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

Celebrating 51 Young Voices and the Journey from Imagination to Publication

Keekli Charitable Trust is delighted to announce the selection of the Best 51 Stories from the Pan-India Short Story Writing Competition 2026. The competition, open to school and college students under the age of twenty, continues to be one of the Trust’s most cherished initiatives to encourage reading, writing, imagination, and creative expression among young people across India. We are highly tankful to our Jury members Sonia Dogra, Alok Singh and Vikas Prakash Joshi for taking the time to read the stories and select the best 51, along with our media partner Himachal Tonite and sponsor La Himalaya.

This year, the competition received 158 submissions in English and Hindi from aspiring writers representing diverse regions, cultures, experiences, and perspectives. The response once again reaffirmed the immense creative potential that exists among young storytellers. While only 51 stories have been selected for publication in the forthcoming anthology, every participant deserves recognition and appreciation 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. It is envisioned as a 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 them with opportunities 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 enter the second and equally important phase of the programme. Through structured interactions with the editorial team and jury members, they will learn the importance 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 reworking. Publication is not simply a reward; it is the culmination of learning, collaboration, and growth.

A Rigorous Selection Process
The evaluation process was conducted with utmost care and transparency. The jury members independently assessed the stories on several parameters, including originality, creativity, storytelling ability, language, emotional depth, age-appropriate expression, and overall impact on readers.

Special attention was paid to maintaining the integrity of the competition. As stated 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 dependent on AI-generated text were carefully reviewed. Submissions found violating these principles were disqualified.

Even at this stage, selection does not guarantee publication. The Trust reserves the right to disqualify any entry if concerns regarding originality, plagiarism, or misrepresentation emerge during the editorial process. Maintaining the credibility of the anthology and ensuring that it showcases authentic young voices remains a priority.

Insights from the Jury
The jury members brought their unique experiences and perspectives to the evaluation process, helping create a balanced and thoughtful selection.

Writer, poet, and editor Sonia Dogra appreciated the originality, freshness, and sincerity present in many submissions. She noted that several stories demonstrated heartfelt storytelling and innovative ideas. At the same time, she observed that a few entries appeared to be summaries or close adaptations of existing books and films, reinforcing the importance of acknowledging sources of inspiration. She also highlighted the growing challenge of AI-assisted writing, pointing out that repetitive sentence structures, familiar patterns, and commonly generated phrases often revealed excessive reliance on artificial intelligence. Her observations contributed significantly to ensuring a fair and careful selection process.

Author Vikas Prakash Joshi approached the stories 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 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 a lasting impression.

Journalist, editor, and humour enthusiast Alok Singh focused on an important contemporary challenge—the increasing role of AI in creative expression. He observed that while technology is becoming an unavoidable part of students’ lives, strong storytelling still depends on the writer’s creativity, judgment, and emotional insight. During the evaluation process, he asked a simple but powerful question: Would a young reader enjoy reading this story in print? For him, the ultimate test of a story was not the tools used to create it but its ability to engage, move, and inspire readers. He emphasized 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-building. 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 and polished before reaching readers.

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

Meet the Jury
The competition benefited immensely from the expertise of three distinguished jury members.
Alok Singh, a former journalist and copyeditor, has reinvented himself as a student of humour and storytelling. Active in Delhi’s open mic scene since 2018, he brings a unique understanding of audience engagement, narrative timing, and 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 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 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 stories are presented below in random order. We wish them the very best for the next stage of this exciting literary journey and look forward to celebrating their achievements with the publication of the anthology later this year.