Adult Poetry and Flash Fiction Competitions
Updated Rules and Guidelines for 2025
The Allingham Festival 2025 Poetry and Flash Fiction and Competitions are now open! Entries will be accepted through Sunday, September 28th, 2025.
International entries are welcome!
The 2025 Allingham Festival will take place in Ballyshannon from November 5-9.
Winning entries from past years are available here.
First Prize in both Flash Fiction and Poetry is €300. Winners will be invited to read their winning entries at the Literary Lunch on Saturday 8 November.
The following Terms and Conditions are for the Allingham Poetry and Flash Fiction Competitions for adult writers who will be 18 or older by Wednesday, 5 November 2025.
All entries must be the original work of the entrant. AI-enhanced work is strongly discouraged. William Allingham spent a lifetime expressing himself in his own voice, and you should, too.
The following entries are ineligible:
Entries which have been published elsewhere (online, digital, or in print) or which are declared first-place winners in other writing competitions before 5 November 2025.
Entries by First-place winners of 2023 and 2024 Allingham Poetry or Flash Fiction, members of the 2025 Allingham Festival Organising Committee and their immediate families competitions.
Entries in languages other than English.
Handwritten entries.
Flash Fiction entrants may submit up to 5 pieces, maximum 700 words each, not including the titles. Pieces must be submitted in 12 point Arial or Times New Roman font, with 2 cm margins on A4 pages. Use 1.5 or double-spacing. Include title of entry and page number(s) on all pages. 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 entrants may submit up to 5 poems, maximum 40 lines per poem. Formatting, including spacing, is at the discretion of the poet. Include title of each entry and page number(s) on all pages.
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, 28 September 2025.