Closing Tonight: Writing Contest On Love And Desire In All Forms

Tell Us The Love Stories That Never Make It To The Big Screen

Love isn’t always a grand Bollywood climax or a poetic confession in the rain. It exists in quiet defiance, in longing glances across boundaries never meant to be crossed, and in the resilience of those who love despite the world telling them they shouldn’t. Desire, too, is shaped as much by who we are as by where we come from, constrained by caste, gender, power, disability and history.

How do women and gender minorities experience love when their stories are rarely acknowledged? How does longing evolve across generations? And in a world that polices intimacy, who truly gets to love freely?

Through this contest, we at Youth Ki Awaaz and Zubaan Books invite you to step beyond mainstream narratives and explore the complex, messy, and deeply personal realities of love and desire.

*Please note that we are not accepting fiction as part of this contest.

Guiding prompts:

1. Explore how women and minorities navigate secret yearnings in environments that rarely acknowledge them, from caste-based segregation to invisible disabilities.
2. Challenge the cliché of ‘happily ever after’ by diving into stories of complex, messy, and dynamic love, where real people grapple with identity, culture, and power.
3. Focus on the intersections of bodily autonomy, consent, and female pleasure - areas often overlooked in traditional narratives of love.
4. Uncover how ideas of longing, attraction, and intimacy evolve from one generation of women to the next.
5. Celebrate stories of LGBTQIA+ love, unconventional relationships, and chosen families, bringing forward voices often sidelined in mainstream discourse.
6. Focus on private relationships or suppressed desires that clash with cultural or religious constraints.
7. Investigate how dating apps, social media, and virtual communities transform expressions of love and desire, especially for women who find solidarity or face new threats online.

*Please note that we are not accepting fiction as part of this contest. If you wish to submit a story anonymously, please write to us at info@youthkiawaaz.com, and we’ll help you out.

Selection process and timelines:

1. The stories submitted should be between 500-1200 words. We are only accepting entries in English for this contest.
2. The editorial and community teams at Youth Ki Awaaz and Zubaan Books will jointly select 3 stories that are inclusive and representative and highlight non-mainstream conversations on love and desire in India.
3. The contest is open for submissions from February 14 - February 28, 2025, 11:59 PM. The results will be declared in March via our social media channels and email.

How to submit your entry:

1. Head to www.youthkiawaaz.com and click on Participate.
2. Login with an OTP and click on ‘Write’ to share your story and publish it.
3. Remember to use the hashtag #LoveAndDesire at the beginning or end of your story to be considered for the selection.

Prizes, outcomes and impact:

1. 3 stories will be selected as Spotlight Stories as part of the contest—unique submissions that stand out for their impact, innovation, or storytelling. 
2. The spotlight authors will receive a hamper from Zubaan Books. 
3. Each published contributor will receive an official certificate signed by both our organisations.

Love is political. Desire is power. And stories have the ability to challenge, affirm, and liberate. If you have a story that needs to be told, this is your space to tell it. Submit your story and join us at Youth Ki Awaaz and Zubaan Books as if we celebrate love, desire and more this month of February!