Adult Poetry and Flash Fiction Competitions
The Allingham Festival 2026 Poetry and Flash Fiction and Competitions are now open! Entries will be accepted through Sunday, September 27th.
International entries are welcome!
The 2026 Allingham Festival will take place in Ballyshannon from 04-08 November.
Winning entries from past years are posted on the Allingham website – www.allinghamfestival.com
This year’s submission deadline is 27 September 2026 for both on-line and postal entries.
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 rules are for the Allingham Poetry and Flash Fiction Competitions for adult writers who will be 18 or older by Wednesday, 4 November 2026. The rules, entry forms and deadlines for Allingham Children's Art and Writing Competitions are listed separately on this website.
Terms and Conditions for Allingham Poetry and Flash Fiction Competitions for adults:
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 4 November 2026.
Entries by First-place winners of 2024 and 2025 Allingham Poetry or Flash Fiction, members of the 2026 Allingham Festival Organising Committee and their immediate families competitions.
Entries in languages other than English.
Handwritten entries.
Entries must be typed or printed using a standard font – see specifications below. will not be considered.
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, 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.
HOW TO ENTER BY POST
·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.
HOW TO ENTER ONLINE
Submit online entries as doc, docx, or pdf files. Each entry – each poem or flash fiction piece – must be submitted as a separate file. When multiple entries are consolidated into a single file, entries #2 through #5 may inadvertently be overlooked.
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.