WISE 2027
Submission Guidelines & Rules
Writers' Intercollegiate Showcase Event — Ireland's First National Flash Fiction & Poetry Festival
The Theme: Trespass
The 2027 theme for WISE is Trespass.
To trespass is to cross a line you were not supposed to cross. It is boundary violation, forbidden territory, the act of entering spaces where you do not belong. The word carries legal weight, religious resonance, and personal charge. A trespass can be an act of defiance or an accident, a moral failing or a necessary courage. It can be a foot on private land, a thought that will not stay within its bounds, a body in a room it was never meant to enter.
We invite writers to interpret this theme as broadly as they wish. Your work might explore transgression and taboo, borders and their enforcement, guilt and forgiveness, uninvited presence, the politics of access and exclusion, colonialism and displacement, desire that refuses permission, or the line between bravery and violation. These suggestions are starting points, not constraints. The strongest submissions will find their own way into the theme.
Submission Categories
Flash Fiction
Flash fiction submissions should be self-contained prose narratives. Hybrid forms (prose poetry, fragmented narrative, experimental structure) are welcome provided the work is primarily narrative in intent. The word count includes the title but excludes any optional epigraph.
Poetry
Poems may be written in any form: free verse, formal verse, prose poetry, concrete poetry, or experimental forms. Sequences or extracts from longer works are acceptable provided the submission stands on its own.
Submission Rules
Eligibility
Submissions are open to any student currently enrolled at a higher education institution on the island of Ireland (Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland), whether undergraduate or postgraduate, full-time or part-time. Entrants under the age of 18 must have the consent of a parent or guardian to participate.
Number of submissions
Each entrant may submit one piece per category, for a maximum of two submissions (one flash fiction and one poem).
Sole authorship
All submissions must be the work of a single author. Collaborative or co-authored pieces are not eligible.
Originality
All work must be the original creation of the entrant. Work must not have been previously published in print or online, nor have won or been placed in another competition. Simultaneous submissions to other outlets are permitted, but entrants must withdraw their WISE submission immediately if the work is accepted elsewhere before judging concludes.
Withdrawal
To withdraw a submission, email the WISE organising committee at writers@socs.universityofgalway.ie. Please include your name and the title of the piece.
Theme
Submissions must engage with the theme "Trespass," though interpretation is left entirely to the writer. Oblique, subversive, or unconventional approaches to the theme are encouraged.
Language
Submissions may be written in English. Bilingual work is also welcome. We welcome dialect, Hiberno-English, code-switching, and experiments with language.
Formatting
Submissions should be in .docx or .pdf format, 12-point font, single- or 1.5-spaced, with the title of the piece at the top of the first page. Do not include your name, university, or any other identifying information anywhere in the submitted document.
AI-generated content
Work produced in whole or in substantial part by generative AI tools is not eligible. Use of AI for grammar checking, translation assistance, or minor editorial feedback is permitted.
Disqualification
The organisers reserve the right to disqualify any entry that breaches these rules, including but not limited to plagiarism, substantial AI generation, prior publication, or misrepresentation of eligibility. This applies at any stage of the competition, including after shortlisting or prizegiving. The organisers' decision on all eligibility matters is final.
Judging Process
WISE uses a two-stage judging process that combines blind assessment with live presentation.
Stage 1: Blind Shortlisting
All submissions are anonymised before being read by the judging panel. Judges assess work on its literary merit, including the quality of the writing at the sentence level, originality of voice and approach, effectiveness of form and structure, depth of engagement with the theme, and the lasting impression the piece makes on the reader.
The judges will select a shortlist of finalists in each category based on their expert literary judgment. There is no numerical scoring system.
Stage 2: Live Presentation
Shortlisted finalists will be invited to present their work live at the WISE festival on 23 January 2027 at the University of Galway. The judges will have already read all shortlisted pieces during the blind assessment stage. The live presentation gives finalists the opportunity to perform their work and is a central part of the festival experience.
Following the presentations, the judges will determine the final ranking and announce the winners.
Shortlisted writers will be notified by email, so please ensure the email address you provide at submission is one you check regularly.
Judges
The WISE 2027 judging panel is Dave Lordan, Karl Parkinson, and Dave Rudden.
The judges' decisions are final. No correspondence will be entered into regarding individual placement decisions.
Prizes
Prizes TBA. Details will be announced ahead of the submission deadline.
All shortlisted writers will be invited to present their work at the WISE festival on 23 January 2027.
Copyright
Writers retain full copyright over their work at all times. By submitting to WISE, you grant the organisers a non-exclusive licence to publish your work in the WISE anthology and the Writers' Society annual print publication, and to reproduce it in promotional materials related to the competition. This licence does not transfer ownership and does not prevent you from publishing your work elsewhere after the competition concludes.
Key Dates
Data & Privacy
By entering WISE, you consent to the collection and processing of your personal data (name, email address, university affiliation) for the purposes of administering the competition, contacting you regarding your submission, and publishing your name in connection with any shortlisting or prize. Your personal data will not be shared beyond the WISE organising committee and the judging panel, and will not be used for marketing or any purpose unrelated to the competition. Submitted manuscripts will be deleted after the competition concludes unless you are selected for the anthology, in which case your work will be retained only for the duration of the publication process.
If you have any questions about how your data is handled, contact the WISE organising committee at writers@socs.universityofgalway.ie.
Submissions open 5 October and close 23 November 2026 at 23:59 (Irish time).