‘Ikje’ is a regular column on the back page of the NRC newspaper. An Ikje is a personal experience or anecdote captured in less than 120 words: an ultra-short story; a humorous, moving or unusual experience or observation, usually with a point or twist.
Max. 120 words. But many are much shorter. In general, the average Ikje is around 80 words long.
Try to limit yourself to just one word, or a short phrase or common word combination. (Max. three words). Tip: choose a word that’s already used in your Ikje.
We hope that everyone will follow the Ikje format, but as a literary festival we naturally encourage the use of literary stylistic devices. We won’t fact-check whether your story is true to life, slightly exaggerated, or completely made-up.
Every language is welcome. If written in an other language than Dutch or English, we would appreciate if you submit a translation as well. (Feel free to use an online translator; the translation is mainly for our own internal use).
The submission period is from 18 June to 5 October 2024. Certain other deadlines apply for specific publications. See the Calendar for more information.
Yes, you can! Participants can submit up to 3 Ikjes.
Yes, you can. But we do ask that you provide your real name and details, so that we can contact you and verify that you are a real person, if necessary. But you can enter a pseudonym when you submit your Ikje, in the field 'Name (Public)', in which case we will not publish your real name.
Your Ikje must be an original, unpublished work from your own hand, and must comply with the General Terms and Conditions.
Thank you for your submission! Every working day, we check the newly submitted Ikjes before publishing. We aim to place it online within a workday, so you can read and share. In the event of big Ikjes-waves, or in the weekends, it can take a bit longer. Thank you for your patience.
The Ikje will be neatly formatted and posted on the Ikjes Marathon website starting from 1 August. From there, you can share it with anyone you like via social media, and anyone who likes your Ikje can share it on theirs. Some Ikje stories will also be published via other media: highlighted on the in-depth ILFU platform, in the NRC newspaper, on posters, and on the special tear-out calendar.
All Ikje submissions will be posted on the Ikjes Marathon website, as long as they comply with the General Terms and Conditions. We will personally contact the authors of the Ikjes selected for publication via the other media.
An editorial board is currently being compiled to decide which Ikje stories will be published, in consultation with our media partners.
You can withdraw your Ikje submission anytime before 7 September (for example because you don’t want your Ikje to be considered for publication in the NRC). Simply send us an e-mail via ikjes[at]ilfu.com. Please note: you can only submit a maximum of three Ikjes, including any Ikjes that you withdraw from submission.
When you submit your Ikje, you can state whether you are willing to recite yours at the event. In one of our e-mails to participants, we will announce when the recitation sign-up page will go online. When it does, you can use the link in the e-mail to select a time slot for your reading. Keep in mind: first come, first served!
ILFU is both an annual literature festival, and a daily online platform for literature. We bring the best writers in the world to Utrecht for our festival, and we publish commissioned work on our platform. The mission of ILFU is to show that literature matters. So many people are writing so many wonderful texts, and each year more and more people visit our festival and our platform. Together they show that literature is full of life, and is vital for a healthy society. For more information about the ILFU, please visit: ilfu.com. The site also features the full ILFU programme; from courses, book talks, film programmes and festival events full of international authors, to the annual Poetry Night. And the online platform will post new contributions every day.