Opportunities & Competitions: February 2022

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. To help you get motivated this new year, here are a few deadlines we wanted to highlight in February!

The Honest Ulsterman 
Deadline: 1st February

We’re calling for poetry (up to 3 poems), prose and critical writing, suggestions for interviews etc for our February 2022 issue. Prose can be up to 5000 words. We prefer submissions to be made in Word (or similar – not PDF) format. We’d also welcome video poetry. Video submissions should have a link to YouTube etc. Please put your name and short bio in the body of your submission email otherwise it may accidentally end up in the Spam folder. There is no fee for submitting. As we are a free online magazine we unfortunately cannot pay those who have successful submissions. Submissions can be sent to: hueditor@theverbal.co

Arts Council Literature Bursary Award
Deadline 3rd February

The purpose of the English Language Literature Bursary Award is to support professional artists in the field of literature in English, with a focus on more established artists.

The award seeks to provide mid-career and established writers and picture-book illustrators with the time and resources to think, research, reflect, create and write. It enables writers and picture-book illustrators to concentrate on their creative work for a period of time, usually by releasing them from their financial commitments.

Dámhachtain Sparánachta Litríochta don Ghaeilge
Deadline 3rd February

Is é cuspóir na Dámhachtana Sparánachta Litríochta don Ghaeilge tacú le healaíontóirí gairmiúla aonair i réimse na litríochta Gaeilge, le béim faoi leith ar ealaíontóirí atá níos aitheanta.

Tugann an dámhachtain am agus acmhainní do scríbhneoirí agus do mhaisitheoirí leabhar pictiúr atá i lár a ngairmréime agus aitheanta chun smaoineamh, taighde, machnamh, cruthú agus scríbhneoireacht a dhéanamh. Cuireann sé ar chumas scríbhneoirí agus maisitheoirí leabhar pictiúr díriú ar a n-obair chruthaitheach ar feadh tréimhse ama, ach iad a scaoileadh óna gceangaltais airgeadais de ghnáth.

The Waxed Lemon
Deadline: 15th February

The Waxed Lemon is open for submissions for its 4th edition – Summer/Autumn 2022. The journal accepts poetry, flash fiction, short story, art and photography. Co-editors Joanne McCarthy and Derek Flynn. Poetry: maximum three poems. Flash Fiction: maximum two pieces. Short Story: maximum one story. Submit to one category only. Gaeilge agus Fáilte. Irish language submissions are encouraged.

New Worlds, New Voices: A Books Beyond NI Anthology
Deadline: 20th February

New Worlds, New Voices seeks submissions from previously undiscovered writers in Northern Ireland and Ireland, with a focus on the representation of multicultural identity through the genres of fantasy, sci-fi and horror writing. With this in mind, we welcome writers across the island of Ireland who are yet to publish their first full collection of work (manuscript, poetry collection, art book etc) to submit any of the following:

Up to 2 short stories (max 6000 words each)
Up to 3 pieces of poetry (max 60 lines each)
Up to 3 pieces of art (high resolution images)

Submissions may be a mix of the above. Work should be previously unpublished in print or online, and submissions are encouraged from writers from traditionally unrepresented backgrounds.

Bath Magg: Spring Issue 
Deadline: 28th February

Founded by poets Mariah Whelan and Joe Carrick-Varty in 2019, bath magg is an online poetry magazine and a home for the best new writing. Our aim is to offer a platform for both established and emerging writers to share a space. Please send no more than three poems as a word document to: bathmagg@gmail.com with the subject line ‘SUBMISSION’. Poems must be previously unpublished. Please include a short biographical note in the body of your email. Please create a new email thread for each submission (ie: if you’ve submitted to us before, please don’t reply to a previous submission’s email thread). Poems submitted outside of the submission window will not be read.

Dedalus Press: Love Poems Anthology
Deadline: 28th February

Love in 21st century Ireland: what does it look like? How does it work? How has the nature of love changed in recent decades – through social reforms, changes in legislation, with the proliferation of digital media and online connections? What rituals are entirely new, what others appear timeless? What does the contemporary Irish love poem look like? Continuing our long-established practice of producing innovative, engaging anthologies that shine a light on the changing nature of Irish life, Dedalus Press is pleased to announce an open call for submissions for a new anthology of love poems.

Submissions are invited from emerging as well as established poets. We warmly welcome submissions from women, people of colour, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and people with disabilities. We’re looking for the best poems, and hoping for the widest, most inclusive response to one of poetry’s perennial, essential subjects.