RT SHORT STORY COMPETITION 2026: WINNERS ANNOUNCED

RT SHORT STORY COMPETITION 2026: WINNERS ANNOUNCED

FIRST PLACE AND 5,000 - JAMIE SAMSON FOR BUBBLE'

SECOND PLACE AND 4,000 - STEPHANIE O'CONNOR FOR JAMES LANGLEY WAS IN LOVE WITH SEAN HARRIS'

THIRD PLACE AND 3,000 - PAUL EDMONDSON FOR A FORK IN THE ROAD'

AWARDS BROADCAST LIVE ON RT RADIO 1'S ARENA FROM POETRY IRELAND, DUBLIN

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS AT THE HEART OF NEW IRISH WRITING

www.rte.ie/writing | www.rte.ie/Culture | #rteshortstory

Pictured (L-R): Stephanie O'Connor, Jamie Samson and Paul Edmondson

Bubble' by Dublin writer Jamie Samson has been announced as the winning story in this year's RT Short Story Competition 2026 in honour of Francis MacManus.

The announcement was made live on RT Radio 1's Arena as part of an RT Short Story Competition Special hosted by Rick O'Shea in Poetry Ireland / igse ireann in Parnell Square, Dublin.

As winner Jamie Samson received a cheque for 5,000 from judge Jan Carson. His short story, Bubble' follows a student's night shift at a rundown Dublin off-licence, where an armed robbery takes a strange turn. Talking about the story, Jamie said, I wanted to explore, in a tongue-in-cheek way, how life or death situations force us to decide what we're willing to fight and risk everything for.

Jamie Samson's writing has appeared in The Irish Times, Channel, The Four-Faced Liar, Sans Press and The Stoney Collection; he was previously shortlisted in the RT Short Story Competition in 2023. He is working on a novel set in West Cork during the 1920s. Along with all the shortlisted stories, Bubble' is available to read and listen to on rte.ie/culture and is also available on RTE Listen, read by Rory Nolan.

Second Prize went to James Langley Was in Love with Sean Harris' by Stephanie O'Connor, a research officer with the RCSI, originally from Bangor Co. Down, now living in Wicklow; she was presented with a cheque for 4,000 by judge Aingeala Flannery.

Third Prize went to A Fork in the Road' by Paul Edmondson, from Salford, England, now retired and living in Waterford, who was presented with a cheque for 3,000 by judge Tristan Rosenstock. The seven runners-up received 300 each.

The winning short stories were selected by this year's judges, Jan Carson, Aingeala Flannery and Tristan Rosenstock from a shortlist of 10 short stories listed below (shortlisted from almost 2,500 entries).

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID ABOUT BUBBLE' BY JAMIE SAMSON (First Prize)

Awarding the prize, Jan Carson said: From the first read, I adored this story and it only grew stronger in premise and execution with each subsequent read. It's quirky, shot through with humour but also peppered with profundity. It's a perfect little bubble of a read.

Aingeal Flannery said: Voice, humour and pace were what set this apart and made it the clear winner. A darkly funny story with appealing characters, snappy dialogue, and a shifting power dynamic, told by a first-person narrator who swings from self aggrandisement to self-loathing over the course of a single sentence. This is very accomplished writing, it smuggles in just enough background information to give the story a sense of time and place that doesn't interrupt its natural rhythm and momentum, building up to deliver a well-earned final twist that is deeply satisfying to the listener.

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID ABOUT JAMES LANGLEY WAS IN LOVE WITH SEAN HARRIS' BY STEPHANIE O'CONNOR (Second Prize)

Awarding the prize, Aingeala Flannery said: James Langley was in love with Sean Harris stood out, firstly because love stories are not as common as you might think, and secondly because the pace was very interesting, typically a short story covers a short period of time, often a contained episode, but this one spans years, and the writer gets away with it, because of how time unfolds. Time moves differently in some settings. Hospitals. Airports. And of course, in prisons, where inmates are serving long stretches of time, and visitors are given tiny windows of time. A memorable short story is one that creeps up on you and stays with you long after you've finished reading it this story has that. Occasionally you read a piece of writing and wish you'd written it yourself. And James Langley was in Love with Sean Harris was one of those for me.

Tristan Rosenstock said: Intimacy is formed in an unlikely scenario. A narcissist and a sensible loner forge a relationship which initially appears one-sided, but which ultimately gives meaning to both partners. We're left wondering how the relationship fared once the prison sentence was up and they could see each other more than once a fortnight. Intriguing characters and a very unconventional love story.

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID ABOUT A FORK IN THE ROAD' BY PAUL EDMONDSON (Third Prize)

Awarding the prize, Tristan Rosenstock said: A stunning account of how a couple's struggle with fertility can lead to a sense of emotional distance between partners. Tom displays love through usefulness' while neglecting the emotional needs of his wife Mary. Were they really well suited to begin with? Or are their unspoken daily rituals enough to sustain the marriage?

Jan Carson added: On a sentence-by-sentence level this is a piece of incredibly accomplished writing, powerful in its restraint and deft in the delivery of quiet but intense observations. The characters are beautifully drawn. The language employed reveals the beauty inherent within the domestic. A quiet explosion of a read.

Commenting on this year's shortlist and winners, Sarah Binchy, series producer said: Our sincere congratulations to this year's winners, and to all the writers on the shortlist. As the series marks 40 years on air, it's heartening to see such a vibrant and varied range of s

LINK:	https://about.rte.ie/2026/10/30/rte-short-story-competition-2026-winne...
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