03 October, 2024
Opportunities and Competitions October 2024
On display in The Winding Stair Bookshop, Dublin
Photo description: In 2024 we are spotlighting all the amazing independent bookshops and booksellers on the island of Ireland simply because we love them and we think you should too! The Winding Stair Bookshop is one of the oldest surviving independent bookshops in Dublin. The bookshop has a unique atmosphere; a relaxed haven in the centre of the bustling city. It is the perfect shop for browsing and there is always something a little bit different to be found.
Each month we update our Competitions, Submissions & Opportunities webpage, along with our Bursaries & Funding webpage, to ensure we are connecting our writers with the best upcoming opportunities. Here are some of the highlights coming this month.
Bursaries/Residencies
Support Schemes for Writers (Arts Council of Northern Ireland) 2024/2025
Deadline: 9 October 2024
The Irish Writers Centre (IWC) is pleased to announce a new round of support schemes for writers from or based in North of Ireland, made possible with support from the National Lottery through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. These supports include 20 IWC Course Bursaries, 20 IWC Memberships and 30 IWC Mentoring supports. Applicants must be living on the island of Ireland, and are either from or based in the North of Ireland.
Writers’ Residencies -Tyrone Guthrie Centre
Deadline: 16 October 2024
The Irish Writers Centre is delighted to announce two writers’ residency opportunities at the Tyrone Guthrie. Each writer will receive a bursary to spend one week working on a project in the quiet countryside of county Monaghan.
Window display in The Winding Stair Bookshop, Dublin (Source: The Winding Stair website)
Submissions
Deadline: 31 October 2024
Banshee welcomes submissions from both Irish and international writers of any background, including first-time writers. We welcome work from members of groups or communities typically under-represented within literature, whether or not the work addresses this. All submissions should be previously unpublished. Our guideline word count for stories and essays is max 5000 words. Flash fiction should be under 1000 words, poems no more than 40 lines. We are happy to read: one story or one essay or two flashes or up to four poems. €250 for a story/essay; €75 for flash fiction; €50 per poem.
Deadline: 31 October 2024
The Paris Review accepts unsolicited submissions of prose in February, June, and October and unsolicited submissions of poetry in January, April, July, and October. All submissions must be in English and must be previously unpublished. Translations are welcome and should be accompanied by a copy of the original.
Deadline: 31 October 2024
out.skirts, the all-LGBTQIA+ special issue of The Broken Spine, invites poetry and flash fiction submissions exclusively from queer-identifying writers. This issue will be published in June 2025 to celebrate Pride Month, with the aim of amplifying LGBTQIA+ voices and showcasing the rich diversity of queer experiences. Submissions will be accepted throughout October 2024.
Live Reading at The Winding Stair Bookshop (Dec 2023)
Competitions
Deadline: 15 October 2024
The Caledonia Novel Award 2025 is an Edinburgh-based international writing competition for unpublished and self-published novelists, 18 years and over, writing in all genres for adults and YA. Entrants are asked to send their first 20 pages plus a 200-word synopsis. The entry fee is £28 per novel. Top prize: £1,500 and an exclusive framed award designed by Edinburgh artist Lucy Roscoe. Highly Commended prize: £500.
Cheltenham Poetry Festival International Poetry Prize 2024
Deadline: 20 October 2024
Poems must be in English, unpublished, and of no more than 50 lines in length. There is an entry charge of £4 per poem or £10 for 3 poems or £15 for 5 poems. You can enter as many poems as you wish. All entries will be read by Roy McFarlane before he makes the final selection of winning and highly commended poems. Entry charge of £4 per poem or £10 for 3 poems or £15 for 5 poems. Prizes include: 1st Prize: £300; 2nd Prize: £100; 3rd Prize: £50.
National Poetry Competition 2024
Deadline: 31 October 2024
The competition, run by The Poetry Society since 1978, is one of the world’s most prestigious prizes for a single unpublished poem. This year’s judging panel includes Stephen Sexton, Romalyn Ante, and John McAuliffe. Open to all poets worldwide aged 18+. Prizes: £5,000, £2,000, £1,000, commended £500. Cost: the first poem submitted £8, subsequent poems in the same submission cost £5 each.
Winter Pages in the window of The Winding Stair Bookshop, Dublin (2020)
Opportunities
Iceland Writers Retreat, Reykjavik
Deadline: 1 November 2024
For its 11th year, the Iceland Writers Retreat (IWR) will be held in Reykjavík, a UNESCO City of Literature, from April 23-27, 2025. Participants will gather for small group workshops on the craft of writing led by an esteemed faculty including Curtis Sittenfeld, Ayana Mathis, Helen Macdonald, Danny Ramadan, Jonas Hassen Khemiri, Jann Arden, Meng Jin, Kevin Chong, Pedro Gunnlaugur Garcia, and others. Scholarships for the 2025 Iceland Writers Retreat are available.
The Winding Stair Bookshop is located oat 40 Lower Ormond Quay in the heart to Dublin
The Winding Stair Bookshop has a wide selection of books and also some more unusual books that are not normally stocked in the larger chains. They have an extensive range of fiction, including Irish authors, poetry, drama, current affairs, gardening, cookery, art and design, humour, non-fiction and a brilliant children’s section. They also stock literary magazines, zines, have several beautiful card ranges, notebooks and tote bags. If they do not have a book that you are looking for, they are happy to order it in for you. The Winding Stair Bookshop is a great venue for a book launch, reading, or other creative event. In the past, they have held musical performances, art & photography exhibitions, plays, open-mic sessions, and special events for Culture Night.
The Winding Stair Bookshop, 40 Ormond quay, Dublin
