Internal review draft · 23-07-2026
Competition Rules
The working rules for one original story written by a Bhopal teacher for the classroom they know.
The participant scope and calendar are approved for the local build. Do not publish or rely on these terms until organizer identity, contacts, fee/refunds, privacy, prize wording, owner values and external reviews are complete.
01 · At a glance
The current competition brief.
| Item | Internal-review position |
|---|---|
| Who | School teachers, coaching/tuition faculty and independent tutors aged 18+ who meet the approved active-teaching rule in Bhopal district. |
| Entry | One original unpublished story of 700–1,200 words plus a 150–250-word classroom note. |
| Languages | Hindi, English or natural Hinglish. |
| Registration | ₹99 for one entry — provisional until legal, finance and CA approval. |
| Award | ₹25,000 for one verified winner — tax and payment wording pending. |
| Registration | 5 September 2026 to 25 September 2026 (IST). |
| Writing window | 26 September 2026 to 2 October 2026 (IST) — the same for everyone. |
| Winner announcement | 14 November 2026. |
Exact organizer legal name, campaign URL, campaign email/support number, owner/provider details, legal/CA wording and the remaining O01–O17 launch inputs.
02 · Eligibility
Who may enter.
An entrant must be 18 or older, enter in their own name and currently teach in the approved Bhopal geography. This includes school teachers, coaching or tuition-centre faculty and independent tutors.
The active-teaching rule is met when the applicant is currently employed or contracted to teach, or has taught at least one learner or group during the 90 days before registration and reasonably intends to continue teaching.
Teaching status is verified before payment. School and coaching faculty use an institution-based route; independent tutors use two corroborating teaching-practice signals. Shortlisted participants complete a stronger role and authorship re-check.
Aadhaar, PAN, bank details and biometrics are not required for teacher verification. A minor learner must never be contacted for tutor verification.
Confirm exclusions for organizer employees, contractors, judges and immediate family, plus the final evidence list, manual-review SLA and evidence-retention period.
03 · What to submit
Two pieces make one entry.
- One original unpublished story of 700–1,200 words.
- A 150–250-word classroom note stating the intended student age group, narration approach and hoped-for response.
- The story title, language and required participant details.
- Eligibility, originality, rules, privacy and limited-review declarations.
Stories must be school-appropriate and must not identify a student or reveal a student's private information.
Private classroom narration does not count as publication. Pasted text is the standard launch format. One replacement is allowed before the deadline; it becomes active only after validation, otherwise the last valid version remains active.
04 · Original work
The thinking and the telling must be yours.
Allowed
Typing your own writing, basic formatting, non-generative spelling checks, dictionaries, ordinary references, speech-to-text that only transcribes your words, and human feedback limited to identifying errors or asking questions.
Not allowed
Generative tools used for premise, plot, characters, scenes or ending; generated drafting, rewriting, expansion, compression, paraphrasing or translation; copying protected work; or submitting another person's writing.
Automated detection and similarity outputs are private review signals only. No entry is rejected solely because of a detector score. A human reviews the text and available evidence before an adverse originality decision.
05 · Registration
Teacher verification comes before payment.
The working fee is ₹99. The payment option unlocks only after teaching status is approved. A registration succeeds only after the approved gateway verifies payment and the platform creates one registration ID. The story workspace opens later during the common writing window.
- A failed attempt should preserve the verified participant profile.
- If money appears debited without a registration ID, the payment must be checked before the participant retries.
- One permitted manuscript replacement, if approved, would keep the same registration ID and payment.
The operating states are approved, but gateway/merchant account, receipt or invoice wording, finance owner and final refund clauses remain pending. Protected on-time payment attempts cannot be asked to pay twice or lose their place while reconciliation is unresolved.
06 · Judging
The story leads. The score follows.
| Criterion | Points |
|---|---|
| Storytelling craft | 30 |
| Classroom engagement | 25 |
| Originality and imagination | 20 |
| Age and school appropriateness | 15 |
| Language and voice | 10 |
Eligible entries are anonymized. Creative judges do not receive participant identities or detector outputs. The proposed tie-break order is classroom engagement, originality and imagination, storytelling craft, then documented jury discussion.
Confirm jury members, conflicts and recusal rule, and the multilingual scoring plan.
07 · Shortlisting
Finalists may be asked to show their process.
A shortlisted entrant may be asked to verify their identity and teaching role, discuss the story, narrate an extract, answer story-specific questions or share earlier notes. Not having handwritten drafts does not by itself prove a breach.
Confirm the proposed five-business-day response period and the process for language, scheduling and accessibility accommodation.
08 · Award, rights and privacy
Your story remains yours.
Entry is intended to grant only the limited permission needed to receive, store, screen and judge the story. Public use of a participant's story, name, institution, photograph, video or quotation would require separate written consent. Extended publication or adaptation would require a separate agreement.
One verified winner is proposed to receive ₹25,000. Any legally required deduction should be explained before payment.
Finalize prize timing and tax wording, copyright permission, replacement-winner and cancellation terms, privacy retention, secure verification handling and public-showcase consent.
09 · Review requests and changes
A decision should have a fair review route.
The operating model allows one written request within 72 hours after an eligibility or originality disqualification notice. A different reviewer should decide it where practical, with a proposed written response within five business days and before any shortlist or result it could affect becomes final.
Confirm the review channel, when the 72-hour period starts, which decisions qualify, response target, and how fees, entries, data, permissions and the award are handled if the competition is postponed or cancelled.