In 2025 the call for submissions is for SHORT FICTION and writers are invited to submit short stories on any subject or theme that uses Pakistan as a canvas or location and focuses on the country’s culture and society. The Competition is open to all women of Pakistani nationality or Pakistani heritage over the age of 18 and, as always, the judges look for writing with a distinct voice. The competition serves as a beacon of encouragement for Pakistani women writers both at home and in the diaspora and carries a cash award of Rs.100,000 (one lakh).
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
2025
SHORT FICTION
Entries Open: April 1st.
Entries Close: June 30th.
ANNOUNCING THE PANEL OF JUDGES 2025
This year there there is a slimmed down panel of just three judges: •   Uzma Aslam Khan is the prize-winning author of five novels published worldwide. Her most recent book The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali was included in The New York Times' list for Best Historical Fiction 2022 as well as in their list of Books for Summer 2022. It won several literary awards including the Massachusetts Book Award 2023. •   Ailah Ahmed is Publishing Director at Hutchinson Heinemann, Penguin Random House UK where she publishes literary fiction and book club titles. Her authors who have been shortlisted for major prizes and have hit the Sunday Times bestsellers list. •   Omar Shahid Hamid is an award-winning Pakistani novelist from Karachi.  Known for his gritty crime thrillers, he is the author of 6 acclaimed novels. The Prisoner (2013) proved to be a huge critical and commercial success and is being adapted for a screenplay by Netflix. In addition to his writing career, he has served as a senior counter terrorism police officer who, in between writing books, has survived several attempts on his life and had his offices blown up by the Taliban.
2024 RESULTS
WINNER
The Night Shift
by
Mariah Burney
HIGHLY COMMENDED
​​Mariah Burney is a medical student from Karachi whose lifelong dream has been to walk into a bookstore and see her name on a best selling novel. Regional winner of the USEFP writing competition 2019 and other local contests, she knows that this is only the beginning of her writing career
A refreshing, humorous and insightful depiction of Pakistan's struggling medical system seen through the eyes of overworked and underappreciated medical students. Although rooted in Pakistan, it has universal echoes for medical students everywhere.​
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A Trip to Seaview
by
Vaneeza Sohail
An evocative and poignant meditation on Karachi, which weaves together the personal and the external to demonstrate how a city is about the relationships we have in it.
Softening the Steel in My Spine
by
Laila Ghaffar
Well-crafted, and engaging in its experimental nature, this is a deeply reflective exploration of personal and political struggles.
Choti Aurat
by
Irta Usman
A compelling yet amusing narrative about a young woman navigating the expectations and limitations imposed by the complexities of having an arranged marriage
Walking Daydreams
by
Maliha Khan
A powerful portrayal of resilience and self-discovery through the simple yet profound act of walking. It blends personal reflection with themes of gender, mobility, and independence.
Dupatta
by
Fatima Hasan
A nuanced exploration of the dupatta as both a symbol of cultural identity and a marker of societal expectations, which is at once liberating and constraining.