07 April, 2026
Opportunities for Writers: April 2026
Our monthly list of submission windows, competitions, bursaries, residencies and general literary opportunities is now live. This list offers information on opportunities with April deadlines. For information on other upcoming opportunities, see our competitions and submissions and bursaries and funding pages.
Opportunities
Scripts: Ireland’s Playwriting Festival
Deadline: 7th April
SCRIPTS: Ireland’s Playwriting Festival, in partnership with Birr Theatre & Arts Centre, seeks new works for stage!
Scripts invites playwrights to craft stories that ignite, provoke and linger. The theme for 2026 is: desire. The deadline is Tuesday, April 7 at 12pm.
More information here.
ILFD Date with an Agent
Deadline: 7th April
To be considered for a one-on-one meeting with an agent at Date With An Agent, you must submit online. Click the button below to view criteria, terms & conditions , and submit your work. The deadline for submissions is Tuesday 7th of April, midnight. There is a cost of €30 per entry. Should you be selected to meet an agent, they will receive a copy of your submission to review in advance of your meeting. All applicants will receive one year’s free membership to Writing.ie, Europe’s biggest writing resources website, worth €35.00! Details will be sent to applicants upon submission.
More information here.
Brotherton Poetry Prize
Deadline: 8th April
The Brotherton Poetry Prize 2026 celebrates and promotes poetry and supports new poets. The Prize is open to anyone in the world over the age of 18 who hasn’t yet published a full collection of poems. Previous winners are Dane Holt (Prize I), Lauren Pope (Prize II), and Dillon Jaxx (Prize III). The winner receives £1,000 and the opportunity to develop their creative practice with Poetry@Leeds. Four runners-up each receive £200. The poems of the five shortlisted poets are published as an anthology by Carcanet Press. The Prize is generously supported by the Charles Brotherton Trust.
More information here.
BOMB Poetry Prize
Deadline: 15th April
BOMB Magazine’s 2026 Poetry Contest is open for submissions, and we’re honored to have 2025 National Book Award Finalist Richard Siken joining us as this year’s guest judge. Siken will select one winner to receive a $1,000 prize and publication in BOMB’s fall 2026 issue. The winner and ten finalists will be announced in July.
More information here.
The Pig’s Back: Call for Submissions
Deadline: 15th April
The Pig’s Back literary journal seeks submissions of previously unpublished fiction and non-fiction. They accept work from anywhere in the world but currently can only accept English language pieces. They do not accept poetry.
Word count should be between 2000 and 5000 words.
One submission per person.
More information here.
Desperature Literature: Short Fiction Prize
Deadline: 19th April
The aim of the Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize is both to celebrate the best of new short fiction under 2000 words and to give winners the most visibility possible for their writing. That’s why we’ve teamed up with sixteen different literary and artistic institutions to not only offer cash prizes and writing retreats but also to ensure that all our shortlisters have the opportunity to be published in multiple print and online journals, have their work put in front of literary agents, and present their stories at an event.
More information here.
St John’s College Harper Wood Award
Deadline: 22nd April
Poets and authors at the start of their careers have the chance to spend a paid year overseas with the launch of this year’s Harper-Wood Creative Writing and Travel Award for English Poetry and Literature. Applications close 22 April at 4pm.
More information here.
Fishamble: The New Play Company: Script Submissions Open
Deadline: 30th April
Fishamble welcomes submissions of new, original, dramatic work. To submit, you must be an adult resident on the island of Ireland, or an adult Irish citizen living abroad. Your play must be previously unproduced.
More information here.
Ware Poets Open Poetry Competition
Deadline: 30th April
The 28th annual Ware Poets Open Poetry Competition is now open, to be judged by Keith Jarrett. Since the competition first launched in 1998 it has been judged by many acclaimed poets and attracts submissions from across the United Kingdom and internationally. First prize: £1,000.
More information here.
Please get in touch with the team at info@irishwriterscentre.ie if your organisation/journal has a competition, submission, residency, bursary or funding opportunity for writers that you would like us to include in our monthly round-up blog post.
