Bukmuk Publishing · Press · Vol. I
Children aged 6 to 17 write one short story. Thirty of them are published in a printed anthology with a real ISBN, sold in India and worldwide. Free for students of partner schools.
01 How your child takes part
Your child writes one short story on the theme for their age group, and sends it in. A jury reads every entry. The ten best stories in each age group, thirty in all, are printed in a real book with an ISBN, sold on Amazon in India and worldwide.
That is the whole thing. There is no audition, no shortlist to get through first, and no experience needed. A child who has never entered anything before starts level with everyone else.
Anyone aged 6 to 17 can enter. If the school is taking part, entry is free with their code. If not, you can still enter directly for ₹490. Children outside India are welcome too, and receive their certificates digitally.
Entries close on 15 September 2026, 12 pm IST. Results are announced in October.
The promise
Every child who enters receives an eCertificate. Every child who is published receives a physical certificate of international publication, two author copies, literary gifts, and their own author page on bukmukpublishing.com.
02 The three themes
Ages 6 to 8
300 to 600 words
A story where nature holds the magic. Forests, oceans, animals, wild places.
Ages 9 to 11
600 to 1,000 words
Take a fairytale everyone knows and turn it upside down. The villain might be the hero.
Ages 12 to 17
1,000 to 1,500 words
A world that has gone wrong, and a young person who finds the light in it anyway.
Each age group writes to its own theme, so a story is only ever judged against others written by children the same age.
03 What the published authors get
New Delhi World Book Fair 2027
The anthology goes on display at the fair, with the name of every participating school printed in it.
04 We have done this before
Founder and curriculum lead
A storyteller with over eleven years of experience, and the founder of Bukmuk. She works with children on stories, books and creativity.
Co-founder and programme curator
Twenty five years in industry, now curriculum designer and mentor to the children in the programme.
They read the entries themselves. Selected stories are lightly copy-edited and never rewritten, because the point of the book is the child’s own voice.
“They didn’t rewrite his story to sound grown up. They protected his voice.”
05 Enter a story
If the school gave you a registration code, entry is free. Without one it is ₹490 per story. A child may enter more than one story, as long as each is in a different theme.
Before you start
Stuck on any of this, or something not working? WhatsApp Shefali on +91 81302 86286 or write to helpdesk@bukmuk.com. A real person answers.
06 For schools
Partner schools get a complimentary creative writing workshop, run by our mentors either in person or online, and their own registration code that takes away the entry fee for every parent.
Already a partner school? See your school’s entries.
Prefer to talk? WhatsApp us on +91 81302 86286 or write to helpdesk@bukmuk.com.
07 Before you enter
Entry fee
₹490
Per story, paid securely by UPI, card or net banking. Free for students of partner schools using their school code.
Read the terms, refund and privacy policy.
08 Questions, or something gone wrong
Whether it is a question about the themes, a payment that did not go through, a story file that will not upload, or a school code that is not working, write or call. We would rather sort it out than have a child miss the deadline over something small.
If you have already entered, keep your entry reference from the confirmation email and quote it. That lets us find the story straight away.
Shefali Malhotra
Founder, and the person who reads the entries.
WhatsApp or call
Entries close 15 September 2026, 12 pm IST. If you write to us close to the deadline, say so and we will come back to you the same day.