Your child could become a published author.
Write one short story. Thirty young writers aged 6 to 17 will see theirs printed in a real book.
01 How it works
- Step 1
Find the theme
Your child's age picks the theme.
- Step 2
Write one story
In their own words. No AI, no grown-up rewrites.
- Step 3
Send it in
Upload a Word file or PDF. About five minutes.
- Step 4
The jury reads
Every story, judged only against children the same age.
- Step 5
Thirty get published
Printed in a real book with an ISBN. Results in November.
02 Pick your child's theme
Whispers of the Wild
300 to 600 wordsA story where nature holds the magic. Forests, oceans, animals, wild places.
Twisted Fairytales
600 to 1,000 wordsTake a fairytale everyone knows and turn it upside down. The villain might be the hero.
Dystopia Hopepunk
1,000 to 1,500 wordsA world that has gone wrong, and a young person who finds the light in it anyway.
03 What your child gets
A certificate
Sent by email to every child who takes part, published or not.
A real book, with their name in it
- Their story in a printed book
- Two author copies
- A certificate of international publication
- A share of ₹15,000 in prizes
- Their own author page on our site
- A book launch event
04 The key facts
05 Choose how to enter
With a school code
If your child’s school is a partner, it has given you a code. Type it into the form.
Enter with my code06 Enter the story
- About five minutes
- The story as Word or PDF
- Saved as you type
07 Questions parents ask
My child has never written a story before. Can they enter?
Yes. There is no audition and no experience needed. A child entering for the first time starts level with everyone else.
How are stories judged?
Our jury reads every entry. Each age group has its own theme, so a story is only compared with others by children the same age. The ten best in each age group are published.
Chosen stories are lightly copy-edited and never rewritten. The point of the book is your child’s own voice.
What are the rules?
- The story must be written entirely by the child.
- No AI tools to write or edit it. We may ask to see drafts.
- Enter the theme for your child’s age, and keep to its word count.
- Send it as a Word document or a PDF, up to 10 MB.
- More than one story is fine, as long as each is in a different theme.
- The judges’ decision is final.
When are the results announced?
Entries close 31 October 2026, 11:59 pm IST. Results are announced in November, by email.
What happens to the published book?
Each age group gets its own anthology with a real ISBN, sold on Amazon in India and worldwide. All three go on display at the New Delhi World Book Fair 2027. Every published author gets two copies and a launch event.
Can children outside India take part?
Yes. Their certificates are sent digitally.
How do I pay, and what if something goes wrong?
By UPI, card or net banking, in the form. If a payment or upload fails, WhatsApp us on +91 81302 86286 and we will sort it out the same day.
Read the terms, refund and privacy policy.
Who runs this?
Bukmuk Publishing. Shefali Malhotra, a storyteller with over eleven years of work with children, and Abhinav Girotra read the entries themselves. We have published 15 books by 57 young authors.
Are you a school?
Partner schools get ₹200 entry for every student, their name in the books, and free writing workshops at selected schools. See your school’s entries or read the coordinator’s guide.
Bring it to my school
A story written this month could be on a bookshelf next year.
36 days left. ₹490 per story, about five minutes to enter.
Enter a storyStuck, or something not working? WhatsApp Shefali on +91 81302 86286 or write to helpdesk@bukmuk.com. A real person answers.