RTÉ is inviting entries to one of Ireland's longest established and most significant literary prizes, the RTÉ Short Story Competition in honour of writer and broadcaster, Francis MacManus.
Free to enter, the popular competition, which marks its 40th birthday this year, recognises and rewards the best new Irish fiction writing for radio and presents the winning author with a cheque for €5,000, while the second and third placed writers will receive cheques for €4,000 and €3,000 respectively. A further seven runners-up will receive €300 each.
Writers over the age of 18 living in Ireland, and Irish writers around the world have until Friday 15th May 2026 to submit their short story, in English or Irish at www.rte.ie/writing. Story wordcounts must fall between 1800 and 2000 words, excluding the title.
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Listen: RTÉ Short Story Competition 2026 - the judges talk to RTÉ Arena
This year's entries will be judged by Aingeala Flannery, Tristan Rosenstock and Jan Carson, who launched this year’s competition on last night’s Arena on RTÉ Radio 1, during which they discussed the longevity of the competition and what they are looking for from this year’s entries with presenter, Rick O’Shea.
New judge, Aingeala Flannery said: "Radio and short stories have been the twin passions of my working and creative life, so it was an absolute pleasure and honour to be asked to join Jan and Tristan to judge this year's RTÉ Short Story Competition. I would encourage anyone with a story, especially the secret writers out there, to seize this opportunity and give it a shot. It's free to enter, so you literally have nothing to lose. I will never forget where I was when I got the call to say that one of my stories had made the Francis MacManus shortlist. It gave me the confidence to call myself a writer and keep going."
Returning judge Tristan Rosenstock said: "I'm absolutely thrilled to be returning as a judge this year and am looking already looking forward to my summer reading. Last summer was very happily spent reading and discussing the submissions with my fellow-judges and we were struck by the highly original voices we encountered along the way.The RTÉ Short Story Competition offers a uniquely valuable platform for writers in English and Irish at various stages of their writing careers, and connects new writing with readers and radio audiences in a truly singular way."
Also returning to the judging panel this year, Jan Carson explains what she is looking for in a short story: "Believability is a deal maker or breaker for me as a reader. I don’t mind if your plot’s outlandish and your characters are a little unhinged, but if I can see - and it’s usually painfully obvious - that you don’t believe in the essential realness of the story you’re bringing to life, then it doesn’t matter how eloquent your writing is, or how many hooks you’ve woven into your narrative, I’m afraid you’ve probably left me cold.
Which brings me to voice. The key to unlocking a brilliant short story is capturing an authentic, and ideally intriguing, voice. In a radio context, I particularly love it when a story’s voice feels as if it’s conspiring with me, telling me something candid and confessional, only intended for my ears. I spend a lot of time reading my own stories in progress out loud to myself, just to ensure the voice is spot on."
Producer of the competition, Sarah Binchy, said: "This competition has been at the heart of new Irish writing for 40 years now; we'll be dipping into our fine archive on air and on podcast later in the year, featuring many writers who have gone on to notable publishing success. Some come back to judge the competition, such as Aingeala, whom we’re delighted to welcome to the judging panel this year. It’s free to enter, with the chance to hear your story voiced by the best of acting talent, with significant top prizes. If you’re serious about your writing, this should be very much on your radar. We can’t wait to read your stories!"
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Listen to last year's winner, Witness by Lynda McCarthy
The winning stories will be revealed at a special RTÉ Arena live programme in the autumn and all 10 shortlisted stories will be published on RTÉ Culture and broadcast in a season of new writing on RTÉ Radio 1. To mark 40 years of the RTÉ Short Story Competition in honour of writer and broadcaster, Francis MacManus and in a year when RTÉ is marking 100 years of public service broadcasting in Ireland, we will be celebrating the 2026 shortlisted writers and their stories along with those previously shortlisted in the competition podcast.
The RTÉ Short Story Competition has been championing new talent for decades; past winners and shortlisted writers include Claire Keegan, Danielle McLaughlin, Brian Leyden, Chris Binchy, Nuala O’Connor, Liz Nugent, Shane Tivenan, Austin Duffy, Colin Walsh, Stephen Walsh and Sarah Gilmartin.
All shortlisted stories are produced for radio, voiced by some of Ireland’s most talented actors. In recent years, these have included Marty Rea, Aaron Monaghan, Jane Brennan, Cathy Belton, Derbhle Crotty, Eamon Morrissey, Ali White, Ingrid Craigie, Janet Moran, Kathy Rose O’Brien, Peter Coonan, Emmet Kirwan and Andrew Bennett.
For rules and all information about the competition, and to find winning and shortlisted stories from previous years, go here.
