LITERARY COMPETITION ANNOUNCEMENT
Identity and Belonging: A Short Story Competition – Irish Semester 2026
The exploration of Identity and Belonging has long been a core element of Irish writing. These themes have inspired writers through time: Anne Enright, Colm Tóibín, Claire Keegan, and James Joyce, to name a few.
The JRC Irish Semester invites you to continue this literary tradition by creating your own original short story.
Inspired by Ireland or the Irish literary tradition, your story should explore, in your own way, the ideas of identity and belonging. Whether through family, friendship, community, migration, memory, culture, or personal discovery, we encourage you to interpret the theme freely and creatively.
We look forward to discovering how Ireland or Irish literature can inspire your imagination.
FULL COMPETITION RULES, SUBMISSION GUIDELINES, AND ONLINE ENTRY FORM
The Organising Committee of the JRC Irish Semester, in collaboration with Cúpla Focal Brussels and the Creative Writing Section of the JRC Associazione Culturale Europea (ACE), based in Ispra (VA), Italy, hereby announces the literary competition “Identity and Belonging: A Short Story Competition – Irish Semester 2026.”
Eligibility
The competition is open to writers aged 18 and over, of any nationality.
Theme
Stories must be inspired by Ireland or the Irish literary tradition and should explore the theme of identity and belonging in an original and meaningful way.
The interpretation of the theme is entirely up to the author.
Category
Short Story: narrative texts ranging from a minimum of 500 words to a maximum of 4,000 words, featuring a complete narrative development.
Story titles must not exceed seven words.
Only stories written in English will be accepted.
Each participant may submit up to two stories; however, only one story per author may receive an award.
Submission of Entries
Stories must be submitted exclusively through the online form available on the Association’s official website, in the Creative Writing section (Find the button to access the entry form at the bottom of this page).
Important note: only narrative short stories are accepted.
Texts consisting solely of reflections, aphorisms, poetic prose, or other non-narrative forms will not be considered.
Requirements
All submitted works must be original and unpublished, including online publications and social media posts.
Failure to comply with this requirement will result in disqualification.
Deadline
Entries must be submitted no later than 30 September 2026, exclusively in electronic format through the dedicated online form.
The story text must be copied and pasted into the appropriate section of the submission form.
Evaluation
The jury, composed of members of the Creative Writing Circle together with literature experts, will evaluate the entries anonymously through the use of a pseudonym chosen by each participant.
The evaluation process will take place within 45 days following the closing date of the competition.
Prizes
The three finalists will receive a selection of books by renowned Irish authors.
The jury may also award special prizes at its discretion.
The ten highest-ranked stories will be published in an anthology.
Results and Award Ceremony
The list of finalists will be published on the Association’s website starting from 15 November 2026.
The award ceremony is scheduled for the evening of 4 December 2026 at the Teatro Duse – Besozzo (date and time to be confirmed).
Publication Rights
The Associazione Culturale Europea reserves the right to publish the selected stories in digital and/or printed formats connected with the Association, without financial compensation to the authors, while always ensuring proper credit to the author.
Conditions
The competition will be considered valid with a minimum of 10 participants.
The jury’s decision is final and not subject to appeal.
The Association reserves the right to make changes to the evaluation process for technical or organisational reasons, with notice provided on the official website.
Privacy
Participation in the competition implies full acceptance of these regulations.
Participants authorise the processing of their personal data for the purposes of the competition, as well as the publication of their name and image on the Association’s official channels and external media.
Participants may withdraw their consent and exercise their rights of access, rectification, portability, and deletion of personal data at any time, in accordance with applicable legislation.
Information
For further information, participants may contact the Secretariat of the Creative Writing Section at: