The June Fest National Short Story Competition 2026 is open for submissions.

Submission Guidelines:

• The competition invites writers aged 18+ from across Ireland to submit original, unpublished work in English.
• Open to all writers who are residents of the island of Ireland at the time of submission.
• The story, of 2000 words or fewer, can be on any subject.

Judges: John Mackenna

Entry fee: €10 per story

Prizes:

• 1st Prize: One week’s fully-catered week in residence at Tyrone Guthrie Centre in Annaghmakerrig for the winning writer only (worth €490) – this does not include any travel costs.
• 2nd Prize: A workshop of your choice at the Kildare Writing Centre.
• Award Ceremony: All ten shortlisted writers will be asked to attend the June Fest Literary event in the Riverbank on Sunday, June 7th, 2026.

Deadline: 2nd April (midnight)

Please note: This is an external competition; all details and all submissions are on their website. Click here.