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Opportunities for Writers: February 2026

January 26, 2026 4:39 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Our monthly list of submission windows, competitions, bursaries, residencies and general literary opportunities is now live. This list offers information on opportunities with January/February deadlines. For information on other upcoming opportunities, see our competitions and submissions and bursaries and funding pages. Irish Writers Centre Opportunities Young Writer Delegates Programme at Cúirt International Festival of Literature, Galway Deadline: February 11, 2026 at midnight. We invite ambitious writers aged 18-26 to apply for this extraordinary opportunity to attend and contribute to Cúirt International Festival of Literature 2026 as Irish Writers Centre/Cúirt Young Writer Delegates. More information here. Opportunities Cúirt New Writing Prize 2026 Deadline: January 31, 2026, 5pm There are four categories to the Cúirt New Writing Prize: poetry, short fiction, essay, and Irish Language poetry and short fiction. This year the festival are delighted to announce Eimear McBride as the short fiction... Read Moreread more.


Literary Listings: February 2026

January 26, 2026 10:09 am Published by Leave your thoughts

New for 2026, the Irish Writers Centre brings you a monthly round-up of literary events happening across the country, from book and magazine launches to panel discussions, festivals and lectures! For a list of events happening in our own building at No. 19 Parnell Square, check out the dedicated Irish Writers Centre events page. Have an event to share with us? Let us know at communications@irishwriterscentre.ie and where possible we’ll include in a following month’s listings.   Athy 27: Launch of The Lock Keeper’s by John MacKenna (Athy Library) Belfast 5 : Launch of Virtually Yours by Anna Bell (Seamus Heaney Centre, Queen’s) 10: Launch of Gerry McGovern’s 99th Day: A Warning About Technology (Queen’s) 11–22: NI Science Festival (Various venues) 12 : The Seamus Heaney Centre presents… (Seamus Heaney Centre, Queen’s) 18: Write Night with Tim MacGabhann (Seamus Heaney Centre, Queen’s)... Read Moreread more.


Young Writer Delegates Programme at Cúirt 2026

January 20, 2026 5:22 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

We invite ambitious writers aged 18-26 to apply for this extraordinary opportunity to attend and contribute to Cúirt International Festival of Literature 2026 as Irish Writers Centre/Cúirt Young Writer Delegates. In keeping with the Irish Writers Centre’s 2022-2026 Strategy, the Young Writer Delegates Programme seeks to create new opportunities, grant access and develop networks that connect writers to each other. This programme directly correlates with the objectives of Strategy Goal 2, which is to enhance opportunities for people across all communities to explore and participate in creative writing, as well as Strategy Goal 3, which is to cultivate an engaged community of writers and strategic alliances that support our ambitions. What to Expect   LAST YEAR’S YOUNG WRITER DELEGATES WITH MENTOR ALAN MCMONAGLE AT CÚIRT 2024   Now in its ninth year, the Irish Writers Centre Young Writer Delegates Programme was created to... Read Moreread more.


We Are Hiring: Programme Administrator

January 15, 2026 4:54 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Programme Administrator for the Irish Writers Centre 15 January 2026   ABOUT THE ROLE JOB TITLE:  Programme Administrator CONTRACT: Full time, permanent, with six-month probation period. SALARY:   €31k p.a. REPORTING TO: Deputy Chief Executive Officer with Head of Programming as line manager LOCATION:  Location: Irish Writers Centre, 19 Parnell Square, Dublin 1, D01 E102. Please note the post-holder will need to be Dublin-based to carry out the duties of this position. ABOUT THE IRISH WRITERS CENTRE Founded in 1991, the Irish Writers Centre is Ireland’s leading resource and development organisation for writers. Our vision is to support the life of the writer as they illuminate our lives with their ideas and words.   Our creative writing Academy delivers a year-round programme of 150+ creative writing courses, masterclasses and seminars, online and in person. In addition, we run a National Mentoring... Read Moreread more.


A Note from our CEO

December 19, 2025 12:29 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

As the holidays approach, and ahead of the exciting programme of events, courses and other activities we have planned for our 35th anniversary in 2026, I wanted to update you on some of the highlights of the year just gone. These included our Regional Roadshow which took us to 6 literary festivals around the country and a piloted initiative, Writers in the Regions, a series of in-person masterclasses taking place in all four provinces.   In our 2025 Academy of creative writing courses, workshops and masterclasses, we programmed over 130 courses offering new genres, new themes, shorter courses and improving our online offering to almost 1,500 writers. Our Academy continues to be one of the largest employers of writers in the country. (Keep your eyes peeled for some very exciting additions in 2026!) We reimagined Novel Fair to the International... Read Moreread more.


Opportunities for Writers: December 2025

December 22, 2025 1:30 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Our monthly list of submission windows, competitions, bursaries, residencies and general literary opportunities is now live. This list offers information on opportunities with December/January deadlines. For information on other upcoming opportunities, see our competitions, submissions and opportunities and bursaries and funding pages. Irish Writers Centre Opportunities The National Mentoring Programme Deadline: 31 December, 2025 The National Mentoring Programme is an opportunity open to all writers across the island of Ireland to receive sustained creative and professional mentoring from an established Irish writer of their choosing. More information here. Opportunities The Moth Poetry Prize Deadline: 31 December, 2025 The Moth Poetry Prize is one of the biggest prizes in the world for individual unpublished poems. The Prize is open to anyone (over 16) from anywhere in the world, as long as the work is original and previously unpublished. There is no... Read Moreread more.


Announcing the 25-26 Support Schemes Recipients (supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland)

December 11, 2025 11:42 am Published by Leave your thoughts

We are very happy to announce the recipients of this year’s support schemes for writers from or based in the North, made possible with support from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. This year we awarded:   20 Course Bursaries Each recipient will receive course credit worth €190 towards a course at the Irish Writers Centre: Cat Brogan Jane Buckley Stephen de Búrca Anna Delargy Hunter Eamonn Furey Caroline Hoey Eamonn Keenan Brian Kelly Jimmy Kerr Jen Herron Kirsty McConnell Damian McElgunn Bernie McQuillan Maria McQuillan Cara Mohan-Carr Saoirse Morrigan Siobhán Murphy Saoirse Rafferty Beckie Stew Rachel Toner   20 Irish Writers Centre Memberships Each recipient will receive one-year’s membership to the Irish Writers Centre: Trish Bennett Cat Brogan Stephen de Búrca Deirdre  Cartmill Rosemary Doherty Tiffany  Eaton Siobhan Fenton Eamonn Furey Caroline Hoey Katharina Kalinowski Byddi Lee Michael McFarland... Read Moreread more.


Announcing the Winners of the 2025 International Debut Novel Competition

December 1, 2025 5:02 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

The Irish Writers Centre is delighted to today announce the winners of the 2025 installment of its flagship annual literary initiative, the International Debut Novel Competition. Each year, the competition awards unpublished novelists with the opportunity to pitch their novels to world-class publishers and literary agents. This year, the centre invited submissions for the competition between 1 August and 14 September, attracting a record number of entries. We are delighted to announce as our winners: Bronagh Slevin Based between Ireland and Sicily for fifteen years, Bronagh Slevin is fascinated by what it means to live on an island. In her writing, she is devoted to unravelling the legacy left by little-explored areas of world events and how this impacts our small, interconnected personal lives. She also has a completed literary fiction manuscript set in Ireland, which was selected for Date... Read Moreread more.


Announcing the Judges for the 2025 Irish Writers Centre International Debut Novel Competition

October 21, 2025 9:51 am Published by Leave your thoughts

  The Irish Writers Centre is delighted to today announce the judges for the 2025 installment of its flagship annual literary initiative, the International Debut Novel Competition. The competition awards twelve unpublished novelists with the opportunity to pitch their novels to world-class publishers and literary agents. This year, the centre invited submissions for the competition between 1 August and 14 September, attracting a record number of entries. We are delighted to welcome to our panel of judges: David Butler, fiction writer and poet: author, most recently, of Scorched Earth which has just been published by Dedalus Books under the pen-name Dara Kavanagh. He has previously been shortlisted for the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year, and tutors regularly with the Irish Writers Centre. Mary Anne Butler, writer and mentor based in Naarm, Melbourne. Winner of the 2016 Victorian Prize... Read Moreread more.


The Irish Writers Centre Roadshow at Dublin Book Festival

October 7, 2025 11:07 am Published by Leave your thoughts

Throughout 2025, the Irish Writers Centre has toured the island, bringing an exciting programme of literary events from creative writing workshops, showcases, panel discussions, masterclasses and information sessions to the four provinces, serving an all-island literary community with tuition, peer support and networking opportunities for writers at every stage of their journey. Our final festival this year sees us back in our home city for the Dublin Book Festival which runs from 5th to 9th Nov. Now in it’s 20th year, the Dublin Book Festival was established in 2006 by Publishing Ireland, the all-island trade association for book publishers (itself established in 1970), to celebrate all that is best in Irish writing and publishing. It has grown to become one of Ireland’s most successful and vibrant annual book events, with the support of the Arts Council and other funders, and... Read Moreread more.


Irish Writers Centre & Poetry Ireland: A Black History Month Celebration

September 29, 2025 4:58 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

The Irish Writers Centre & Poetry Ireland Present: A Night in Celebration of Black History Month On Friday, 24th October, the Irish Writers Centre and Poetry Ireland will join forces to co-present a night of readings from Black-Irish writers and poets in celebration of Black History Month. Set in the historic surroundings of our Georgian headquarters at 19 Parnell Square, this special event will feature readings from acclaimed writers and poets shaping the Black Irish literary canon today. Chaired by poet and editor of Poetry Ireland’s Trumpet for 2025, Nandi Jola, the lineup features the incredible talents of Zainab Boladale, Chiamaka Enyi-Amadi, Jade Jordan, Ola Majekodunmi, and Samuel Yakura, All are welcome to celebrate and  hear these incredible voices of Ireland’s Black community. The night will run from 6:30 – 8:00 pm. Tickets are €5 and available now on Eventbrite.... Read Moreread more.


The Irish Writers Centre Roadshow heads to Write by the Sea

September 26, 2025 12:17 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Throughout 2025, the Irish Writers Centre is touring the island, bringing an exciting programme of literary events from creative writing workshops, showcases, panel discussions, masterclasses and information sessions to the four provinces, serving an all-island literary community with tuition, peer support and networking opportunities for writers at every stage of their journey. This September we are delighted to head down to Welford for Write by the Sea, Kilmore Quay. 2025 marks the 10th anniversary of this boutique literary festival set in the scenic fishing village of Kilmore Quay. Over the past decade, they’ve welcomed some of Ireland’s finest writers and introduced exciting new voices—all in a setting as warm and welcoming as the stories we celebrate. Running from 26 to 28 September 2025, whether you’re a reader, writer or simply curious, there’s a place for you at Ireland’s friendliest literary festival.... Read Moreread more.


Autumn Publishing Day Online

September 19, 2025 10:41 am Published by Leave your thoughts

We are excited to announce our Autumn Publishing Day, and for the first time, we’re bringing it to you online! By making the event virtual, we aim to increase accessibility for all writers across the island of Ireland and beyond. Whether you’re joining us from the bustling city of Dublin, the rural surrounds of Tory Island, or anywhere in between, we look forward to welcoming a diverse and engaged community of writers. Join us via Zoom on Saturday, 11th October 2025, to hear from a panel of industry professionals on the publishing process from start to finish, as well as gain some valuable insights into this ever-evolving industry. Tickets are available here. How can I prepare to submit my work to the publishing industry? What are the challenges? Should I self-publish? Do I need an agent, or should I send manuscripts directly... Read Moreread more.


Announcing the Inaugural Winner of the New Writing Prize

September 18, 2025 12:11 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

We are delighted to announce Ellen Flanagan as the winner of the 2025 Irish Writers Centre New Writing Prize in partnership with The Stinging Fly. Ellen has won the prize for her short story, ‘A Typical Barbie’, which is available to read on the Stinging Fly website today. Ellen Flanagan is from Cork and is currently working in New York. In 2023, she joined a Brooklyn-based writers’ group and was encouraged to begin reading her work at open mics across the city. This led to her completing the first draft of a novel about women taking life and religion into their own hands in an 1980s Irish seaside town. She often draws inspiration from the places she has lived during her career in international relations, including Strasbourg, Brussels, Kuala Lumpur, and Washington, D.C. She speaks French and Italian and holds... Read Moreread more.