#Ennis Book Club Festival is delighted to announce our short story competition for 2026.
Now in its third year, the EBCF Short Story Competition is an opportunity for new and emerging writers to showcase their writing and read at the Festival.
Our judge this year will be Wendy Erskine, the author of two short story collections, Sweet Home and Dance Move. Wendy was shortlisted for the Edge Hill Prize and the Republic of Consciousness Prize, and she received the Butler Literary Award and the Edge Hill Readers’ Choice Award. Her debut novel The Benefactors was published in June 2025.
The competition winner will be announced at Ennis Book Club Festival, held from March 6th to 8th 2026 and will also be read at the festival during one of our events.
We look forward to receiving your entries and celebrating the art of the short story together.
The prizes for the EBCF Short Story competition are as follows:
The winner will receive €750
Second prize is €400
Entry details:
- Short stories should be no longer than 3,000 words.
- Each entry costs €20 and should be paid by PayPal
- The deadline for entries is 5pm on the 31st October 2025.
- Writers submitting work must not have had a full collection of short stories already published but may have individual stories published in magazines or journals.
- Entries should not have been accepted for publication elsewhere.
- There is no restriction on theme or style.
- The judge’s verdict is final.
- Entries cannot be altered or substituted once they have been entered.
- Judging is anonymous. Please DO NOT include your name or contact details within the body or title of your submission document.
Entries should be submitted as follows:
- In a single document as an attachment
- In .doc or .docx format
- Double spaced, in 12 pt font
- Please title your submission in the following format ‘TITLE _CATEGORY’, for example ‘The Shift_SHORT STORY’.
- Entries in the body of an email will not be accepted.
- International writers can enter the competition, but we are unable to provide travel expenses to attend the 2026 festival, should they be successful.
- Entries submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.
- Entry fees will not be returned if stories are withdrawn after entering.
- Entry is taken as acceptance of these rules.
Entries should be submitted to entries @ ennisbookclubfestival.com click here to email.