Saroyan International Short Story Competition

As part of the exclusive collaboration between the Yerevan International Book Festival and the Saroyan Foundation, we are pleased to announce the William Saroyan International Short Story Competition, dedicated to recognizing outstanding short stories written in English or translated into English. Inspired by the literary legacy of William Saroyan, the competition aims to encourage excellence in short fiction and celebrate literary craftsmanship.

Submission Guidelines

The competition is open to authors of all nationalities aged 18 and above.

For translated works, the name of the translator must be clearly indicated.

Stories must not exceed 3,500 words
Formatting: Times New Roman, 12-point font, 1.5 line spacing
Please indicate the word count at the top of the first page
Please do not include a cover page or title page
Submissions must be sent in Microsoft Word format

Please send your submission to info@yerevanbookfest.com with the subject line: First Name Last Name | Country (e.g. John Smith| United Kingdom)

Please also attach:

Contact information
A photograph
An English curriculum vitae (CV)

Submission deadline: 10 August 2026․

Competition Process

The shortlist will be announced two days before the festival.

Shortlisted authors are encouraged to attend the closing ceremony of the festival.

Results and Prize

The winner of the William Saroyan International Short Story Competition will be announced during the closing ceremony of the Yerevan International Book Festival on 6 September 2026.

The winner will receive an original painting created by William Saroyan, generously donated by the Saroyan Foundation.

Jury members of the competition:

Scott Setrakian – President, Saroyan Foundation
Lilit Meliksetyan – PhD in Philology, Professor
Lusine Kharatyan – Fiction writer and recipient of the Saroyan Prize
Mica Hilson - PhD in English, Assistant Professor
Giorgos Koutouvelas - Poet, Professor
Marisa Martinez Persico - Writer, PhD in Spanish and Latin American Literature

The Yerevan International Book Festival will take place 4-6 September 2026 at Republic Square, with events hosted at the National Gallery of Armenia, the History Museum of Armenia, and the Yeghishe Charents Museum of Literature and Art.

This year's festival theme is Language, exploring how language creates bridges rather than borders.

Initiated with the support of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of the Republic of Armenia

Festival Sponsor: Yerevan Municipality

Saroyan International Short Story Competition Sponsor: Saroyan Foundation

Organized by: Yeghishe Charents Museum of Literature and Art and the Book Festival Cultural-Educational NGO.