To mark the 22nd edition of the Quais du Polar international festival, the festival is organizing its traditional short story competitions. Adults and children alike, grab your pens or sit down at your keyboards to become the next winner of the adult or youth short story competition. Good luck to everyone!
ADULT SHORT STORIES CONTEST
Quais du Polar and Babelio invite you to participate in their annual contest sponsored by David S. Khara and supported by the Désir d’écrire institute. If you love writing and crime fiction, this contest invites you to explore the dark side of scientific discoveries through the theme “In the Shadow of Discoveries.”
Announcement of the winner and the award ceremony will take place on April 3, 2026, during the Quais du Polar festival. The winning author will be published in digital format on the Babelio website in July 2026. A comprehensive creative writing course with The Désir d’écrire institute will be offered to her, along with a set of books from the publishing house Maison Pop.
Your noir or detective story of maximum 30,000 characters (including spaces) must be written in French to enter the competition.
Envoi des candidatures : concoursdenouvelles@quaisdupolar.com.
Deadline: Sunday, February 15, 2026
YOUTH SHORT STORIES CONTEST
For this new edition of the youth short story competition, Quais du Polar is honored to have Jean-Christophe Tixier as its patron. This year, participants will be asked to write a noir or detective story on the theme of “poisoned memory.” : a city, a secret, a forgotten danger… It’s up to you to invent the story! Armed with your finest pens, write a short story in which memory, ecology, and investigation intersect.
The stories may be written individually, in groups, or by class (to be specified upon submission). The age limit for participants ·e·s is 11 to 15 years old (from 6th to 9th grade).
Your noir or detective story should be no more than 8,000 characters long (including spaces) and must be written in french to enter the competition.
Envoi des candidatures : nouvelles@quaisdupolar.com.
Deadline : Sunday, February 15, 2026
