Writers from 38 countries submit over 16,000 entries for Minab story prize
A total of 3,354 writers from 38 countries have submitted 16,158 entries for the inaugural international six-word story prize, “Minab School: 168 Unfinished Short Stories,” IRNA reported on Sunday, as the competition commemorates schoolchildren killed in a US missile strike on a school in southern Iran.
Organizers said the strong international response marked broad participation in the literary initiative and announced the names of writers whose submissions met the competition’s criteria and made it through to the judging stage.
The entries came from Iran, Argentina, Germany, the United States, Indonesia, Armenia, Uruguay, Australia, Spain, Afghanistan, Algeria, Italy, Brunei, Belgium, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Pakistan, Portugal, Tunisia, China, Russia, Romania, Japan, Chile, Serbia, Iraq, France, the Philippines, Cameroon, South Korea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Egypt, Nicaragua, India and Yemen.
Because of the large number of submissions, the need for careful evaluation and conditions in Iran due to an ongoing war, organizers said the closing ceremony would likely to be held by the end of September, with the exact date and details to be announced later.
The competition is organized by the Office of Persian Literature and Language and focuses on the themes of children’s rights, peace, patriotism and hope.
Its defining feature is a strict minimalist format, requiring participants to tell a story in only six words while leaving room for interpretation and continuation in the reader’s mind.
Each writer was allowed to submit up to six entries.
Submissions are being evaluated by a panel of Iranian and international judges. Winners will receive a trophy, a commemorative certificate and cash prizes, with organizers saying the award aims to open a new chapter in ultra-short fiction.
The competition follows the US missile strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh School in Minab on February 28, 2026, which killed at least 168 people, including 150 schoolboys and schoolgirls aged between seven and 12. The attack has been remembered in Iran and beyond as a despicable crime.