Our Quest for the Best.

Spin a tale to captivate children!

Katha invites storytellers, poets, and artists to send in their stories for children between the ages of 2 and 12. 

We are interested in stories that capture the richness and diversity of the Indian subcontinent, the world and those of imaginary worlds as well.

We invite tales that evoke children’s curiosity, spark their imagination, and nurture their empathy. 

Genres

We invite stories from all kinds of genres – including but not limited to fantasy, myths, folktales, mystery, science, art, biographies, music and travel. We welcome stories that explore the world of animals, plants and trees.

Themes

Katha champions stories and poems that celebrate children, and our shared humanity. Stories that go beyond the divisions of caste, class, religion, gender, colour or creed. Narratives that speak about our bond with all creatures great and small, nature, and the Earth. Imaginative tales, which celebrate kindness, compassion and wisdom.

We encourage writers to write from their hearts and to explore ideas and themes which touch them deeply and which they feel strongly about. While we welcome all kinds of entries – we are currently not accepting non-fiction essays. However, we will accept the following if presented as a story: 

1. Biographies that are presented in an evocative and captivating way, which capture the child’s imagination and interest
2. Travel narratives that explore a particular village or a town or a specific region
3. Interesting science facts or intriguing details from the wide world of the creative arts presented through a clear and strong storyline
4. Creative retelling of myths, legends and folktales

Languages

Submissions are open in 7 languages, this year, namely – 

Assamese, Bengali, English, Hindi, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil

Categories

Picture Books:

1. For ages 2 – 12 years
2. Word Count: Up to 1500 words

Chapter Books:

1. For ages 4 – 12 years
2. Word Count: Between 2000 – 3000 words

Important Dates

Contest opens: 12 noon. April 1st, 2022

Contest closes: 11:59 PM. July 31st, 2022 (all submissions – to be considered – must be received by this deadline)

Contest winners will be announced on: 31st December, 2022 (via SM Handles: Instagram, Katha Website, winners will be contacted via email)

Instructions

All submission details have been shared below. Kindly ensure that your submission follows all the instructions. 

Submission Format

1. Kindly format your manuscript as a pdf.
2. Kindly ensure that you save the pdf in the following format: Surname, First name, Title of the story.
3. Font size: 12; Font: Times New Roman or Calibri or Ariel; double-spaced.
4. Please, ensure that your pdf has been correctly formatted in terms of lines, paragraphs and dialogue quotes as and where required.

Your pdf should include the following, and in sequence:

1. First page: The title of your story – underlined & centre-aligned
2. First page: Your name – right-hand corner
3. First page: Word count (of your story or poem)
4. First page: a mention of your target audience: For example, “Children’s book, age category – 4 to 6 years”
5. First page: A minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 keywords that form the theme and/or sub-themes. For instance, <awareness, kindness, Earth>
6. Please include a blurb of your story. Word count – between 25 to 75 words
7. The story text or The poem text

Submission Guidelines:

Kindly submit your manuscript according to the format given below –  

• For electronic submissions, please email your entry (as a pdf) to: contest@katha.org

Please ensure that the Subject line of your email reads as follows: 

SFE – Surname of Author, First name of Author, Language

• For Submissions via regular post, please mail your entry to: 

“Search for Excellence Contest”, Katha, A 3, Sarvodaya Enclave, Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi – 110017

If you would like to have your entry returned to you in case of non-acceptance by the final jury, please enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope.

• You can submit as many entries as you wish. However, we strongly recommend that you take the time to focus on one, and revise and polish the same.
• The fees for every submission is Rs. 750/-
• Payments can be made through UPI, PayTM, Demand Draft, NEFT transfer.
• Kindly take a screenshot of the payment confirmation or scan and send the payment confirmation details as a pdf. Save payment confirmation image or pdf as follows: SFE fees_surname of author, first name of author. Please remember to attach this payment confirmation image/pdf with your entry.

Payment Details:

Paytm Number: 8800915622

Online Payment: https://payu.in/web/B39EA779AF62022BE2A1484C8C17F546

NEFT Transfer:

Beneficiary Name: Katha

Bank Name: Axis Bank Ltd.

Address: Hauz Khas, New Delhi

Bank Account Number— 552010100112642

RTGS/NEFT/IFSC— UTIB0000552

Contest Details:

1. All submissions will be read by an esteemed panel of judges. 
2. Entries must be original submissions (barring folktales, myths or legends which can be based upon culturally well-known tales but must offer a clear and precise retelling).
3. Entries must not be shared with any other printing house during the course of this contest.
4. The 10 best stories and poems (irrespective of genre, theme, category and language) will be taken forward for publishing as print books by Katha.
5. Upon selection, an individual contract will be drawn up with each finalist.
6. The final decision to go forward with the publishing contract will rest with the author and Katha.
7. The winner, should s/he choose to go forward with the publishing contract will be awarded a one-time payment of Rs. 50,000 upon publication of the final print book by Katha.
8. The first runners-up should the awardee choose to go forward with the publishing contract will be awarded a one-time payment of Rs. 30,000 upon publication of the final print book by Katha.
9. The second runners-up should the awardee choose to go forward with the publishing contract will be awarded a one-time payment of Rs. 20,000 upon publication of the final print book by Katha.
10. All other 7 finalists should they choose to go forward with the publishing contract, will be awarded a one-time honorarium of 10,000 INR upon publication of the final print book.
11. The first five titles will be published in the original language, English and Hindi and within 18 months from 31st December 2022.

All the Best!

We look forward to reading your imaginative submissions!