Ink of Ages Fiction Prize

Historical & Mythological Short Fiction
World History Encyclopedia's international historical and mythological short story contest

Ink of Ages 2026 Results

The 2026 Prize Shortlist

The 2026 Prize Youth Shortlist

The 2026 Prize Longlist

The 2026 Prize Youth Longlist

The 2026 Prize Shortlist

We've enjoyed re-reading the longlist and have selected 16 short stories based on literary merit, originality, creativity, historical interest, and impact and enjoyment. The shortlist is now in the care of our specialist panel of judges. We appreciate everyone who has supported us in the third year of the Ink of Ages Fiction Prize and are excited to announce the shortlist for the 2026 prize! Listed in randomized order:

In the Land of Heroes by Aleah Romer

Inspired by war dogs and nurses on Lemnos Island during World War I.

Lemnos, November 1915

The chapped skin of Nancy’s hands burned as she sank the shovel into the rocky ground. Her back already hurt from the endless day of nursing, and it was going to hurt more if the struggle of the first two inches was any indication.

Beside the grave was Missy’s body, the sheet that wrapped her brindled form glowing in the snatches of moonlight. Wrapped up as she was, Missy’s bulldog body looked like that of a small child, and the thought brought a lump to Nancy’s throat.

The Arithmetic of Ash by M.R. Cameo

Inspired by the Hungry Ghost Festival, set in 1945 China, at the conclusion of World War II.

Lantern flames shivered like dying hearts against the wet earth, casting shadows that writhed and stretched beyond reason. Jing’s fingers trembled around the fragile paper, the flickering light revealing faces, ghostly, twisted, lurking just beyond sight. From the corner of her eye, a figure glided, silent, and draped in tattered silk that whispered like dry leaves. The air was thick with ash and forgotten sorrows, whispers folding into the night like smoke from a cold pyre.

The Yaksha of the Pond by Loshi Rajen

Inspired by the Hindu epic The Mahabharata, specifically the Yaksha who questioned the eldest Pandava brother following the Kurushektra war, reimagined in a setting during the Bengal Famine.

I do not remember when I last ate rice. I remember the shape of the grains in my palm, how they slid like tiny white teeth. I remember the sound they made when my mother poured them into the pot, the dull metallic rain. But that was before. Now there is only the ache, the twisting emptiness inside me, as though my stomach has become a snake biting itself again and again. I walk because if I stop, I will fall. And if I fall, I will not rise again.

The African Griot by Takudzwa Wayne Mhaka

Inspired by the oral history of Mali's 14th century Empire. The griots defined the role of a storyteller, historian, and cultural guardian whose contributions were essential to society and the region.

The baobab tree had endured, like an old uncle who has seen too much of life, each twisted branch stretched upwards like claws holding on to secrets no one else could keep. Kofi rested against it with his kora hanging across his chest, strands vibrating half-heard under his touch. The village had a smell of woodsmoke and roasted yam. A smell that lodged in your throat and gave you a feeling of home wherever you were.

Roserust Hollow: A Door Between Worlds by Azure Austin

Inspired by the real-world tradition of children building fairy houses in gardens, parks, or wherever they could in postwar 1920s London.

InspectionReport No. 427-A

Date: 6 April 1923

Location: Borough 3, Sector Wishdown

Assigned Inspector: Thiselaide of the Fifth Root Ring, Civil Echo Division

The Fairy Elders, concerned about the growing influence of human belief, convened beneath the roots of the oldest tree in Faerie to pass the Belief-Based Expansion act, their wings twitching with unease.

In a parallel word, far from the roots of Faerie, in a London alley too narrow for flowers, Norah built a doorway where no door had ever been.

Apotheosis by Juliette Jarabek

Inspired by mummification, Neith, Egyptian deities, and theft of / illicit antiquities.

Roscoe Elkington II—He was the picture of generational wealth, with more money than sense and more ego than either. Being an heir of wealth and class, Roscoe led an affluent life enjoying luxuries and delicacies that few had the privilege to experience. Comfort, luxury, access, conformity—There was no material in the world that his family’s money couldn’t buy.

And his collection of choice were the preserved remains notorious to Egypt—Mummies.

Warmth in the Woods by Sydney Miller

Inspired by the fetch from Irish/British folklore.

If one were to ask, my countrymen would say that they were disappointed at the success of the American rebellion. I would not.

I am glad to have left that foundering country across the ocean where it belongs.

My distaste comes not from the people who inhabit it, but from an encounter I had in the early months of 1778. A small cohort of us, nervous of potential activity from Valley Forge, had decided to take up shifts watching the forests surrounding Philadelphia.

The Last Scroll by Christina Charles

Inspired by the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls and formation of Bilderberg group.

March 18th, 1954.

The air in Qumran’s Cave 11 was close and stale, thick with the scent of dust that had lain undisturbed for nearly two millennia. I remember thinking it was like breathing the exhalation of the past itself: warm, arid, faintly metallic. Even the flies seemed sluggish, as if the desert itself were holding its breath.

Wet Plate Collodion by Madison Vansco

Inspired by the photographing of the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg (1863, American Civil War).

The pair of them stood looking down at Gettysburg. From the top of the hill, there didn’t seem to be anything separating this town from the other dozen or so they’d passed through on their way from Brady’s gallery in New York. O’Sullivan had passed by here once before, writing off the quiet farmlands. But as the wagon inched closer this time, he was holding his breath the same as he did when at a cemetery.

Igbo Flight by Chisom Umeh

Inspired by the Igbo Landing event that occurred in 1803 at Dunbar Creek on St Simon's Island.

Ikemefuna wakes with a shiver in his spirit. The cold is like a noose around his skinny neck. He wants to run outside his hut and tell Mama that the harmattan season is here. The dry winds have come. But then, the metals clamped around his wrists hold him back.

This resistance unlatches a door in his mind, and his memories flood in. The events of the past months drown his consciousness.

He’s searching for his little brother at the river Omambala. It’s getting late.

Inferno Chinatown by Scott Ting-A-Kee

Inspired by the 1913 fire in Charlestown/Chinatown in British Guiana (Guyana, South America).

The steaming cascade of the dark-red liquid scalded by earth-brown surface. The smell of hibiscus swallowed me. The freshly brewed tea soaked into me burning its scent into my very being. Its tangy flavour lingered on the surface of my head, eyes, face and entire body. Old Li lingered with the tea pot a few seconds longer over my raised right paw probably in hope of some good fortune.

SEIRA Inc. by Denarii Peters

Inspired by Persephone and the Sirens from Greek mythology.

It’s the wings I dislike most. The feathers itch, and let’s face it: how’s a girl supposed to find a nice boyfriend when she’s half some kind of spotted eagle? I don’t care how beautifully we sing, it doesn’t make up for being stranded on this barren bit of rock.

All we wanted was to run our own little business. It was Theixiope’s idea, and when we suggested it to Hermes, as god of workers, he was enthusiastic.

The Crown That Would Not Bow by Writinah

Inspired by the reign and death of Attah Ameh Oboni I, the 16th Attah of Igala (1946–1956), remembered for his defiance against colonial authority.

(Told by Ukpa, shadow and witness of Attah Ameh Oboni I, Attah of Igala land, 1945-1956 )

Not in this world, not in the next. I speak from the seam between them. Where ancestors breathe through shadows and memory refuses to die.

I am Ukpa. Shadow. Witness. Follower till.

And I follow him, my Attah, Ameh Oboni, sixteenth king of Igala.

Oberleutnant Raymond Zoller by Katie Thorn

Inspired by the Luftwaffe and repatriation of German Americans during World War II.

We are not all heroes. Good shooters and bomb droppers perhaps. But heroes exist only in legend. (Baumbach, 2016)

“Ah, look who’s here: the German Yankee, Zoller!”

“Don’t fly close, boys. You never know if he’ll change sides. Maybe today you’re feeling American again, hey, Zoller?” Fischer sneers, joining his friends at the nose of my plane.

“No, he won’t mix up who the target is. He’s too busy trying to impress. Gonna get his Knight’s Cross before the war ends.”

Perfection by Sparsh Sharma

Inspired by Shikhandi, from the Mahabharata, one of the great epics of Hindu mythology, who was a character born into questions of gender, destiny, and justice.

The Mahabharata war had ended. The fallen were laid to rest with honour. Ashwatthama was cursed for the atrocity of attacking an unborn child. Gandhari’s sorrow twisted into a curse upon Krishna. And Yudhishthira, eldest of the Pandavas, was crowned king of the Bharatvarsha.

But though the war had concluded, peace did not follow. A different battle now raged; one not of weapons, but of politics.

The Kuru dynasty had consolidated power, but the vastness of Bharatvarsha demanded decentralised governance.

The Weaver of Faces by Theo James Taylor

Inspired by Yoruba cosmology, particularly the reverence for Orisha and ancestral spirits, as well as the West African tradition of mask-making as a sacred, liminal art.

Mask-Maker and the Child

Long before the sea went silent, it sang to Ayotunde.

It sang when she soaked the wood in saltwater and palm ash, when she scraped it smooth with knotted stone, when she whispered the Oriki of each ancestor as her knife cut grain from breath. The masks she carved were not decorations, never decorations. They were vessels. Faces the spirits could wear when they wished to be seen by mortals.

Tonight her fingers trembled. Not from age. From knowledge.

The 2026 Prize Shortlist

The 2026 Prize Youth Shortlist

The 2026 Prize Longlist

The 2026 Prize Youth Longlist

The 2026 Prize Youth Shortlist

For entrants aged 13 to 17. We've enjoyed re-reading the youth longlist and have selected 16 short stories based on literary merit, originality, creativity, historical interest, and impact and enjoyment. Our largest youth shortlist to date! The shortlist is now in the care of our specialist panel of judges. We appreciate everyone who has supported Ink of Ages Fiction Prize and are excited to announce the shortlist for the 2026 Youth Prize! Listed in randomized order:

The Forbidden Kumari by Adt

Inspired by Newari culture (Nepal) and the concept of a living goddess, Kumari.

Patan, 1953.

The city smelled of mud and grass after the morning rain. Pigeons fluttered in circles above the Krishna Temple, their wings scattering drops of water into the air. Tara sat cross-legged on a velvet cushion in the dim chamber of the Kumari Ghar, her small hands resting on her knees, her forehead painted crimson and gold.

“The goddess watches,” the elders often said. But at eleven, Tara only felt like a girl trapped in borrowed divinity.

Only in Russia is Poetry Respected by Tanushri Jayasuriya

Inspired by the USSR under Stalin – rebellion in the face of artistic censorship in the 1930s.

On Tuesday, Mandelstam was met with applause; on Thursday, Mandelstam never existed. Even saying his name felt like tempting fate—like walking on a very fine line between survival and annihilation. And yet there I was, unable to forget this fictitious man’s passionate speeches, his poetic ramblings, his terrible laugh.

I was never one to follow in his path of madness, but I did know him well. He was a teacher, then a contemporary, then a distant, fleeting memory. I had worked with him until I secured a job at the press, which is where the disagreements began.

Ashes Between Us by Zainab Salimi

Inspired by the collapse of Nazi Germany, in Berlin, 1945, when boys as young as 16 and 17 were conscripted.

Mother always used to say, grief doesn't always come with a loud knock on the door. Sometimes it slips in quietly, rearranges the furniture and teaches you how to sit it with.

Little did she know grief can do both.

Smoke filled the air as usual, sharp and acrid, sticking to my throat. I heard Berlin's heartbeat-breaking artillery thumping day and night, strewn streets, twisted streetcars, and shadows of people moving like ghosts through the haze. Life was bad, but me and Hans still tried to make it work.

Tiahahu by Andri Ryel Nathanael

Inspired by colonialism in Indonesia, and Martha Christina Tiahahu, a historical figure known for her bravery fighting against the Dutch for her land and people.

The ship trembled across the Banda Sea as it took her away from the land that she fought for. It was two days before her eighteenth birthday, and Martha Christina Tiahahu knew that she was not going to make it any further. The end was coming for her. As the warmth of life slowly left her body, and the world around her faded into a blurry horizon, her short life started to flash before her eyes.

The Queen Who Never Was by Niamh Healy

Inspired by the life and death of Lady Jane Grey.

London, 1553

The day Jane became a prisoner in the Tower, the sky was a wretched grey. London, however, was celebrating; the reign of the nine-day queen had ended. In a struggle of religious differences, Mary Tudor had succeeded Lady Jane Grey and the townspeople were jubilant. Beyond the tower, they leapt and danced as though beside themselves, their shouts and cheers rising high.

Within the cell of Tower Green, the ladies anticipated Jane’s arrival. Mistress Ellyn and Mistress Tilney huddled, discussing the young prisoner in loud whispers.

The Ocean's Ghost by Rachel Cardoso

Inspired by the life of the pirate queen Gráinne O'Malley.

Gráinne O’Malley died watching the ocean.

Her death was quiet. Gráinne did not die in the fires of battle, did not have her soul stolen by the sea. She simply passed away quietly at her home of Rockfleet Castle. The tide was low when she slipped away, and her eyes were fixed on the soft horizon. No last words. No weeping kin. All that stayed by her was salt air and peat smoke.

A Whisper Can Outlast Stone by Jing Zomok

Inspired by the history of the Indian Act in Canada and its impact on Ojibwe communities.

It all started with treaties, too many, too fast – a storm of letters we didn’t recognize. We listened, and signed, believing they would listen too. Soon, we were told that we had to send our children away. Then came the priest. He stood in our camp like a guest who’d already decided he owned the place. His hands were folded piously, but his eyes were hard, scrutinizing. He proudly announced a new law. The Indian Act.

Our Afflicted Souls by Zuleyma Sarceno Bravo

Inspired by three girls during the Salem Witch Trials who are famous for how their experiences and accusations began a brutal witch hunt.

Almost as soon as Anne’s head hit the pillow, the wails began.

She should have been used to the screams she heard almost every night and the flurry of voices that followed as a doctor rushed to the house of whichever girl had been unfortunate enough to be afflicted. The sound of fear usually dispersed soon enough once they realized that there was nothing they could do for the poor child because the diagnosis was always the same: bewitchment.

The Song Beneath the Cotton by Oluwatamilore (Tammy) Dawodu

Inspired by the American Civil Rights Movement, particularly as it unfolded in the Deep South during the early 1960s.

Mississippi Delta, 1963

It was July when the sun refused mercy, when the fields shimmered with heat and the cotton seemed to grow out of the sweat of those who picked it. Jeremiah Carter, fifteen years old and long-legged like his daddy before him, leaned into the wind that never came. He wore hand-me-downs, patched and faded, and carried a burlap sack slung over one shoulder like a badge of survival.

The Ink-Keeper’s Daughter by Anaya Jain

Inspired by 1930s British India, in a small Tamil-speaking town. During this time, many Indians resisted colonial rule by secretly producing and distributing protest literature.

My father sold voices in bottles.

Small glass pots of ink, lined up like children under a banyan tree, waiting to be uncorked. He said ink was a kind of memory— once opened, it couldn’t be erased.

He taught me to grind it. Every morning before sunrise, I would take the stone bowl and crush soot and gum and rainwater until it turned black and smooth.

“Don’t rush it,” he told me, voice slow and steady, “Even stone must be softened before it leaves a mark.”

Beneath the Tiger’s Gaze by Yeseo Kwak

Inspired by one of the most well-known Korean myths, the legend of Dangun. The tale describes how Korea’s first nation was born.

The young boy was walking home as usual. The weather is getting cold, he thought. The Sun had already set, and only the stars guided his footsteps amongst the tranquility.

After his long day in the market was over, the boy headed back home. It took him nearly two hours just to cross the mountain. Yet somehow, the solitude during the journey guarded him from the whispers of horror.

The Brownie by Anastasia Currie

Inspired by the British folklore of brownies – helpful fairies who clean the house while you sleep – and pixies – fairies that enjoy leading travellers astray, frightening young girls, and banging on walls.

The thing about the things in the forest, Alice often told her girls, was that they weren’t all monsters content only when torturing or killing humans. Some of them liked to be helpful – some of them, in fact, were the kind of thing you should emulate. Alice particularly liked the story of the brownie. It was, after all, the creature that their little group was named for.

Fire's Lament by Jiya Khandelwal

Inspired by the sati ritual, a historical practice in parts of India where widows were expected or compelled to immolate themselves on their deceased husband's funeral pyre.

For three days, I sat low in the corner, a small flame to light his medicine and warm the cloths for his fever. I watched the life leave Govind's eyes this morning, saw his wife Kamala's world burn with his last breath. Now they drag timber to the courtyard, and I understand. They will make me large again. They will make me ravenous. I know what they will ask of me. I have done this before. I will do it again. But I do not choose it.

The Ink that Defied Fire by Naysa Dalmia

Inspired by the fall of Baghdad in 1258 CE, when the Mongols set the city aflame and cast priceless manuscripts into the Tigris.

I remember the sound before I remember the fire.

Not the crackle of burning wood or the screams in the streets, but the silence that fell when the Mongols breached Baghdad’s gates in 1258. It was a silence so heavy it crushed the breath from the city, a silence that swallowed prayers, laughter, and the soft turning of pages. I was twelve, yet I knew in that moment that silence could wound more deeply than steel.

Ọmọ Ayé Méjì: Child of Two Worlds by Teniola Balogun

Inspired by the British Colonization of Nigeria.

Eni tí ó dákẹ́, o ti gbà. The one who stays silent has already agreed. But fear nailed her tongue.

It was 1943 in Lagos, Nigeria. The lagoon smelt of kerosene and salt, its waters restless with the hum of British gunboats scattered along the Marina. Union Jacks stood erect on the sides of the whitewashed buildings, with their owners, the British soldiers, watching the roads carefully and violently.

Dearest Iphigenia by Rosalia

Inspired by Iphigenia's crucial part in the Trojan War of Greek mythology, setting off a chain reaction in her family.

It had only been a few weeks since my father left for war when my sisters and I spotted a lone chariot arrive at the castle, with the rider wearing the attire of a herald. We were in the garden when he came, the day was hot and humid, and we were so warm we could barely move, seeking refuge in the soothing shade of the giant olive tree.

The 2026 Prize Shortlist

The 2026 Prize Youth Shortlist

The 2026 Prize Longlist

The 2026 Prize Youth Longlist

The 2026 Prize Longlist

At World History Encyclopedia, we've enjoyed reading all 510 adult and 147 youth submissions this year! Each story was read by at least two reviewers (usually three!) from World History Encyclopedia and our dedicated reading team. It's always a delight to read stories from all over the world inspired by such a range of history and mythology. Due to the number of entries this year, we had to pass on some really good writing. Thank you to everyone who shared their creativity with us!

"Sea, Iron, and Silence" by Willy Aaron Oliveira Batista

"The Last Monsoon of Calcutta" by Abir Sarkar

"They called me Wai Wuff" by Ameen

"Marcia" by A. Michaels

"TwoSpirit" by Alexander Thorne

"Seven Pillars of Wisdom" by Amanda Zhao

"The Witchfinder General" by Celia Kay Andrew

"Beyond the Surface" by Angel Kimura

"The Weaver of the Steppe" by Annah Chiedza Hodhera

"The Treads Go Both Ways Over My Granite Spine" by Anne Meale

"Twelve Bottles of Rum" by Ari Lael Tulk

"Sita Speaks in Silence" by Arunav Goswami

"Defying Death?" by Asta Eggertsen Ravn

"A Life Cut Short" by Athena C.

"Dancing Giants" by Atlas Weyland Eden

"The Songs of Ash and Oak" by Alex Hall

"All They Saw Was a German" by Mandy Nachampassack-Maloney

"Oberleutnant Raymond Zoller" by Katie Thorn

"The Maiden's Sigh" by Barbara Bridger

"Fire Storm" by Barbara Swihart Miller

"Brink" by Kate Glass

"Eva" by Todd A.

"Cuan" by Iericho Iwos

"The Greenstone Beads" by Shannon Phillips and Gayle J. Fritz

"The Last Scroll" by Christina Charles

"Phryne" by Igwe Maryann Chidalu

"The Weaver of the Chimu Stars" by Chiedza Mukucha

"Igbo Flight " by Chisom Umeh

"Asterion" by Christopher Smith

"When the Bells Toll" by CJ

"The Neck " by Chelsea Lebron

"The Wedding at Stanton Drew" by Katherine Hanks

"Threads of Defiance" by Katim Touray

"Journal of Hour Unwinding" by Katie Samiljan

"Ma's Notes" by Kwame McPherson

"In Death, You are Art" by Lady Raine

"The Yaksha of the Pond" by Loshi Rajen

"Daughter of Steel" by Laurence Stevens

"The Ox and the Silver Lady" by Letizia Rivera-Guzmán

"Doomsday" by Linda Erwin

"The Minotaur Conspiracy" by Linda Cirulli-Burton

"Iron & Velvet" by Lindsay Stafford

"The Acorn Before the Oak" by Matthew Llewelyn

"A Meeting of Minds" by Lauren Colley

"Let the Games Begin" by Sheila Lorimer

"The Last Witch Hunter's Grandson" by Deidra Whitt Lovegren

"Stefan Sang" by Elaine Gao

"Urn of Bitter Prophecy" by Mackay Wood

"Wet Plate Collodion" by Madison Vansco

"The Sacred Song " by Malini Nair

"The King's Shilling" by Mark Emerson

"The Rent Collector" by Martian Nella

"Scars of the valleys" by Matt Roberts

"Saved by the River Thames" by Megan Sharpless

"Echoes of Talikota" by Megha Dwarakanath

"The Arithmetic of Ash" by M.R. Cameo

"Warmth in the Woods" by Sydney Miller

"The Weaver’s Code" by Moise Tougma

"Court Games " by Morna Sullivan

"Whispers Over the Airwaves" by Clyde Mudada

"The Mother of Webs" by Lucia-Maria Nicula

"Lucas and the River Mumma" by Nadine Jones Graham

"A Crack in the Mirror" by Timothy Collyer

"Persephone " by T. Nicks

"The African Griot" by Takudzwa Wayne Mhaka

"In the Lost 'Book of Goodbyes' There Was Reportedly a Chapter..." by Lee Tyler Williams

"The Crown That Would Not Bow" by Writinah

"Violet's war memories" by Ada Wright

"A Good Reason" by David Roe

"A City of Disease: 1348" by Matilda Rudston de Baer

"SEIRA Inc" by Denarii Peters

"Sense and Scalability: of Trolls and Ledgers" by Dimitry Partsi

"The Hvidding Folk" by Karen Walker

"The Red Mountain of Rodofel" by Marwa Abu Raida

"To Buggy or not to Buggy!" by Shweta Mathur Lall

"The Birth of Eros and Anteros" by R. H. Rogers

"The Throne of Two Lights" by Elian Rodriguez

"Ascension" by Thalia Othman

"The Passions of the Divine Moon " by Ishtar

"The Phoenix Who Would Be A Dragon" by Lixin Foo

"The Pilot Stone" by Frank DiLorenzo

"The Echo of the Chains" by FryDD

"Chimera" by Fred Manget

"Into the Breach" by Gordon Doherty

"West of the Sun and East of the Moon" by Hannah E Hunt

"And an Axe" by Hilary Orme

"The Potter’s Daughter" by Hussein Bassir

"Eromenos" by Immaculate Halla

"The Wall Commands Us All" by Tomias Keno

"Beyond the Lantern Light" by Jade Swann

"The last guardian of the river" by Wedyan jasim

"The Curse of Ochus" by Jayant Neogy

"I got what I wanted. Did you?" by Nyssa

"Thomas" by Judy Birkbeck

"Apotheosis" by Juliette Jarabek

"Bone Flute's Lament" by Veronica Juma

"Blinkered" by K. A. Easton

"Bitter Gold" by Natalya Lim

"Bloody Dreaming" by Nathan Steward

"Grit" by M. J. M. Norwood

"Through the mountain, through the frozen past" by Dimitrios A. Ntontis

"Wilhelm Krause, executioner" by Peter Frederick Matthews

"Like Salt, We Melt into the Sea " by Law Yuen Tong

"The White Picket Fence" by Patricia Quink

"The Jaguar’s Whisper" by Rufaro Chipo Phiri

"Red Paint Flows Like Blood" by PVZM

"The Nightwalker " by Robert Rayner

"Surrender" by R Tulley

"Karaka Creek" by Rem Wigmore

"Silence" by Richard Attree

"In the Land of Heroes" by Aleah Romer

"Restoration" by Rose Saltman

"A Father And A Tide" by Mithila Dutta Roy

"As the Stones Remember " by Dawn

"No Other Nation" by Orpheus Americanus

"The Singing Tree " by Sarah Lizzy

"Inferno Chinatown " by Scott Ting-A-Kee

"Roserust Hollow: A Door Between Worlds" by Azure Austin

"Perfection" by Sparsh Sharma

"Ache of Separation" by Ari

"Buried Promises" by Marisa Trevino

"To Honor the Gods" by Alexander Rojavin

"Aequitas" by Stephen Waites

"The Soul Guarded" by Steven Favreau

"Scripta Manent" by Tali Schlanger

"A Curious Legacy" by Kat Nicholls

"A Tragic Design" by Tracy Bradford

"The Weaver of Faces" by Theo James Taylor

"Amen" by Valeriana Shadowbright

"A swish of adventure" by Stephanie Toerien

"Fenrasenna" by Zach LaPietra

"Beneath the Ice, She Waits" by Zankhana Shah

"Forever Young, the Eternal Song of Vietnam" by Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao

The 2026 Prize Youth Longlist

For entrants aged 13 to 17. At World History Encyclopedia, we've enjoyed reading all 147 youth submissions this year! Each story was read by at least two reviewers (often three) from World History Encyclopedia and our dedicated reading team. It's always a delight to read stories from all over the world inspired by such a range of history and mythology, and even those stories that didn't make the longlist this year were read and enjoyed by the team.

Thank you to everyone who shared their creativity with us!

Listed in no particular order:

"Hidden Christians" by Sara Aso

"The Forbidden Kumari" by Adt

"And Beneath a Burning Sky, He Fell" by Alice Fowler

"The Voice That Will Never Be Silenced" by Aadhya Khandelwal

"Behind the Lines" by Alexandra Hoole

"Dawn" by Atharv Sharma

"Fateful Thing" by Amelie Lane

"The Brownie" by Anastasia Currie

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

"Rewind" by Sophie Willen

"Helen" by Maggie Liang

"The Whisper of the Well" by Samrat Singh Boparai

"Jack's girl" by Adiel Charis

"Dearest Iphigenia" by Rosalia

"Beneath the Tiger’s Gaze" by Yeseo Kwak

"The Light That Could Not Save" by Gunisha Kaur

"The Sepoy's curse " by Harshita Sinha

"The Last Meal" by Hawraa Hani Aboud

"La Pucelle - The Maid " by Isabella Cadman

"The Price Of Going Unnoticed" by Dorothy Geal

"A Whisper Can Outlast Stone " by Jing Zomok

"Fire's Lament" by Jiya Khandelwal

"Better Than the Last" by Julia Andrechek

"A Thread of Life" by Kanav Lall

"The Brush and The Green Onion" by Kaylee Sim Jia Lin

"Schwesterherz" by Kate Petchey

"Three truths in the garden of silence" by Jean-Lou.J

"Ashes of Passchendaele" by Mariah Hewawasam

"Perfection's Flaws" by Mary Kate Reagan-Wilson

"Not a feminist" by Matilda Robinson Bahillo

"Ophelia" by Hosanna Grey

"The Bargain" by Isabel Rowan

"Witness To A Monster" by Izzy

"Sic Transit Gloria Mundi" by Philip Michael

"Memories of Broken Blood" by Prianna Kumar Singhania

"The Ocean's Ghost" by Rachel Cardoso

"Protesilaus" by Rebecca Turner

"The Day The Well Ran Dry" by Tandi Mwansa

"Bows & Arrows" by Yuseph Adamski

"The Silence" by Saanvi Gupta

"Half Boy Half Bull" by Siying Huang

"The Boy Who Brought The Sea" by Sofia Hertzog

"Where hope burns brightest" by Somya Jain

"My Red Shoes" by Sarah Balmer

"A hot cup of Ceylon Tea" by Tharaneya Suthakaran

"Elegy for Constantinople" by Elizabeth Fang

"The Song Beneath the Cotton " by Oluwatamilore (Tammy) Dawodu

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

"Only in Russia is Poetry Respected" by Tanushri Jayasuriya

"Haecceity" by Vaibhavi

"Wings of the Uncrowned" by Princess Wak Wak

"Stirring The Pot" by Mansa Singh

"Anathema" by Mirae Evereen

"The Lonely Mother" by Abby Le Masurier

"Ashes Between Us" by Zainab Salimi

"Your Benevolence" by Zara Rowlatt

"Our Afflicted Souls" by Zuleyma Sarceno Bravo

"A Promise" by Muhtasim Chowdhury

"Tiahahu" by Andri Ryel Nathanael

"The Ink that Defied Fire" by Naysa Dalmia

"The Queen Who Never Was" by Niamh Healy

"A Verse No Woman Could Write" by Roizmin Bafiq

"My Childhood Abba" by Siow Ming Fei

The 2026 Prize Shortlist

The 2026 Prize Youth Shortlist

The 2026 Prize Longlist

The 2026 Prize Youth Longlist

Page updated

Report abuse