Wingword has initiated a category of prizes for poets who write in Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Oriya, Assamese and Gujarati. A cumulative sum of more than One Lakh Rupees will be awarded to poets in this category. The aim of this special category is to encourage people to start writing in their mother tongues and revive the richness of Indian literary traditions. Beginners are encouraged to participate.

Prizes

1st Prize: INR 25,000

2nd Prize: INR 15,000

3rd Prize: INR 10,000

Top 10 Winners: INR 5,000

A chapbook with poems of all winners will be published. All authors will receive a copy of the book at their mailing address.

Winners are invited to attend Wingword’s annual prizegiving ceremony held in New Delhi. 

Rules

• The competition is open to Indians.
• You must be 15 years and above.
• Poem should be in any of the following languages: Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Bengali, Malyalam, Oriya, Kannada, Assamese, Gujurati, Urdu and Punjabi.
• Poem must be original work of the participant.
• Any style of poetry is accepted.
• Previously published poems are allowed.
• Entry fee is ₹1099 for one poem, ₹2099 for three poems and ₹3099 for five poems
• Beginners are encouraged to participate.
• Copyright of the poem remains with the author.
• Extended deadline is November 15th 2026 at 11.59 PM

Results will be declared at 8 PM on November 30th 2026 at www.wingword.in

Important Note: You can choose to submit poems in different languages in the same entry (eg. two English poems and one Tamil) . Our website will automatically file the regional language poem in the regional category and the English or Hindi poem in the main category. If you are a bilingual or multilingual poet, we welcome you to submit your poems in more than one language.