ILFU will organise the big public event in 2024: Ikjesmarathon. We are many ikjes!

Write your own Ikje and get published.

The Ikje on the back page of NRC has been an institution for more than 20 years. Thousands of hilarious, tragic and recognisable incidents by unknown Dutch people captured in 120 words form the chronicles of everyday life. Reason enough for ILFU (International Literature Festival Utrecht) to organise a one-off all-encompassing Ikjes marathon. We call on everyone to send in their own Ikje, in the language that suits them best. All Ikjes will be posted on a special site from 1 August. The submitters of the most original Ikjes will receive national publication and a chance to win 500 euros. 

There is a Me in everyone

An Ikje is a personal experience or anecdote in no more than 120 words. An ultra-short story, a funny, touching or special experience or observation, usually with a point or twist. From 18 June to 5 October, anyone can submit one to a maximum of three Ikjes via ilfu.com. 

We also ask the many (well-known) writers from home and abroad, who will be present during the ILFU festival from 21 September to 5 October 2024, to write an Ikje. During ILFU's opening weekend, a special Ikje marathon programme will take place at the Utrecht Book Market on Sunday 22 September. All day long, you can listen to readings of Ikjes by Ikjes submitters and festival authors on the Vredenburgplein.

I am many stories

The Ikjes marathon stems from ILFU's ambition to organise a major public event every year in which everyone can participate, from enthusiasts and amateurs to experienced writers. The Ikje, which focuses on personal experience, ties in with the current boom in autofiction, autobiography and memoirs, as well as with this year's ILFU motto: I am many stories.

For participants who want to learn the intricacies of Ikjes writing, ILFU organises live and online workshops. ILFU also develops a lesson plan for education and collaborates with civil society organisations, including the Special Arts Netherlands Foundation.

Publication, tear-off calendar and price

From 1 August to 5 October, all Ikjes will be visible on ilfu.com. You can easily share your Ikjes on social media. For a week in October, Ikjes will be on display in the concourse of Utrecht Central Station. A special ILFU-Ikjes editorial team will select the Ikjes that will be published on the back page of NRC during the festival. A unique tear-off calendar will also be published at the end of 2024. For the ten most original Ikjes, there is a prize of 500 euro.

ILFU 2024

From 21 September to 5 October, Utrecht will again be all about literature. Every year, some 200 writers and over 20,000 visitors visit ILFU. In recent years, ILFU has attracted big international names such as Jonathan Franzen, Margaret Atwood, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Elena Ferrante, Michel Houellebecq, Nick Cave, David Mitchell, Ali Smith and Édouard Louis. ILFU 2024's line-up will be announced in the coming months. Ticket sales for The Night of Poetry, Exploring Stories and YALFU (Young Adult day) have now started. See the entire festival programme at https://ilfu.com

ILFU also invites writers throughout the rest of the year. The online platform ilfu.com publishes daily stories, poems, interviews and essays and is now supported by 1200+ members