Dear Writer,

World History Encyclopedia’s annual Ink of Ages Fiction Prize is back for a fourth year! Adult and Youth (age 13 to 17) submissions will be open from 14 July to 22 August, 2026, for a chance to win a US$500 cash prize (adult category first place), custom artwork by our in-house cartographer and visual designer Simeon Netchev, and other history-themed goodies from WHE and Oxford University Press. As well as publication and promotion!

How to enter a story

Top tips for entrants

What stands out to judges and submission readers of Ink of Ages Fiction Prize? We like 'lived-in' over 'literary-sounding.' Characters that feel like meeting someone, a setting that makes us feel like we've been back in time. Emotional impact.

Out of our four judging criteria, every year I find impact & enjoyment to be the most decisive (otherwise why bother reading fiction!?):

📜 Literary merit (with an emphasis on engaging the reader, not sounding fancy at the expense of meaning)
📜 Originality & creativity
📜 Historical/mythological interest
📜 Impact & enjoyment

There are always so many excellent ideas! This is your opportunity to nerd out on your history or mythology facts (or both!), squiggle them into your own magically creative ideas, and take us somewhere as readers. Make us feel something.

We. Can't. Wait.

Bonus tips:

🪶 The whole story must be set over 50 years ago; none of it can be set in the present at all (most common reason for disqualification last year).
🪶 Don't leave it to the last day to submit; our form can get overwhelmed.
🪶 You might need to self-edit a few more times than you think. We're not pedantic on comma splices or the odd blip, but care usually shows and makes a good impression when it gets to the shortlist stage.

Submissions open next week. So now is a great time to ask questions, if you have any! Just hit reply.

Free to enter from anywhere in the world, and we're running the youth category again too.

Readers welcome

If you're not entering a short story this time, we’re looking for keen readers to join the excitement behind the scenes! There are two ways you can get involved:

Volunteer submission reader

Read and rate short stories with us during September and October. It's 1-2 hours per week and fully remote, with expert guidance and optional team discussions. (Apply before 31 July.)

Internship

We have one unpaid internship position available for 10-15 hours per week over a minimum of three months. It's fully remote with mentor support and team meetings. (Apply before Monday 21 July if you can for this one.)

Check details and apply

Thank you for supporting our mission to engage people with cultural heritage and improve history education worldwide!

Best wishes,

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