02 July, 2025
Opportunities for Writers: July 2025
Looking for somewhere to send your writing? You’re in luck: here is a list of submissions, competitions, bursaries, residencies and literary opportunities with Summer 2025 deadlines.
Irish Writers Centre
DEADLINE: 9 JULY 2025
Cill Rialaig Residencies 2025
The Irish Writers Centre is delighted to announce the return of the Cill Rialaig Residencies (now in their eleventh consecutive year). This year, the residencies will offer seven writers the opportunity to spend a ten-day period in the beautiful surrounds of Cill Rialaig, Co. Kerry from 15 to 25 October 2025. Each writer will have their own house, provided free of charge. Expenses incurred can include food and travel.
Who is it for? Writers working in any genre or form (poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, children’s/YA fiction, etc.), who are resident on the island of Ireland and are over the age of 18. Applications in English and Irish are welcome.
Find more information and how to apply here.
Opportunities
DEADLINE: 4 JULY 2025
The Hubert Butler Essay Prize 2025
The Hubert Butler Essay Prize was founded in 2018 with the aim of encouraging the art of essay-writing with a European dimension and expanding public interest in Butler’s work. The prompt for this year’s prize is: “‘Men must endure / Their going hence, even as their coming hither’ – King Lear. Have we no more active rights over life, birth and death?”
Accepted forms: Essays, non-fiction.
Prize: 1st prize €1,500; two 2nd prizes of €500.
More information here.
DEADLINE: 9 JULY 2025
The John Broderick Residency 2025
Westmeath County Council Arts Office and the Arts Council are currently accepting applications from writers (in particular, writers of fiction) for the 2025 John Broderick Residency.
€16,500 will be granted to a selected professional writer for a 10-week period beginning in September 2025. An additional accommodation stipend of up to €1,200 will be made available where accommodation in Athlone is necessary. Writers must be able to demonstrate an ability to mentor emerging writers, young people and those interested in developing their writing skills in their application.
See the Westmeath Arts Office website for the full details on how to apply.
More information here.
DEADLINE: 10 JULY 2025
Irish Country Magazine Short Story Competition
Irish Country Magazine is looking for readers and followers to send in works of fiction for its regular short story section. Stories must be at least 800 words but no longer than 1,000 words, and must revolve around the suggested theme – in the next issue, ‘Last Days of Summer’. Submissions are to be made to cmurrihy@irishcountrymagazine.ie with the words ‘Short Story Competition’ in the subject line. The winning story will be published inside the magazine, while the story that comes in second place will appear online.
Accepted forms: Short stories.
Contributor fee: None.
Entry fee: None.
More information here.
DEADLINE: 15 JULY 2025
Ragaire Literary Magazine
Ragaire is currently seeking submissions of visual art, poetry, short stories and creative non-fiction for possible inclusion in its fourth issue (or until the maximum number of submissions has been met). Submissions can be made via the Google form on Ragaire’s website.
Accepted forms: Visual art, poetry, short fiction, creative non-fiction.
Contributor fee: None.
Entry fee: None.
More information here.
DEADLINE: 18 JULY 2025
John Hewitt International Summer School 2025 Bursaries
The John Hewitt Summer School is currently accepting applications for its annual school bursary scheme. Full bursaries including accommodation and half-bursaries without accommodation are available to writers from the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon (ABC) Council Area.
What does our bursary cover?
- Accommodation in Armagh for five nights (single en-suite)
- Creative writing course of your choice, with 6 hours tuition over 3 days
- Free tickets to all programme events (except Saturday workshops)
- Breakfast each morning, noon refreshments, and invitation to both dinner receptions
- Certificates of achievement
For any enquires about the bursary, contact festival@johnhewittsociety.org.
More information here.
DEADLINE: 19 JULY 2025
CATZ: Community Action Tenants Zine
The Community Action Tenants Zine is currently open for submissions.
From CATU’s Instagram: ‘Do you have something to say about housing, home, or tenants’ rights? We’re looking for submissions! Deadline: 19th July at 5pm. We’re looking for writing, art, poetry, or reflections that speak to the realities and resistance of tenants and renters today.
Please send images or links of your work and your name, if you wish it to be stated to: catz@catuireland.org. In the case of text work we would appreciate 500 words max per person – we welcome pieces in any languages!’
More information here.
DEADLINE: 31 JULY 2025
Fiction Factory Poetry Competition 2025
Fiction Factory is currently seeking poems (max. 40 lines in length) for its annual poetry competition. Winning entries will be published on the Fiction Factory website, as well as in a planned anthology (to be published at a later date). The overall winner will receive £100, feedback on five poems, and an hour-long mentoring session. Entries should be formatted as a Microsoft Word document and can be submitted directly via the Fiction Factory’s email address (words@fiction-factory.biz).
Accepted forms: Poetry.
Prize: 1st place £100.
Entry fee: £5 (£9 for 2 poems, £12 for 3).
More information here.
DEADLINE: 31 JULY 2025
The Hope Prize 2025
The Hope Prize is an international writing competition open to writers aged 18 and over living anywhere in the world. Stories should align with the core themes of hope, courage, and resilience, as personally experienced or imagined by you, the writer. The competition is limited to prose stories only – either fiction or narrative nonfiction (including memoir). It does not cater to poetry, essays, or academic writing.
Accepted forms: Short stories/narrative non-fiction.
Prize: 1st prize $10,000 AUD; 2nd prize $2,000 AUD; 3rd prize $1,000 AUD. All highly-commended and winning entries will be will be published in an anthology by Simon & Schuster Australia.
Entry fee: $20 AUD (30 June); $30 AUD (until 31 July).
More information here.
DEADLINE: 31 JULY 2025
Wild Atlantic Words Short Story Competition 2025
The Wild Atlantic Words Festival is currently seeking submissions of original short stories for its annual short story competition – this year, to be judged by award-winning novelist Eimear McBride. Stories can run up to 3,000 words in length and should be submitted as a .pdf via the Wild Atlantic Words website.
Accepted forms: Short stories.
Prize: 1st prize €500; 2nd prize €250.
Entry fee: €10.
More information here.
DEADLINE: 15 AUGUST 2025
Tyrone Guthrie Centre Bursary Awards for Children’s Books Artists in 2025
Children’s Books Ireland and the Tyrone Guthrie Centre are pleased to announce an opportunity for Irish Children’s books artists and illustrators to avail of a week-long residency, to take place between 3rd and 10th November and 17th and 24th November 2025
- One bursary is on offer to support an upcoming, unpublished, aspiring Irish children’s author
- One bursary is on offer to support an emerging artist, published, but early in their career
- One bursary is on offer to support a children’s artist published in the Irish language, at any stage in their career
- Additional bursaries are on offer to support mid-career artists
More information here.
DEADLINE: 15 AUGUST 2025
Yale Drama Series for Emerging Playwrights 2026
The Yale Drama Series is currently seeking submissions of original, unpublished plays for the 2026 edition of its annual playwriting competition. The winner of the competition will be awarded the David Charles Horn Prize of $10,000; receive publication of their manuscript by Yale University Press; and receive a staged reading at the Schwarzman Center at Yale University.
The winning play will be selected by the series’ current judge, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins.
See the Yale University Press website for full details on page count and formatting.
Accepted forms: Plays.
Entry fee: None.
More information here.
DEADLINE: 28 AUGUST 2025
The 2026 V.S. Pritchett Short Story Prize
The Royal Society of Literature is currently seeking entries of original, previously unpublished stories between 2,000 and 4,000 words in length for its annual V.S. Pritchett Short Story Prize. The competition, now in its 25th year, will be judged by writers Kirsty Gunn, Anjali Joseph, and Tom Vowler. For full details see the RSL’s website.
Accepted forms: Short stories.
Prize: £1,000 and publication in the RSL Review.
Entry fee: £8 per entry (fifty free places for low-income writers).
More information here.
DEADLINE: 29 AUGUST 2025
Letterkenny Cathedral Quarter Literary Festival 2025 Non-Fiction Competition
The Letterkenny Cathedral Quarter Literary Festival is currently seeking submissions of original non-fiction for its annual writing competition. Entries can run up to 400 words in length (excluding title) and can focus on any subject or theme. Writers are instructed to submit their entries as a Microsoft Word doc to lkcqfest@gmail.com. All shortlisted entrants will be expected to read at the Prize Winners’ Evening in October 2025.
Accepted forms: Non-fiction.
Prize: 1st place €150; runners-up €100.
Entry fee: None.
More information here.
DEADLINE: 31 AUGUST 2025
Wild Atlantic Writing Awards (WAWA) 11th Edition
Wild Atlantic Writing Awards has announced that its upcoming competition will revolve around the theme of ‘secrets’.
From the WAWA website: ‘Secrets mean many things to many people but one thing is certain, they are hard to keep and always can have intriguing consequences. Benjamin Franklin summed it up best when he said, “Three people may keep a secret, but only if two of them are dead.”’
Accepted forms: Flash fiction and creative non-fiction (max. 500 words).
Prize: Winners in each category will receive €500, or €1,000 off any one of WAWA’s writing retreats in 2025 or 2026.
Entry fee: €10.
More information here.
For more upcoming opportunities, see our competitions, submissions and opportunities and bursaries and funding pages.
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.
