Index of Irish Literary Competitions I

Armagh Writers Group, 
8 Woodford Heights 
Armagh 
N.Ireland 
BT60 2DY

1,500-2,000 words 

Closing date: end May 
Prizes: £350 and runners-up 
Entry fee: £3

Festival Writer Competition 
Festival Office 
Jolly Mariner Licency 
Athlone, 
Co Westmeath

Short stories must not exceed 400 words. Poetry not more than 50 lines. 
Original work, not previously published. Entries will not be returned. 
Entrants must be over 18 

Closing date: May (varies) 
Prizes: £200 and a trophy plus publication in local press 
Entry fee: £2 per short story or poem. £5 for three entries.

AIB Bank, 
Pearse Street, 
Ballina, 
Co. Mayo. 

3 categories: under 16, 
under 19 
and adult drama 
- one act poetry - 120 words max. 
- short story - 1200 words 

Closing date: March usually 
Prizes: £600 in prize-money and 
publication in Western People newspaper 
Entry fee: £1 underage, £2 adult

Catherine Breslin, 
Bridge End, 
Ballyshannon, 
Co Donegal. 
Tel: 072-51760 
   

Post Primary Competition: 
Poetry and short stories 

Adult: original, not previously published, Short story; not more than 5000 words. 

Youth: Poetry Junior Section (under 15 years) Senior Section (over 15 years) maximum of 1000 words, certified by teacher or parent, anonymous. 

Closing date: 2nd November, varies 

Prizes:1st Poetry: £100, 2nd £75, 3rd £50. 1st Short story 3100, 2nd £75, 3rd £50. Youth £25 and trophy. 
Entry fee: £3 each work submitted (adult) £1 per entry (youth)

Mr. S. Boylan 
6 Dunlarg Road 
Keady 
Armagh 
BT60 3EN 
 

adult and teenager categories 
at least 200 words in length , 
no entry form needed, 
name etc. on cover sheet 
Irish or English 

Closing date:early October usually 
Prizes:1st £500, 2nd £300, 3rd £200 also trophies, runners-up of £50 with certificates 
Entry fee: free entry

Irish Children's Book Trust 
19 Parnell Square 
Dublin 1  

by author or illustrator born or resident in Ireland 
Applications are invited by the Book Trust from all publishers of childrens books in Ireland and England 

Prizes:1st Prize £1,500, runner-up £500

Kells Heritage Festival 
Bookwise, 
Kennedy Rd., 
Navan, 
Co. Meath. 

Entrants must be over 18 
and resident in Co Meath. 
One entry per person, unpublished. 
Not over 2000 words. 

Closing date: May (varies) 
Prizes: £100 

Maureen Carty
Knockroe,
Boyle, 
Co. Roscommon. 
info@boylearts.com
www.boylearts.com

Entrants may submit an unlimited number of poems accompanied by the appropriate fee. €5 for first poem and €3 for each subsequent entry. Cheques or postal orders made payble to BAF2004. Prizes are €250 for the winning poem and two €65 runners up prizes. In addition there will be 10 high recommendations and a further 10 recommendations. Prizes will be awarded on Saturday July 24th at a ceremony during the Boyle Arts Festival. All winners will be invited to attend. Closing date: 31 May 2004.

John Haugh 
3 St Oliver's Park 
Carlingford 
 
 

Short Story: Entry to be submitted on an A4 sheet. 
Poetry: Between 10 and 15 lines. 
Poetry in English or Irish 

Closing date: May, varies every year. 
Prizes: Books, tokens and a trophy 
Entry fee: Free

Marie Boland, 
Secretary Clonmel Writers Weekend Committee 
c/o Clonmel Library, 
Emmet Street 
Clonmel, 
Co. Tipperary. 
 
 

Adult short story competition: 
Original, not been published, 
3000 words, typed, anonymous, 

Childrens poetry and short stories. Under 10/13/15/18 

Closing date: 30th July (varies) 
Prizes: 1st £100 and 2nd £50 £2 each 
Entry fee:£10 per six entries. 
No fees for children.

Cló Iar-Chonnachta 
Indreabhán 
Conamara 
Co. na Gaillimhe 

(i.e. Urscéal, Cnuasach Filíochta, Cnuasach Gearrscéalta, Dráma) 
Aois: Faoi bhun 30 d'aois ar an dáta deireadh d'iarratais Foirm iarratais agus cóip de na mionrialacha le fáil ó Chló Iar-Chonnachta 

Spriocdáta: 1 Nollaig 
Duais: £1,000 

Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown 
County Library Service 
Co. Dublin 

with various categories for adults and children Irish,English, German, French, Italian, Welsh. 

Closing date: October

Marion Mulligan 
Station Road 
Cootehill. 

Tel: 049-52554 
 

Anonymous, 
author must consent to publication, 
ms will not be returned unless s.a.e. is enclosed. 

Closing date: varies. August. 
Prizes: £100 1st and £50 2nd, both competitions 
Entry fee: £5 per short story, £2 per poem

Cork Women's Poetry Circle 
The Arthive 
Thompson House 
MacCurtain St. 
Cork 
 
 

Short Stories up to 2000 words. 
short ( 30 word ) bio. of the writer Manuscript must not bear the name of the author. 
Each entry must be accompanied by 
2 SAE ( to return the story ). 
Work must be previously unpublished. 

Closing date: April 
Prizes:£100 and publication for winner and runners-up 
Entry fee:£4 for 3 poems, 2 stories, 2 one-act plays plus £1 for each addition piece.

Bridie Clark 
Resource Centre for the Unemployed 
7 North Quay 
Drogheda 
 

Poetry up to 40 lines 
Stories 600-700 words 

Closing date: mid March usually 
Prizes: publication and modest prize money 
Entry fee: £2 per entry adult £1 per entry childre/teenagers/ senior citizens

FISH publishing,  
Durrus, 
West Cork. 
Phone/Fax 61246 
story@fishpublishing.com

Fish Annual Short Story Prize

£1,000 For the overall winner

Second Prizes:- * One week at Anam Cara Writers' Retreat, Eyeries, Beara, Co Cork. * Top 18 stories will be published in Fish's 2002 anthology, and will be read by literary agents, including Shirley Stewart and Merric Davidson. Judges: William Wall, (author of "Alice Falling" and "Minding Children', and "Mathematics and Other Poems". Mary Morrissy, author of "The Pretender" and "Mother of Pearl". Christopher Hope, is the author of a collection of short stories, seven novels and three works of non-fiction. "Kruger's Alp" won the 1985 Whitbread Prize for fiction. "Serenity House" was short-listed for the 1992 Booker Prize. Conditions: - The competition is open to writers from all countries, but stories must be written in English. - Closing date 30th November 2001. - There is no restriction on theme or style. Maximum words 5,000. - Stories must be typed, one side. Name and address should not appear on text, but on a separate sheet. Include phone number and e mail if possible. - The judges' verdict is final. No correspondence will be entered into once work has been submitted. - Entry Fee: £8(US$12) for the first story, £5(US$8) per subsequent story. Concession rate £5. - For receipt of entry, notification of results, or other inquiries, include SAE. State which is required. No entry form is needed. - The winning stories must be available to Fish Publishing for the forthcoming anthology, and therefore must not have been published previously. - Entry will be deemed as acceptance of these conditions. - Results announced 17th March on our web site - www.fishpublishing.com - Stories will not be returned. To enter: send stories to Fish Short Story Prize, Durrus, Bantry, Co Cork, Ireland. Honorary Patrons: Roddy Doyle, Dermot Healy, Frank McCourt Fish Publishing. Tel: 353 (0)27 61246. E mail: info@fishpublishing.com website www.fishpublishing.com Note: competition judge Christopher Hope will tutor a workshop on the short story during the West Cork Chamber Music and Literary Festival from 1st - 5th July 2002. It will focus on work in progress. Cost £125. or EUR150 not including board. Places are limited to 12.

RTE, 
Donnybrook 
Dublin 4 

Varies. 
Original, less than 1850 words. 
Irish or English 

Closing date: 29th September 2000

Secretary 
Short Story Competition 
6 Horbans Hill 
Westport, 
Co. Mayo 
 

All citizens or residents of Ireland. Original, not published before, between 1500 and 3000 words, separate C.V. fiction or non-fiction 

Closing date: End June

Mrs Breda Reid 
59 Great Southern 
Newbridge 
Co. Kildare 
 

in adult and children categories 
Open: No age limit. 
Junior: Under 19 years. 
English: Minor: Under 15 years 
Primary: Under 13 years. 
Irish Open: No age limit. 
Junior: Uder 19. 
Original: Typed, name separated from the poem. 

June (varies) Open 
1st £300, 
other prizes vary 
£3 per poem. 
Minor and Primary: £1 per poem.

Cló Iar-Chonnachta 
Indreabhán 
Conamara 
Co na Gaillimhe 

Foirm iarratais agus cóip de na mionrialacha le fáil ó Chló Iar-Chonnachta, Indreabhán, Conamara, Co na Gaillimhe 
1 Nollaig, bliain an Chomórtais 
Duais bhliantúil: £5,000 agus Gradam Litríochta Chló Iar-Chonnachta 
£20 an t-iarratas

Margaret Galvin 
Irelands Own 
North Main Street 
Wexford 
Tel:053-22155 
Fax: 053-23801 
 
 

short stories not longer than 2000 words. Non-fiction should be around 750-1000 words. 
Strong Irish background 

Payment: £30 - £40 each story 
£25 for articles

The Irish Times Literary Prizes 
Irish Times 
10-16 D'Olier St 
D 2. 
Tel:6792022 

Book in English, 
published in Ireland, UK or US. 
Published books shortlisted a 
nd judged by a jury. 

Writers' Week 
P.O. Box 147 
Listowel 
Co Kerry 
 
 

Play: One act max. 
Short story: not more than 3000 words. Prizes for individual poems and short collections. Name should not appear on work itself. Please specify Juvenile or Senior entries. 

Closing date:March (varies) 

Substantial Cash prizes in each category

Entry fee: £5 pounds per play, short story, poem

Ballydonoghue 
Lisselton 
Co Kerry 
 

not to exceed 2,500 words, name should not appear on work itself, must be unpublished in any form. Entry must be typed and top copy entered. 

Closing date: end May

Prizes: 500 pds, 250 pds 100 pds. 

Entry fee: 4 pds

Kathleen Lynch 
Literary Director 
Castle Gardens 
Mohill 
Co. Leitrim 
 
 

Entrants must submit a minimum of five poems or two stories 

Closing date: mid July usually 

Prizes: poetry 100 pounds, 
short story 200pounds 

 Entry fee:3 pounds poems, 5 pounds stories

John Doorty, 
Carrowkeal, 
Kilshanny, 
Kilfenora, 
Co. Clare. 
 

All entires must be typed and the original unpublished work of the author. 
Work may be on submission elsewhere, but should be withdrawn from the competition if accepted for publication. 

Stories 5000 words max. (1 entry) 
Poems 40 lines max (2 entries) 
English 

Closing date: End March

Prizes: IR£350  in prizes plus publication in 
Departures 

Entry fee: IR£5  per story or two poems

Society of Irish Playwrights 
Irish Writers' Centre  
19 Parnell Square 
Dublin 1 
 
 

 Open to Irish playwrights and foreigners resident in Ireland. 2 copies, nom-de-plume only on MS varies, 

 Closing date: Spring/Summer 

 Prizes 1st 500 pds, 2nd 250 pds, 3rd100 pds 

 Entry fee: 10 pounds

Radio Centre 
R.T.E. 
Dublin 4 
 
 

Closing date: Oct / Nov. 

Prizes1,000 pds and broadcasts. 
Six plays selected for Amateur Drama Radio Festival, each receive 250 pounds 

 Entry fee: None