Featured Stories from the National Young Authors Challenge
The National Young Authors Challenge, conducted by Big Red Education in partnership with Penguin Random House India, was created to give students in Grades 8–12 a unique opportunity to share their stories, develop their craft, and experience the journey from writer to published author.
What began as a writing challenge quickly grew into a nationwide celebration of young storytelling talent. More than 800 students from over 250 schools across 45+ cities participated, submitting over 1,000 original stories that reflected the creativity, imagination, and diverse perspectives of young writers across India. Participants also had the opportunity to learn from Penguin authors, editors and publicists at the publishing house through an exclusive writing bootcamp designed to strengthen their storytelling and editing skills.
Following a rigorous multi-stage evaluation process, 100 stories were selected as the top national entries. Furthermore, the top 50 stories are being published as a special anthology by Penguin Random House India, curated and edited by acclaimed author Vibha Batra. In addition to the stories selected for publication in the book, these next set of 50 stories were recognised and featured on Penguin’s website.
These young authors have distinguished themselves through originality, creativity, and excellence in storytelling, earning national recognition for their work. We are delighted to showcase these stories on Penguin Random House India’s platform and celebrate the remarkable achievement of these young writers.
Together, these authors represent the remarkable talent, creativity, and literary promise of young people across India. We invite you to explore their stories and discover the imagination, skill, and originality of a new generation of storytellers.
Read the 50 Featured Stories here
Keep Reading. Keep Writing.
