La.Lit magazine is continuing its partnership with writer Samrat Upadhyay and Indiana University, Bloomington, USA to organize the sixth edition of Writing Nepal: A Short Story Contest. The contest was set up to encourage new writing in English from Nepal back in 2013 and is open to Nepali citizens and the Nepali diaspora. The deadline for submissions to this year’s contest is October 15, 2023. Samrat Upadhyay will be the sole judge of the contest. A shortlist will be announced in November and the award ceremony will be held in December, 2023 in Kathmandu. All submissions will be considered for publication in La.Lit, and the top three entries will be published on La.Lit online. The top three winners will also receive cash prizes sponsored by Samrat Upadhyay and Indiana University. 

Submission guidelines:

• Only one submission per participant is allowed.
• Submissions must be unpublished.
• Submissions should be between 2,000 to 5,000 words. 
• All submissions should be typed and double-spaced in an .rtf, .doc, .docx, or .odt file format.
• Include a separate cover sheet file with your name and contact information. Your name must not appear in the file with the submission, as all submissions will be judged blind. 
• Participation is limited to writers of Nepali origin. 
• All previous Writing Nepal participants, with the exception of the 1st place winners, are eligible for the 2023 contest.  
• A shortlist will be announced in November and the award ceremony will be held in December, 2023. 
• Participants will be considered for publication in La.Lit. 
• All submissions should be sent to editor@lalitmag.com.

Submission Deadline: October 15, 2023

Prizes:

• First Prize: Rs. 25,000
• Second Prize: Rs. 20,000
• Third Prize: Rs. 15,000

Submit to: editor@lalitmag.com

More details:

La.Lit (www.lalitmag.com) is a literary magazine that celebrates the beauty of writing. It features original and translated fiction, non-fiction, and poetry; photography and graphic art; and exclusive interviews and news from the world of literature. We aim to bring contemporary achievements in world literature to Nepal and, equally, take Nepali and South Asian literature to the world. 

Samrat Upadhyay (www.samratupadhyay.com) is the author of six books of fiction, including Arresting God in Kathmandu and Buddha’s Orphans. His award-winning books, which have been translated internationally, have received praise from the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times, among others. He is a Distinguished Professor of English and Martha C. Kraft Professor of Humanities at Indiana University, where he teaches creative writing.