

The process also teaches an important lesson: writing is not only about inspiration but equally about discipline, revision, and perseverance. These are skills that extend beyond literature and contribute to lifelong learning and personal growth.

Meet the Jury

The competition benefited immensely from the expertise of three distinguished jury members.

Alok Singh, a former journalist and copy editor, has reinvented himself as a student of humour and storytelling. Active in Delhi’s open mic circuit since 2018, he brings a unique understanding of audience engagement, narrative timing, and effective communication.

Sonia Dogra is a writer, poet, and freelance editor with extensive experience in education, publishing, and children’s literature. She has co-edited multiple anthologies, worked on numerous manuscripts, and published widely in national and international literary journals. Her short story Rai was shortlisted for the prestigious Rama Mehta Writing Grant for Women Writers in 2024, and her first middle-grade fiction book is Kuhu Learns to Deal With Life.

Vikas Prakash Joshi is a storyteller at heart whose lifelong love for books and narratives began in childhood. His passion for reading and writing continues to inspire his work with young readers and writers, encouraging them to find confidence in their own voices and stories.

Congratulations to the Selected Authors

Keekli Charitable Trust extends its heartfelt congratulations to the 51 young writers whose stories have been selected for inclusion in the anthology. We also commend every participant who entered the competition. Each submission represented a willingness to imagine, create, and share a story with the world—a remarkable achievement in itself.

The selected stories represent a rich tapestry of themes, voices, cultures, and experiences. Some are thoughtful, some humorous, some imaginative, and some deeply moving. Together, they offer a glimpse into the minds and hearts of a new generation of storytellers.

As these young authors move forward into the workshop and editorial phase, we look forward to helping them refine their stories and deepen their understanding of the craft of writing.

The names of the selected participants and their stories are presented below in random order. We wish them every success in the next stage of this exciting literary journey and look forward to celebrating their achievements with the publication of the anthology later this year.

Nurturing Creativity – Keekli Charitable Trust, Shimla