Echoes & Origins

Echoes & Origins is the anthology of winning and shortlisted stories from the 2024 Ink of Ages Fiction Prize. Organized by World History Encyclopedia and sponsored by Oxford University Press, the annual international short story competition celebrates historical and mythology-inspired fiction from emerging and experienced writers around the world. The competition welcomes submissions of historical fiction and mythology-inspired fiction in two main categories - adult and youth - and maintains its commitment to accessibility by remaining free to enter, whilst offering professional-level judging and support.

These 17 short stories transport readers across centuries and cultures, reimagining lives and events both forgotten and familiar - from the priestesshood of Athena Nike to the Western Front of WW1, the Hungry Ghost Festival, and the Siege of Suiyang in China to the execution of Ottoman Prince Mustafa.

In Echoes & Origins, readers meet mythological and folkloric figures like Calon Arang from Java and Bali, Isis and Osiris from ancient Egypt, and the Selkies of Northern Europe. Drawing on hope, humor, grief, and wonder, these stories reflect our shared curiosity and offer us glimpses of what it means to be human.