Competition deadline: 30th September 2026
The Creative Writing Ink Short Story Competition 2026 is open for entries.
Entries will only be accepted through Subfolio.
Entries can be on any subject, theme or genre.
Entry fee: £12 per entry. You can submit multiple entries as long as each entry is paid for individually and includes a separate entry form.
Maximum word count is 3,000 words.
All entries are judged anonymously. Please do not include your name, address, phone number, email, website, social media details, etc. on the short story document or in the file name as this will result in disqualification.
Formatting your short story
Your story must be written in English. A maximum of 3,000 words. No minimum. Title not included in the word count.
Please submit a typed story in Arial or Times New Roman, 12pt, black. Double spaced.
Include a front page which details the title of story and the word count ONLY. The author’s name should not be included anywhere in the document or the file name.
No illustrations.
Save as a Microsoft Word document (.doc or .docx). We also accept file types .rtf, .pdf, with the
Short Story title as the file name. Please do not include the author’s name in the file name, or it will be disqualified.
Final Judge: Daragh Fleming
Daragh Fleming (author of A Brief Inhalation and Lonely Boy) is a writer from Cork, Ireland. He has work appearing in many literary magazines including Southword, Crannóg, Stand, Gutter, and more. He was highly commended for both the Patrick Kavanagh Award and the Fool For Poetry Prize in 2023, and shortlisted for the Alpine Fellowship Poetry Prize in 2024. He won the From The Well Competition in 2021 and the Ducairn Flash Competition in 2024. Daragh was also shortlisted for two Mental Health Media Awards for his TEDx Talk on using creativity to enhance and maintain our mental health.
Creative Writing Ink: Terms and Conditions
- Submissions for the 2025 Competition will be accepted from April 15th, 2026.
- The DEADLINE for receipt of entries is 5pm (GMT) on September 30th, 2026.
- Entries will only be accepted through Subfolio.
- All authors are strictly required to obtain the prior approval of any third party who holds any rights in their story before submitting an Entry.
- Entries can be any theme or genre. You can enter any number of short stories but please check you are submitting the correct version of your work before uploading, as mistakes cannot be rectified later. If you have submitted the wrong version or have made a mistake in the work, you can withdraw it and resubmit a corrected version with the word ‘FINAL’ included in the file name. Please note a further fee would be payable. Entries can be withdrawn by logging into your account. To see how to withdraw, please click here. Entry fees will not be refunded.
- Fill in the Entry Form and submit your short story via Subfolio. All entries are judged anonymously. Please do not include your name, address, phone number, email, website, social media details, etc on the short story document or in the file name as this will result in disqualification.
See here for full Terms and Conditions and see here to submit your story.
More competitions on Writing.ie here.
