Nicole Flattery awarded 2026 Rooney Prize for Irish Literature
Posted on: 10 September 2026
Ireland’s longest-established literary prize marks its 50th anniversary
Nicole Flattery has been announced as the recipient of the 2026 Rooney Prize for Irish Literature. She will be presented with the award at a gala dinner in Trinity College Dublin attended by guests from the world of Irish literature, including 21 previous winners of the prize.
Established in 1976, the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature celebrates an outstanding body of work by an emerging Irish writer under the age of 40. To mark its 50th anniversary, the value of the annual prize has this year been doubled from €10,000 to €20,000 as announced by Benefactor and Custodian of the prize, Dr Peter Rooney.
The prize is administered by the Oscar Wilde Centre for Creative Writing in the School of English at Trinity College Dublin.
Responding to the announcement, Nicole Flattery said: “Winning the Rooney Prize is an absolute dream come true! Not only does it offer encouragement to keep going at a pivotal time in my work and career, but it feels so special and meaningful to be included in such a storied list. I am very grateful to Peter Rooney for his generosity and support, and to the judges for the time, care and consideration they gave to my work.”
Nicole Flattery is originally from Kinnegad, Co. Westmeath. Her fiction and criticism have appeared in publications, including The Stinging Fly, The London Review of Books, The New York Review of Books, Harpers, and more. Her first book, the short-story collection Show Them a Good Time, was published by The Stinging Fly Press and Bloomsbury in 2019. Her first novel, Nothing Special, appeared in 2023.
Her next novel, to be published in May 2027, Everything Is Nice,Everything Is Lovely, was acquired by Jonathan Cape in a competitive six-way auction in 2026. She has previously won The White Review Short Story Prize, the Kate O'Brien Prize for Fiction, An Post Irish Book Award for short story and the London Magazine Debut Fiction Award.
Provost Dr Linda Doyle, author Nicole Flattery and Dr Peter Rooney
Chair of the Rooney Prize selection committee, literary agent Jonathan Williams, said:
“The a Prize for Irish Literature celebrates its fiftieth anniversary in 2026. It is, by a long chalk, the oldest-established literary award in Ireland. A vital element in the bestowal of the Prize is what, in the jury’s estimation, the published works portend for the writer’s future endeavours. The jury members were impressed by Nicole’s offbeat, quirky short-story collection.”
Williams continued: “Emily Dickinson wrote at the beginning of one of her most celebrated poems, ‘Tell all the truth but tell it slant.’ Nicole Flattery seems to have imbibed this striking advice in her enigmatic and poker-faced storylines. She is a very worthy winner of this distinguished award.”
Dr Peter Rooney, author Nicole Flattery and Carlo Gébler, Assistant Professor in Creative Writing at the Oscar Wilde Centre for Irish Writing
Benefactor and Custodian of the Rooney Prize, Dr Peter Rooney, said: “Nicole Flattery’s short-story collection, Show Them a Good Time, is a complex, witty and deeply moving exploration of the difficulties of life, depicted in an often wry and humorous way.
“Flattery invites us to look at life’s challenges as potentially absurd - not to dismiss them, but to dismantle their negative impact. Her characters possess a depth of humanity that is at once endearing and illuminating. We learn from these stories that it is all right to laugh when we should be crying, to experience joy and sorrow simultaneously, and to feel compassion when we should feel anger.
“We are absolutely thrilled to recognise Nicole Flattery’s immense talent and to add her name to our ever-growing list of prestigious Rooney Prize winners.”
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