Toto Awards for Creative Writing in English (India)

The awards in this category have been won by poets, short story writers and playwrights. The volume of entries has grown exponentially over the years and has explored a diversity of styles and themes from performance poetry to science fiction. The composition of the jury for these awards includes poets, literary critics, novelists, journalists, scholars and teachers from different parts of the country.

Prize Information

• Two winners, to be decided by an independent panel of jurors, will receive a cash prize of ₹60,000 each.

Eligibility Criteria

• These awards are meant only for Indian citizens resident in India. (Overseas Citizen of India card-holders are not eligible. You can apply if your birthday falls between 1 January 1995 and 1 January 2007.
• Entries should be sent in 12 pt Times New Roman, with 1.5 line space.
• They prefer unpublished work.
• If you are submitting poems, please send them a minimum of 10 poems (maximum combined word length 7500 words).
• If you are submitting short stories, you must send a minimum of 2 stories. An entry with only a single short story will not be accepted. The combined word length of your submission should comprise a minimum of 3,500 words and a maximum of 7,500.
• For plays, you may submit one or more plays, but the combined word length of your entry should not exceed 10,000 words.
• You can send entries in all three categories poetry, short stories and plays but you must send in a separate entry for each category. For example, your poems can constitute one entry, your short stories the second entry, and plays a third.
• Those who have applied previously are eligible to apply again (unless you have won the Toto Award) please submit new work for consideration.
• The subject line of your email should clearly state the category for which you are applying, e.g., Writing-English (poetry) or Writing-English (short fiction), or Writing-English (plays).

For more information, visit TFA.