So we’re back in the swing of things again after the excesses of the season. Now might be an appropriate time to consider sending out your work to journals and competitions. And there’s plenty of good homes out there if you look hard enough.
Here’s just a few:
RTE’s Francis MacManus Short Story Competition closes on 31st January so you better get cracking!
Labello Press short story competition also closes on 31st January. There’s a much longer word count here than you normally get in short story competitions too!
Cúirt New Writing Prize (poetry and stories) closes on 30th January.
Davy Byrne short story competition- run by The Stinging Fly and judged this year by Anne Enright, Yiyun Li and Jon McGregor. It closes on 3rd February. You better have a good one for this comp. Previously won by Anne Enright and Claire Keegan.
Doolin Short Story Competition closes on 3rd March 2014.
Listowel Writers’ Week have a host of competitions with deadline of 31st March. I read there last year and highly recommend it in every way. Poems, stories, plays etc all catered for.
Short Fiction Prize. Run by University of Plymouth,opens on 1st March and closes on 31st March.
Bridport Prize. Stories and Poetry, the big one if you will. Two very talented friends of mine John Murphy and Noel O’Regan made the last 10 in fiction in this last year. A huge achievement. Closes on 31st March.
The Moth Short Story Competition closes on 31st March also.
Remember also that there are plenty of other journals and magazines out there who do great work and are looking for new and exciting poetry and fiction.
Southword closes for poetry and fiction on 18th March and The Stinging Fly is open during the month of March for submissions of poems and stories. You should also look at Bare Hands, Wordlegs, Colony, Crannog, and The Incubator which is new and very welcome.
There are probably many many more out there so keep your eyes pealed. So what are you waiting for? Get on with it!
