The Magazine Committee of Government Law College, Mumbai presents its annual short fiction essay competition: Belles Lettres Short Fiction Essay Writing Competition 2026. The event is sponsored in the memory of the late Mr Jal E. Dastur, one of GLC’s most distinguished alumni reflecting his passion for literary fiction and invites students from across India to share their storytelling; creative writing skills. This annual event offers an opportunity to all the eligible and aspiring writers to submit their short-fiction entries on a national platform and get evaluated by some of the most distinguished authors. In previous editions, the final rounds of this Competition have been judged by literary icons such as Mr. Ruskin Bond, Mr. Jeffery Archer and Ms. Anita Nair.
Type of Event: Essay Writing Competition
About the Organisers of the competition:
A) About Government Law College, Mumbai
With a heritage spanning over 150 years and a seemingly endless list of distinguished alumni, Government Law College, Mumbai, has been regarded as a premier institution of legal education since its inception in 1855. What began humbly as evening classes in a borrowed premise, the college that first lit the candle of legal education in India now stands tall among all its contemporaries. Government Law College has a distinguished tradition. Over the years, the College has produced several eminent Judges whose erudition and independence have been, and continue to be, a great source of inspiration to members of the Bar and the Bench. Its alumni include statesmen, distinguished lawyers, and activists who have been at the forefront of social reconstruction. The interaction of students with distinguished members of the legal fraternity in a cultivated institutional environment- one that continually strives to redefine the parameters of education, greatly enhances the charisma of this institution.
B) About the Magazine Committee of Government Law College, Mumbai
The competition is organised by the Magazine Committee of GLC, a long-standing and prevailing committee with a legacy of 96 years. The Committee has been a perennial forum of cultural and intellectual discussions and garners active participation from students and its innumerable legal luminaries and stalwarts. GLC annual magazine, méLAWnge, bolsters support from the President of India to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and Bombay High Court. Beyond the Magazine, this student-run endeavor also hosts three annual essay competitions that receive entries from degree colleges across the country.
C) About Our Patron:
The late Mr. Jal E. Dastur, in whose memory this competition is being sponsored, was a practicing Chartered Accountant and a member of both the English and the Indian institutes. He was the sole proprietor of the firm M/s. E. J. Dastur & Co., a firm founded by his father, Late Mr. Erach J. Dastur and himself. He was an alumnus of Government Law College, Mumbai and graduated with distinction there from over sixty years ago. He won several debating and elocution competitions at the city, state and national levels. He contributed countless papers at various seminars and addressed innumerable conferences, held nationally and internationally, on subjects of accountancy and law.
He also co-authored a series of books on Direct Tax Laws. He was a perfectionist in all that he undertook and embodied all the qualities of a true and fearless professional. A little known fact about him is that he was a man who loved literature and was a master of the linguistic art. This competition is one which would have been after his heart and had he been a student today, he would have loved to participate in it.
Eligibility
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Participants must have passed their HSC/CBSE/ISC (10+2) or any other equivalent examination.
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They must presently be enrolled in a graduation course in any field.
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Postgraduate (Diploma) course students are eligible to participate.
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Only single authorship is permitted. Co-authored entries will not be accepted.
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Postgraduate (Degree) course students are not eligible. (This is for students pursuing masters, PhD courses.)
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The decision of the organising committee as to eligibility shall be final and binding.
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Participants must register via this link : Registration Link
Topics for this year:
Participants are requested to kindly choose ANY ONE of the following:
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Start your story with “This story is an ancient one, from a magical time when the tigers smoked”
OR 1.
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Incorporate the following objects in your story : Taxidermied goat, Purse of Pearls, and an Opened Envelope
OR
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Build your story around the following characters: Confucious, Dr Doofensmirtz, Mulan.
OR
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Build your story around the given image.
Note: Participants are to choose only one of the above topics while writing their essay. There is no requirement of incorporating all the above topics/elements into one story.
Link to brochure: Belles Lettres Brochure
Registration Fee and Prizes:
This is a competition free for all eligible students. Students should register themselves via the registration form.
The Prizes for the Competition are:
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First Prize: Rs. 10,000/-
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Second Prize: Rs. 7,000/-
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Third Prize: Rs. 5,000/-
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Fourth Prize- Rs. 1,500/-
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Fifth Prize- Rs. 1,500/-
Important dates:
Registration Deadline: 20th November, 2026
Submission Deadline: 5th December, 2026.
Submission Guidelines:
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Language: English
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Word limit: Minimum 1500 &; Maximum 3500 words
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Marks will be deducted for violation of the word limit.
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Formatting requirements:
❖ Font type – Times New Roman
❖ Font size – 12
❖ Line spacing – 1.5
❖ One inch margin on each side
❖ Alignment – Justified
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The identity of the student or the college, university, institution, etc. should not be revealed in the text of the essay in any manner whatsoever. If such details are found, the submission will be rejected and disqualified.
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Submissions must be original and unpublished works of the author.
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Plagiarism will result in automatic disqualification.
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The use of artificial intelligence to write or rephrase words will result in disqualification.
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Title of the submission document must be the author’s allotted team code.
Competition Rules
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All submissions will undergo strict online plagiarism checks.
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Special consideration will be placed upon the use of the topic, originality, language and the plot of the story.
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In case of any dispute, the decision of the professor in-charge and student editors will be final.
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It is the responsibility of each participant to ensure that the“.doc”/”.docx” file of the submission can be opened legibly with Google Docs/Microsoft Word.
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In addition to the word document, participants are also required to submit their entries in pdf format.
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Team Code for submission will be sent after the registration deadline elapses. Kindly do not contact the organising committee regarding the team code before then.
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Submission of the essays will take place via the following google form.
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Each participant is permitted to submit only one entry.
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No queries regarding the announcement of results shall be entertained.
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The identity of the student or the college, university, institution, etc. should not be revealed in the text of the essay in any manner whatsoever.
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Title of the submission document must be the author’s allotted team code.
Submission Rules:
Submissions shall take place through this google form.
The entries shall be the property of the Magazine Committee, Government Law College, Mumbai, which reserves the right of publication of the same in any periodical, journal, book, electronic resource or in any other manner as it may deem appropriate.
The organising committee’s decision as regards the interpretation of rules or any other matter related to the Competition shall be final and binding.
Contact Details:
For any further details or clarifications please contact:
Email us at belles.lettres.essay@gmail.com
Shruti Warad (+91 89837 90701)
Ishaan Gandhi (+91 91751 49750)
Kindly message the POCs only at a reasonable time and allow them an appropriate response time to answer queries.
