Lincoln Book Festival

04/06/2026

We would love to take this opportunity to save a BIG thank you to all of our volunteers past, present and future! Without you we would not be here.

If you would like to join us this year please get in touch via the website lincolnbookfestival.org.uk

02/06/2026

🎉 Flash Fiction competition NOW OPEN! 🎉

📝 Love writing, love your hobbies? Then why not join in with our 2026 Flash Fiction competition, which celebrates The National Year of Reading.

We are inviting all budding authors to write a short 50-word story.

👉 Age categories are:
- Primary (Reception to Year 6)
– Secondary (Year 7 to Year 13)
– Adult (18+ with no upper age limit)

⏱ Deadline: 24 August Midnight

Schools and individuals can apply.
To find out more and apply please visit our website.

Happy writing! 💛

Lincoln Arts Centre

We’re delighted to announce that Lincoln Book Festival’s popular flash fiction competition is back for 2026! And we’re going all-in with this year’s theme – Hobbies. The festival’s annual creative…

11/05/2026

📚✨ What happens when literary icons take over a city?

We’ve teamed up with local illustrator Nick Moffatt to reimagine famous characters from literature, dropped right into the heart of Lincoln Book Festival. From the Brayford to uphill Lincoln, each illustration captures a character going ALL IN on the things they love most. 👀

Can you spot who’s who?

🎉 Join us 1–4 October 2026 for this year’s edition of Lincoln Book Festival, a city-wide celebration of stories where we are encouraging people to . Go All In, is The National Year of Reading 2026; a UK-wide campaign designed to inspire more people to make reading a regular part of their lives.

📖🔥 And this is just the beginning…Keep your eyes peeled. More to come including, the return of our Flash Fiction competition + the first wave of events landing

📚✨

25/04/2026

We’re fully into planning mode for this October’s Lincoln Book Festival. First details on the programme coming soon. The draft’s coming along nicely… 📝

05/03/2026

It’s World Book Day! Let’s go all in on reading in 2026. Lincoln Book Festival is back this Autumn (1-4 October). 📖

04/03/2026

Save the date! Lincoln Book Festival 2026 lands 1-4 October. First peak at the programme coming spring/summer. 🗓️

13/01/2026

The National Year of Reading has officially launched - and we’re going all in for 2026 to marvel at the magic of a good book.

Follow our socials or sign up to our newsletter via our website for all the latest news on the next edition of Lincoln Book Festival this October.

01/01/2026

We’re going all in on reading 📚

Lincoln Book Festival is proud to support Go All In, the UK’s National Year of Reading 2026, a nationwide push to help people of all ages discover (or rediscover) the joy of reading.

09/12/2025

How do stories spark joy, creativity and memories? 📖

This November, Lincoln Book Festival took some of the wonderful entries from our annual flash fiction competition out into care homes across Lincolnshire, connecting creativity with community. Find out how a small group of university students brought laughter, nostalgia, and inspiration to residents.

👉 Read the guest blog on our Literature in the Lounge project in full on our website.

https://lincolnbookfestival.org/2025/12/literature-in-the-lounge-2025-guest-blog/

26/10/2025

What a talented bunch! 🏅

We had an incredible 180 short stories submitted to our 50-word flash fiction competition this year on the theme heroes and villains. Entries came from across the UK from aspiring authors aged 5-81 years old!

Read the winning stories along with shortlisted and long-listed entries on our website.

Big thanks to everyone who took up the challenge and the brilliant schools who supported our younger entrants. Flash fiction will be back again in 2026! ⚡️📚