Adult Poetry and Flash Fiction Competitions
The Allingham Festival 2026 Poetry and Flash Fiction and Competitions are now open!
Entries will be accepted from the opening date until midnight on Sunday, September 27th.
International entries are welcome!
Winning entries from past years are posted on the Allingham website – www.allinghamfestival.com
Prizes
First Prize in both Flash Fiction and Poetry is €300.
Winners will be invited to read their winning entries at the Awards Ceremony on Saturday November the 7th 2026 as part of the Allingham Arts Festival programme of events.
Please read the Terms & Conditions/Rules prior to submitting entries.
’How to Enter’ info is below this Terms & Conditions section.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
The following terms & conditions are for the Allingham Poetry and Flash Fiction Competitions for adult writers who will be 18 or older by Saturday, 7th of November. Details of the writing and art competitions for schools will be shared at a later date - keep an eye on socials for updates.
RULES
All entries must be the original work of the entrant.
AI-enhanced work will not be accepted. William Allingham spent a lifetime expressing himself in his own voice, and you should too.
Entries must be typed or printed using a standard font – see specifications below.
Fiction:
Maximum 700 words per entry, not including titles
Maximum 5 flash fiction pieces per entrant
Font: 12pt Arial or Times New Roman
2 cm margins on A4 pages
1.5 or double-spacing
Include title, page number and total page count on each page (e.g. ‘My Story’, Page 1 of 3, ‘My Story’ Page 2 of 3, etc.)
Poetry:
Maximum 40 lines per poem, not including titles
Maximum 5 poetry pieces per entrant
Formatting, including spacing, is at the discretion of the poet
Include title, page number and total page count on each page (e.g. ‘My Poem’, Page 1 of 3, ‘My Poem’ Page 2 of 3, etc.)
The following entries will be deemed ineligible:
Entries which have been published elsewhere (online, digital, or in print) or which are declared first-place winners in other writing competitions before the 7th of November 2026.
Entries by First-place winners of 2024 and 2025 Allingham Poetry or Flash Fiction Competitions.
Entries by Members of the 2026 Allingham Festival Organising Committee and their immediate families.
Entries in languages other than English.
Handwritten entries.
Judges’ decisions are final. No correspondence will be entered into regarding the shortlist or the winners.
Entries will not be returned.
Entries can be submitted on-line or by post. The deadline for receipt of both postal and on-line entries is 23:59 on Sunday, 27 September 2026.
ENTRY FEES
The entry fee is €7 for each poem or flash fiction piece.
Most important: Create a separate doc or pdf file for each entry. Do not combine several entries into a single doc or pdf file.
Poetry and flash fiction competitions are separate events.
Entries to the two competitions must be made separately, submitting separate entry forms for the poetry competition and for the flash fiction competition.
For example, if you wish to submit one piece of flash fiction and three poems:
1. First fill out an entry form for flash fiction, upload your WORD or PDF document and submit the entry along with the fee.
2. Fill out a separate entry form for poetry, upload the poems (as three separate documents) and submit with fee.
POSTAL ENTRIES
Entries must be accompanied by an application form in MS Word or PDF format.
Include the title of your story or poem and its page number(s) on all pages, but do not include your name or any other personal details. Personal information must appear only on the entry form.
Address: Allingham Poetry Competition OR Allingham Flash Fiction Competition, c/o A Novel Idea, Castle Street, Ballyshannon, Co Donegal, Ireland F94 HK8W.
ONLINE ENTRIES
Submit online entries as doc, docx, or pdf files. Each entry – each poem or flash fiction piece – must be submitted as a separate document. When multiple entries are consolidated into a single document, only the first entry will be considered and fees paid for other entries will not be refunded.
Include the title of your story or poem and its page number(s) on all pages, but do not include your name or any other personal details. Personal information must appear only on the entry form.
Complete the Online Entry Form: Online Entry will be available once the competition has opened.
Online entrants will see a Thank You screen confirming the submitted details when the form has been submitted, and will also receive an email from allinghamfestival.com/JotForm acknowledging receipt of the entries and contact details.
If you do not receive a confirmation email, or any of your information appears to be incorrect or missing at this point, please email allinghamfest@gmail.com as soon as possible.