Historical & Mythological Short Fiction
Ink of Ages Fiction Prize
World History Encyclopedia's international historical and mythological short story contest
Ink of Ages Fiction Prize
If you write historical or mythology-inspired short fiction, you can enter a story under 2,000 words to win some great prizes from World History Encyclopedia and Oxford University Press!
Our contest is free to enter and we accept submissions in English from anywhere in the world.
Submissions open 1 August to 15 September 2024 📜🪶
Ink of Ages Fiction Prize is run by World History Encyclopedia and generously sponsored by Oxford University Press.
Contest Timeline
01 Aug – 15 Sept 2024
Open to Submissions
Send us your historical or mythology-inspired short fiction. We can't wait to hear from you!
18 November 2024
Longlist Announced
We'll email you if you make our longlist and publish your name on the WHE website.
13 January 2025
Shortlist Announced
We'll email you if you make our shortlist and celebrate you on the WHE website and socials.
24 February 2025
Winners Announced
We'll email you if you're a prizewinner and celebrate you on the WHE website and socials.
Dates subject to change, but we try not to!
Prizes
Get Published
Your short story will be published and promoted to over 7 million monthly readers around the globe.
Merchandising
A selection of clothing, accessories, map posters and more shipped to you from the WHE Store.
Custom Content
Personalized map, family tree or infographic published on World History Encyclopedia.
Lifetime Membership
Lifetime membership to WHE for an ad-free experience and our monthly members magazine.
Winners Overview
The winners as well as all of the shortlisted authors will receive various prizes
Winner
$200 to spend in the WHE store (free international shipping).
Any 4 Oxford University Press books from a list up to a total value of $120 (free international shipping).
Promotion on World History Encyclopedia to millions of readers, newsletter subscribers and social media followers.
Personalized map, family tree, or infographic created by our in-house cartographer and graphic designer Simeon Netchev.
Translation into French, Spanish and other languages.
Lifetime WHE membership & World History Insider magazine subscription.
2nd Place
$100 to spend in the WHE store (free international shipping).
Any 3 Oxford University Press books from a list up to a total value of $75 (free international shipping).
Promotion on World History Encyclopedia to millions of readers, newsletter subscribers and social media followers.
Translation into French and/or Spanish.
Lifetime WHE membership & World History Insider magazine subscription.
3rd Place
$50 to spend in the WHE store (free international shipping).
Any 2 Oxford University Press books from a list up to a total value of $55 (free international shipping).
Promotion on World History Encyclopedia to millions of readers, newsletter subscribers and social media followers.
Lifetime WHE membership & World History Insider magazine subscription.
2x Highly Commended
Any 1 Oxford University Press book from a list up to a total value of $40 (free international shipping).
Promotion on World History Encyclopedia to millions of readers, newsletter subscribers and social media followers.
Lifetime WHE membership & World History Insider magazine subscription.
Shortlisted
Promotion on World History Encyclopedia to millions of readers, newsletter subscribers and social media followers.
Lifetime WHE membership & World History Insider magazine subscription.
Youth Prize
Promotion on World History Encyclopedia to millions of readers, newsletter subscribers and social media followers.
Lifetime WHE membership & World History Insider magazine subscription.
Custom artwork inspired by your story from our in-house cartographer and graphic designer, Simeon Netchev.
About Us
Ink of Ages is run by a small team of World History Encyclopedia volunteers to celebrate genres we love!
World History Encyclopedia (WHE) is a non-profit organization publishing the world's most-read history encyclopedia. Our mission is to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide.
Our Vision
Studying history helps us gain a more nuanced understanding of the world we live in today. Our knowledge and interpretation of history shape how we define ourselves as nations and as cultures, and it influences how we see and interact with other cultures. We help people across the globe gain a deeper, fundamental knowledge of our interconnected human past in order to create curious, open-minded, and tolerant societies in the future.