23 February 2026

Discover new history and myth-inspired short fiction favourites

The winning stories are here!

At Ink of Ages Fiction Prize, our annual writing competition celebrating historical and mythology-inspired short fiction from around the world, we've announced the winners of the youth and adult categories.

These stories rose to the top of a fiercely competitive shortlist. Each shortlisted entry was read by multiple specialist judges, scoring for literary merit, originality and creativity, historical interest, and impact and enjoyment. There's brilliant writing, fresh ideas, a sense of being transported, and stories that stay with you long after reading.

The shortlist was exceptionally strong this year, and the final decisions were close (so close that some personal favourites of the judges missed the top five by a whisker!).

Adult winners

FIRST: "In the Land of Heroes" by Aleah Romer

SECOND: "The Weaver of Faces" by Theo James Taylor

THIRD: "Warmth in the Woods" by Sydney Miller

HIGHLY COMMENDED:

"The Crown That Would Not Bow" by Writinah

"Perfection" by Sparsh Sharma

Youth winners

FIRST: "The Ink-Keeper’s Daughter" by Anaya Jain

SECOND: "Only in Russia is Poetry Respected" by Tanushri Jayasuriya

THIRD: "A Whisper Can Outlast Stone" by Jing Zomok

HIGHLY COMMENDED:

"Ọmọ Ayé Méjì: Child of Two Worlds" by Teniola Balogun

"Ashes Between Us" by Zainab Salimi

Read the winning stories→

Read the winning stories

The contest was again highly international and diverse in terms of storytelling styles, themes, and subjects. “These are wonderfully vivid time capsules and mythological dreamscapes, transporting readers to unexpected places in just a few well-crafted pages,” commented Stefan Vranka, Editor at Oxford University Press.

Author J.F. Fox greatly enjoyed judging the youth entries again this year: "The youth division writers were so impressive—the historical moments and myths they chose to explore and the compelling narratives, dialogue, and imagery they created really brought their stories to life."

Author and researcher Helen Nde comments that "the breadth of the author's imaginations and the quality of the writing in this year's shortlist have been nothing short of inspiring! Deep appreciation to all who submitted their work, to the reviewers, and to the other judges for making this such a great program."

We’re hugely grateful to our reading team, who were essential in reviewing submissions, and our judges, who also generously shared their time and expertise with us. Judges were: J.F. Fox (author), Helen Nde (author and mythology researcher), Stefan Vranka (Oxford University Press), David Tollen (author and speaker), Louise M. Pryke (historian and author), Taabir Asad (Delhi University) and Joanne Taylor (World History Encyclopedia).

Congratulations to our winners, and thank you to everyone who entered – your stories made this year’s prize unforgettable.

Happy reading,

Joanne

Ink of Ages Fiction Prize is run by World History Encyclopedia and generously sponsored by Oxford University Press, and more details are available on the contest website.

Joanne Taylor
Proofreader & Editor
World History Encyclopedia
www.worldhistory.org