Creative writing award for Bettystown native

Bettystown filmmaker and animator, Holly Langan, has been selected as the overall winner of the 2026 All Ireland Scholars Creative Writing Competition in the Prose Category for her written piece 'Primordial Soup'.

Sponsored by JP McManus, the competition, now in its sixth year, is open to recipients of the All Ireland Scholarship.

This year's competition focused on the short form written word (max 600 words) with prose and poetry categories where entrants were asked to focus on short-form fiction, non-fiction, and op-ed.

This year’s stellar judging panel included Paul Lynch (Booker Prize Winner 2023), Donal Ryan (Orwell Prize Winner 2025), and Dr Emily Cullen. The judging process was chaired by Professor Sarah Moore Fitzgerald, Head of Creative Writing at the University of Limerick.

Holly is a 26-year-old animator and filmmaker and received the All Ireland Scholarship in 2018. She went on to study Animation at Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology.

Her graduate film 'Heading Home' was awarded 'Best First Short Animation' at the Galway Film Fleadh in 2024. She has recently completed courses of study in stop motion animation with the Aardman Academy, as well as animation workshops with the National Talent Academy.

Holly is passionate about the arts and enjoys engaging with a variety of different disciplines, from dance to filmmaking to writing. She is an avid reader and has enjoyed writing since she was a child, inspired by her favourite books.

The judges were impressed by her winning piece, saying, “The writing is tactile and vivid, its sensory detail capturing the heat, salt, and textures of the shore with great immediacy and fidelity.”

Commenting on the competition, Sponsor JP McManus said: “I am delighted to honour the winners of this year’s All Ireland Scholars Creative Writing Competition. With over 2,050 All Ireland Scholars across the island of Ireland, the written work submitted is yet another reminder of the creativity, insight, and imagination they bring to the table. We take great pride in following our scholars after they finish university. Congratulations to all of our winners here today and many thanks to the judges for sharing their time and valuable expertise.”