05 April, 2023

Opportunities & Competitions: April 2023

Photo credit: The beautiful Shandon Bells and Tower in Cork City shot by our wonderful Projects Assistant Emily O’Brien in 2021.

Each month we update our Competitions & Submissions page, along with our Bursaries & Funding, to ensure that we are connecting our writers with the best upcoming opportunities. Here are a few deadlines we wanted to highlight this April.

Journals

 

The Pigs Back

Deadline: 15th April

The Pig’s Back (named for Donegal’s Muckish mountain and for the phrase ar mhuin na muice, to be in luck) is a literary prose journal that aims to bring the rest of Ireland – and in turn, the world – to the northwest. Founded by the Regional Cultural Centre in Letterkenny, it publishes short fiction and essays.The Pig’s Back seeks submissions of previously unpublished fiction and non-fiction.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.All contributors will receive a flat fee of ‎‎€300. They will also receive two copies of the issue in which their work features.Submissions are open from April 1st to April 15th.

The Four Faced Liar

Deadline: 30th April

Submissions for issue 2 (Autumn/Winter 2023) of The Four Faced Liar open from 15th – 30th April 2023.They are asking for submission in one of the following categories:

  • Short story up to 4000 words​;
  • Creative nonfiction up to 4000 words;
  • Flash fiction up to 1000 words;
  • Poetry up to 3 pages;
  • Work in translation up to the word/page limit of the relevant category;
  • Visual art/photography up to 2 pieces.

​The Four Faced Liar pays €200 for short stories or creative nonfiction (cnf) pieces, €100 per poem, €100 for flash fiction, and €100 per visual art piece published. Each contributor also receives a free copy of the magazine.

Profiles

Deadline: 5th May

Profiles is a new Irish journal dedicated to portraiture in prose and visual art, showcasing the work of writers, artists and translators from Ireland and further afield. Profiles publish writing and artwork that is empathetic without bordering on apologia, and shows human nature as it is, not necessarily as it should be.

They accept fiction and non-fiction pieces. Poetry is not considered at this time.

Submissions must be under 5,000 words. There is no minimum word count.

Howl: New Irish Writing

Deadline: 8th May

HOWL is a literary platform showcasing the creative wail in Irish writing from around the world. They want the raw and the real. If it excites you, they want you to send it to them.

Open for submissions of poetry and prose (fiction and non-fiction) from April 10th – May 8th 2023.

Grants and Bursaries

 

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Emerging Artist Bursaries

Deadline: 14th April  2023

Emerging Artist Grants support individual emerging artists from Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown to further their practice through the creation of new work at this vital stage in their career.

Successful recipients will receive an award of €2,000 for the development and creation of new work during the period July-December 2023.

Individual artists working with all artforms (architecture, circus, craft, dance, film, literature, music, opera, spectacle, street art, theatre, traditional arts and visual arts) are eligible to apply.

Artists must live in, be practicing in or be originally from Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown.

Next Generation Artists Award

Deadline: 13th April 2023

The purpose of the Next Generation Artists’ Award is to support a group of promising artists across all disciplines at an early but pivotal stage in their career.

The Next Generation Artists’ Award is available in the following artforms:

  • Architecture
  • Arts Participation
  • Circus
  • Dance
  • Film
  • Literature (English & Irish)
  • Music
  • Opera
  • Street Arts
  • Spectacle
  • Theatre
  • Traditional Arts
  • Visual Arts
  • YPCE

Competitions

 

Women’s Prize for Playwriting

Deadline: 17th April

The Women’s Prize for Playwriting showcases vivid, expansive and exquisitely crafted new plays by female and non-binary writers in the UK and Ireland.

The winner’s script will be published by Concord Theatricals, optioned by the Women’s Prize for Playwriting, Ellie Keel Productions and Paines Plough while the winner themselves will receive £12000.

Bristol Short Story Prize

Deadline 26th April
The competition is open to all published and unpublished writers. There is no geographical restriction on entry – the 2023 Bristol Short Story Prize is open to everyone, whether they are based in the UK or outside the UK. Entries can be made online or by post. Entries must be previously unpublished with a maximum word count of 4,000 words, there is no minimum word count. Stories can be on any theme or subject and are welcome in any style or genre. Entry fee is £9.

Mairtín Crawford Award

Deadline: 30th April

The Mairtín CrawfordAwards are aimed at writers working towards their first full collection of poetry, short stories, or a novel. Both published and unpublished writers are invited to submit between 3-5 poems for the poetry award, and a short story of up to 2,500 words for the short story award, with the only stipulation being that they have not yet published a full collection of poetry, short stories, or a novel.

The Winner for each Award will receive a £500 cash Prize. In addition, each Winner can take up time a ‘Time to Write’ package which includes a 3-night stay at Bullitt Hotel Belfast, and 4 days of dedicated writing space in The Crescent. Two Runners Up for each Category will receive a £250 cash prize.

Please get in touch with Arts Administrative Assistant Tom Jordan at info@writerscentre.ie if your organisation has a  competition, submission, bursary or funding opportunity for writers that you would like us to include in our monthly round-up blog post.