Opportunities for Writers: February 2026

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 judge, Susannah Dickey as the poetry judge, Molly Hennigan as the essay judge, and Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh as the Irish language poetry and short fiction judge. The winner in each category will be awarded a €500 cash prize and the opportunity to read at the 41st annual Cúirt International Festival of Literature which will take place in Galway between the 21st and the 26th of April 2026. This year marks the inaugural Essay Prize.

More information here.

Fish Publishing Short Memoir Prize

Deadline: January 31, 2026

Fish Publishing has announced the Short Memoir Prize 2026! 4,000 word limit, judged by Elspeth Beard. Results will be announced April 1, 2026. Entry Fees: €22 / €15 subsequent entries (Optional Critique €60). Prizes: The best 10 memoirs will be published in the FISH ANTHOLOGY 2026. 1st: €1,000, 2nd: Writing Course (online) + €300, 3rd: Writing Course (online) + €300.

More information here

Carlow Little Theatre International One-Act Playwriting Competition

Deadline: January 31, 2026

The competition is open to all writers over 18 years old, both members and non-members, local and international. The play submitted must be in English and be an original work of the entrant that has not yet been published, nor performed on stage previously, nor received any awards previously.

More information here.

Fiction Factory First Chapter & Synopsis Competition

Deadline: January 31, 2026

Have you completed the first draft of your novel? Are you ready to pass it on to a fresh pair of eyes, to see if you are on the right track? Is your all-important first chapter ready for submission to an agent? The winning entry will be read by literary agent Joanna Swainson of the Hardman & Swainson Agency. Joanna is looking for originality and distinctive voices. First Prize: £500 + an appraisal.

All short-listed entrants will receive a free appraisal.

More information here.

Seashores Haiku Journal Call for Submissions

Deadline: January 31, 2026

Contributors are welcome to submit up to a maximum of 8 haiku/senryu.

More information here.

Southword: Journal of New International Writing – Poetry Submissions Open

Deadline: January 31, 2026

Southword pays contributors €50 per poem and €300 per short story and welcomes submissions of up to four poems or one short story (of up to 5000 words) per submission period. If your work has been published in Southword before, you please don’t submit again for at least one year after publication. The poetry editor is Patrick Cotter. The fiction editor is Billy O’Callaghan. Subscriber competitions are judged by James O’Leary.

More information here.

New Writers Flash Fiction Competition

Deadline: January 31, 2026

Welcome to the New Writers Flash Fiction Competition 2026. Open to writers from around the world, it’s offering a top prize of £1,100. The deadline is Saturday 31st January 2026 and 10% of the proceed will be donated to charity, split between First Story and the Funzi & Bodo Trust.

More information here.

Back to Basics Residency Programme

Deadline: February 5, 2026

Back to Basics is a multidisciplinary residency program that allows artists to clear their minds, get back to focus, and (re)discover the very basis of their being. Take a break from your phone, reconnect with your creativity, be part of nature and learn to stay present again. Available residency dates: July: 3.-31, August: 3.-31, September: 2.-30 (Each monthly program period is 29 days)

More information here.

The Abbey Theatre: Box of Tricks Development Programme 2026

Deadline: February 6, 2026

Box of Tricks is an eight-week skills development programme for new playwrights, interested in expanding the idea of what plays can be and who gets to write them. This paid professional development opportunity invites 12 participating artists to get to grips with some of the tools of writing for theatre so that they can build whatever kind of play they want.

More information here.

Strokestown International Poetry Competition: Call for Entries

Deadline: February 6, 2026

The Strokestown International Poetry Competition 2026 is now open for submissions! Founded in 1999, this prestigious competition has celebrated the talents of many remarkable poets, including former winners such as Vona Groarke, Paddy Bushe, Maureen Boyle, and Jane Robinson. Last year, the talented Olga Dermott-Bond took home the award, adding her name to the impressive lineage of distinguished poets.

More information here.

The Libraro Prize, in Partnership with Hachette

Deadline: February 16, 2026

Are you a writer who is ready to become a published author? Libraro have teamed up with Hachette UK to find the next fiction or crossover YA bestseller.

The Libraro Prize 2026 reimagines how authors are discovered, by giving readers an active role in championing emerging talent. The winning entry will win a £50,000 package from Libraro and a book deal with a major international publisher – Hachette UK

More information here.

UCD Mary Lavin Centre: Writing Place, Writing Planet Programme

Deadline: February 16, 2026

We are delighted to introduce Writing Place, Writing Planet, a fully-funded 6-month environmental creative writing programme beginning March 2026 sponsored by The UCD Mary Lavin Centre for Creative Writing at the School of English, Drama and Film and iCRAG Research Ireland Centre for Applied Geosciences. Writing Place, Writing Planet invites writers and scientists to team up and explore connections between humanity, place and planet through bodies of co-created written work, guided by expert mentorship.

More information here.

Raising Voices Fellowship

Deadline: February 19, 2026

The Raising Voices Fellowship is inviting aspiring writers and/or illustrators who make work for children and young adults to apply for their fully-funded, career-altering programme in 2026. Encompassing a host of creative and practical supports, the selected Fellows will be connected to a welcoming community of practice and supported in developing their careers.

More information here.

The N&H Journal January/February Issue: Call for Submissions

Deadline: February 21, 2026

The London Library Emerging Writers Programme

Deadline: February 23, 2026

The London Library Emerging Writers Programme, now open for the eighth year, is a unique opportunity which offers writers, in all genres and disciplines, one year’s free membership of The London Library and includes writing development masterclasses, networking opportunities, peer support, access to and guidance in using all the Library’s resources and publication in the cohort anthology. With its rich cultural heritage, extensive open access book collection, dedicated writing spaces and its diverse community of established writers, the benefits of Library membership are invaluable.

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.