The Bailieborough Poetry Prize 2016

Have you poems ready for release? The Bailieborough Poetry Prize 2016 is open for submission till Wednesday 31st August 2016. They give 50 lines max, longer than the 40 usually given in competitions...

• First prize of €300 for winning poem with a 2nd prize of €50 to be awarded.
• There will also be a special prize for a local entrant domiciled in Cavan or Meath.
• Each poem must not exceed 50 lines, and should be typed, single-spaced.
• Up to three poems may be submitted per entry. You may submit as many entries as you wish. A fee of €5 per poem or 3 poems for €10 is payable. 

The judges this year are Michael Farry and Mairead Donnellan. More details HERE

Over The Edge Reading in Galway

I've been a terrible blogger recently, but I'm working on my novel and spending any free time writing myself closer to the finishing line, and you know what summer is like for trying to juggle... So, I just wanted to get the word out about a reading I'm doing in Galway city...its on Thursday the 30th June and features some amazing writers -

Salmon Poetry recently published Susan Millar DuMars’ fourth collection of poems Bone Fire. Paul Duffy was 2015 Over The Edge New Writer of The Year, and will read his winning story. William Wall is the author of four novels, including This is the Country (Sceptre), which was long-listed for the Man Booker Prize! Michael J. Whelan joined the Irish Defence Forces in 1990, serving on tours of duty as a United Nations Peacekeeper. Michael’s debut poetry collection ‘Peacekeeper’ is recently published by the most excellent Doire Press. 

The deadline for this years international Over The Edge Writer of the Year Competition, which I'm judging, is Wednesday 23rd August. So still plenty of time to release your poems and stories into the world :)

The Galway Independent featured the reading in today's edition.  

Over The Edge Competition.

I'll be judging this year's Over The Edge Writing Competition. It's open to both poets and fiction writers worldwide. 

Its a great opportunity for writers - this year  Salmon Poetry will read, without commitment to publish, a manuscript submitted to them by the winner in the poetry category. And for fiction writers, Doire Press will read, without commitment to publish, a manuscript of short stories submitted to them by the winner in the fiction category. The total prize money is €1,000. 

I'm looking forward to reading the entries - the closing date is Wednesday, August 3rd, 2016. All entries will be judged anonymously, so put your name on a separate sheet, not on your poem/story. 

Further details are at Over the Edge Blog

Launch of Novel Fair 2016

The Irish Writers Centre are launching the 2016 Novel Fair tomorrow Thursday 16th of at 7.00pm in their centre in Dublin. It is a free event, but you need a ticket, which you can book by following this LINK

The launch will allow aspiring novelists to gain the inside track about how the Fair works. At the Fair twelve emerging writers will have the opportunity to bypass the slush pile and pitch directly to a selection of publishers and agents. The submissions period will open tomorrow, and remain open for six months. The Fair itself will be held in February 2016.

Here's what they have to say -
Former Novel Fair winner Niamh Boyce (The Herbalist) will share insights on this unique opportunity to connect with publishers and agents, and Dan Bolger, Commissioning Editor of New Island Books will reveal how the Fair benefits publishers through discovering new authors. A must for anyone who has ever dreamed of getting a novel published.

Battle of the Books!

I'm very excited to be judging this new competition from the organiser's of the infamously fabulous Swift Festival! The Battle of the Books is a new international writing competition (open to poetry and prose) and is organised by the Swift Festival in Trim, Co Meath, Ireland. And, unusually, previously published work is accepted! The deadline is July 1st, so get sending!

Theme:‘Travel is the theme of the competition, but the interpretation of ‘travel’ will be very wide indeed... In other words, anything goes – as long as it has some mention/whiff/suggestion of travel. It can be pure fiction or memoir or any other genre of writing. Humour is not essential but it certainly won’t do an entry any harm. Entertainment is highly desirable.’

Deadline: Tuesday 1^st July, 2014.

Poems: minimum 40 lines, maximum 60 lines.

Prose: minimum 800 words, maximum 1,000 words.

Entry fee: €5 per entry or €10 for three entries.

Prize: €500

For further details and to enter - click the Festival Website *HERE*

Poetry Pamphlet Competition

Here's a reminder of a wee poetry competition (as if you haven't enough to do!)  Its for a chapbook and the prize is publication (author gets 40 copies). I don't enter many, or any lately, of the competitions I post about, but I like the sound of this one, and hopefully it will help me to reorder and weed my poetry collection. Its run by UK publishers Pighog Press & The Poetry School, and the deadline 31st January.

A maximum of 10 poems should be submitted. Poems should be typed on single sides of A4. Each submission should be no more than 300 lines in total. You can find out more - HERE

‘Pamphlets reflect the art and craft of compression. A pamphlet may be small, but it should be beautifully formed - each poem must deserve its place, because it has been lovingly crafted, with something important to say. I love pamphlets that have a sure sense of themselves, a necessity, an urgency. I like to be surprised, seduced, shaken out of my comfort zone.’ - Catherine Smith (judge)

Francis Mac Manus Radio Short Story Competition

 

 

Submissions for the 2014 RTÉ Francis Mac Manus Radio Short Story Competition are now being accepted. The competition is free to enter and closing date is Friday 31 January, 2014. Applications forms and guidelines can be found Here  Apply by post to-

The Francis Mac Manus Short Story Competition,
RTÉ Radio 1,
Donnybrook,
Dublin 4.

The three judges for 2014 are Christine Dwyer Hickey, Award winning novelist and short story writer, Julie Parsons, best selling author and former radio producer, Eoin Purcell, Editorial Director, New Island Books.

2013 Irish Book Awards

The Herbalist has just won Newcomer of the Year at the Irish Book Awards!

I'm thrilled, and still a bit gobsmacked, and of course grateful. I keep thinking back to four years ago, and me sitting at my chaotic kitchen table scribbled away like a maniac, with no idea whether the book would ever see the light of day. And now it has readers, readers who liked it enough to award it Newcomer of The Year. A big thank you to everyone :)

Receiving the award from Madeleine Keane

Writing Spirit Award 2011

This competition has a longer max word count than most - 4,000.

Writing4all is an Irish writing website that runs an Annual Writing Spirit Short Story Competition. This year the judge is Christine Dwyer-Hickey. The contest is open to all nationalities and all genres. The prize-winning stories, along with merited stories will be published in an anthology at the end of the competition.

First Prize: €1000, Second Prize: €200, Third Prize: €100

The contest runs for four rounds throughout the year. The next submission deadline is - 30th September. At the end of each round, the best stories, as chosen by a panel of judges will be shortlisted for the award. €7 per story

Entries may be submitted by post to:

The Writing Spirit Award 2011

Spade Enterprise Centre

North King Street

Smithfield

Dublin 7

Republic of Ireland

Alternatively, you can submit your work by e-mail to info@writing4all.ie

Entries must be pasted into the body of the email; attachments will not be opened. Entries must also clearly have the words "The Writing Spirit Award 2011” in their subject lines to prevent being treated as spam.

For more details click here

Other Short Story Competition Deadlines coming up include The Dromineer on the 19th August & on the 3rd of August, there's Over The Edge

Good luck and have a good weekend:)

Upcoming Writing Competitions

Some competitions for the coming months. Confession: I now believe in multiple submissions. Send them everywhere!

Strokestown
Poetry
Deadline 24th Jan

Mslexia
Stories: Max wordcount 2,200.
Deadline 24th Jan

Cuirt New Writing Prize
Poetry: 3 poems, each under 50 lines
Fiction: up to 2000 words
Non Fiction/Memoir: up to 2000 words
Deadline: 4th Feb

Bryan Mc Mahon
Short Stories of up to 3,000 words
Deadline 25th Feb

Fish
One Page
300 words or less
Deadline 20 March

Fish
Poetry
Under 200 words
Deadline 30 March

Molly Keane Writing Award
Short story competition.
Up to 2,000 words.
Deadline 24^th Mar

Bridport
SHORT STORIES: 1st prize = £ 5000 (approx. 8000 US$, 5900 € )
POEMS: 1st Prize = £ 5000 (approx. 8000 US$, 5900 €)
FLASH FICTION: 1st Prize =£ 1000 (approx. 1600 US$, 1180 €)
Deadline 30th June

Aesthetica
Up to 2 poems/ max 40 lines.
Stories - max word count 2000 words.
Deadline 31 Aug.

A few things I've learnt about submitting to competitions...

1. If you've just finished your story and it moves you to tears, laughter and/or awe - don't send it. You're not objective yet. Wait at least three to four days to correct errors that you were too misty eyed with genius to notice at first.
2. Before you email your work to the competition, email it to yourself. And edit it again. Then print it out again. And edit it again. Then send.
3. The process of submitting stories and poems is useful even if you don't win or get short listed - it brings your work up to a better standard. It improves your editing skills.
4. Only winners are contacted. You'll have to trawl the net to find out who won. Don't worry, you'll get used to it.
5. Don't just send your brilliant story to one competition and wait for half a year for the results. Send it to a few competitions of equal merit...whats the worst that can happen? If the story wins one you can email the others (if you're lucky enough to be shortlisted more than once)
6. Aways save the first unedited draft, it gives you the freedom to play around with subsequent drafts.
7. Don't spend too much money on competitions or you'll feel like a sucker and you'll be poor. Be selective. Give yourself a limit. Don't overlook a free entry!
8. If you've never heard of the competition, if you've never heard of the judge, if the entry fee is ten euro and the prize is a book token... restrain yourself!
9. We all have blindspots. If a story keeps coming back - get someone else to read it.
10. Switch off from competitions for long periods and just concentrate on your writing.
11. Don't forget why you started writing in the first place!
    

Gothic Horror Writing Competition

Gothic Horror Writing Competition

There's still time to enter this, as they have extended the deadline.

"The scope of the theme field is just about limitless…..ghosts, vampires, banshees, death, blood, haunted houses, spooky graveyards, creepy bell towers, gruesome dungeons, horror castles, scary blood curdling noises, eerie nightmares, macabre happenings….all can be real or imagined!

All entries must be in English and the theme must be gothic/horror with a maximum of 2000 words.

Entries can be in the form of a prose piece, a short story, a poem, a play (drama) or even a song or ballad.

Entries must be typed on A4 size paper (on one side only) with a one inch margin. Your entry must be your own unpublished work and must not have won a prize in a previous competition. You may enter more than once if you wish, but entries cannot be returned.

There is a €10 entry fee per entry – no cash in the post, just cheques or money orders made out to The Stoker Dracula Organisation. Entries from under 16’s must be signed by a parent/guardian/teacher/community leader. First Prize €500 and ''The Bram'' 2nd Prize €753rd Prize €50Entries will be Judged by Trinity College School of EnglishGothic Section

Closing date for entries is 15th October 2010.

All entries/correspondence to:The Director/C.E.O.The Stoker Dracula Organisation32 Howth Road ClontarfDublin 3 Ireland"