TEHRAN — The 19th Jalal Al-e Ahmad Literary Award has opened a special section titled “Qesseh Iran” (“The Story of Iran”), inviting writers to submit unpublished fiction and nonfiction exploring human, social and cultural experiences of war and defense in Iran.
The submission deadline is Nov. 21, 2026.
The new section will accept short stories and nonfiction, including documentary narratives, memoirs and essays. Organizers said the section is intended to collect and present literary and documentary accounts of human experiences shaped by war, crisis and defense.
The themes include the experiences of families, children and older people during periods of crisis; homeland and national identity, including Iran, home, borders, belonging, solidarity and the national flag; and the stories of unsung heroes, including doctors, nurses, emergency responders, teachers, drivers and journalists.
Other themes focus on cities and their residents, with stories set in neighborhoods, homes, schools, hospitals, universities and streets, as well as the things that war cannot take away — love, friendship, faith, hope and visions of the future.
Entries must be submitted as Word documents using the B Nazanin typeface at 14-point size and must be between 1,500 and 5,000 words. Works must not have been previously published, and each participant may submit only one work to the section.
The organizers also stipulate that submissions must not have been written with the assistance of artificial intelligence.
Selected works will be honored at the closing ceremony of the Jalal Al-e Ahmad Literary Award, with the winning and selected authors recognized during the ceremony. The selected works will also be published
 together in an anthology.
The Jalal Al-e Ahmad Literary Award, established in 2008, is named after Jalal Al-e Ahmad (1923–1969), one of the major Iranian writers and intellectuals of the 20th century. The award recognizes literary works in several categories, including novels and novellas, short-story collections, literary criticism and research, and documentary writing. The 18th edition concluded in January 2026, when its winners were announced.
Iranian writer and translator Shiva Moghanloo has been appointed scientific secretary of the 19th edition.
Submissions for the “Qesseh Iran” section can be made through the organizers’ online submission form. Further information is available from the award office between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Tehran time.