04 March, 2025
Opportunities for Writers: March 2025
Check out the current opportunities available for writers. See a list below of March/April deadlines for submissions, competitions, bursaries, residencies and other opportunities. For the full list of opportunities, check out: Competitions, submissions and other opportunities and Bursaries and funding
Irish Writers Centre Opportunity
Deadline: 2nd April 2025
International Lamplight Fellowship 2025
The Irish Writers Centre and Varuna, National Writers’ House are excited to announce a third year of the Lamplight International Fellowship Programme. This online programme is a two-week opportunity for fiction writers to enjoy the combined mentorship and support of both organisations. Find inspiration for writing, benefit from professional development opportunities, and build international connections with other writers to sustain your creative practice. Consulting writers include: Conor Kostick, Mary Anne Butler, Mike McCormack and Pip Williams. Please note, this opportunity is exclusively for professional Irish Writers Centre members.
More Information here:
Submissions
Deadline: 15 March 2025
The Martello Journal
The Martello Journal is a Dublin-based literary magazine. What makes you angry? The world is burning. We’re moving backwards. It’s all going a bit dystopian. It’s a mess. It’s a riot. We’re Ragin’. Tell Martello about your rage.
Accepted forms: The Martello is looking for poetry, prose and artwork.
More Information here:
Deadline: 18th March 2025
Profiles Journal
Profiles is an independent literary and vis-arts journal dedicated to character studies and portraiture. It is a print journal published in Dublin, Ireland. We feature work by writers, translators and artists living in Ireland and abroad.
Accepted forms: character-driven fiction and non-fiction — both original works and works in translation — between 1,000 and 5,000 words.
Contributor’s payment: writers, translators and artists whose work is received via our submission call will receive a flat fee of €200 each.
More Information here: www.profilesjournal.com
Deadline: 31 March 2025
SWERVE
Submissions for Swerve 2025 are open from March 1 to March 3. SWERVE publishes vibrant and fresh writing and visual art from Ireland in both print and digital formats. SWERVE is named in homage to VERVE, a magazine that was published in France in the first part of the 20th century.
Accepted forms: They are looking for poetry, prose and visual art.
More Information here:
Deadline: 31 March 2025
Stinging Fly creative non-fiction pitch call (Climate crisis focus)
For the Stinging Fly Winter 2025-26 issue they will have a special focus on the climate crisis. Alongside its usual mix of the very best new writing, they want to showcase visionary, provocative, and original new work about the climate and the endangered future of our planet. For pieces of creative non-fiction, The Stinging Fly are inviting people to submit a pitch in the first instance.
More Information here:
Competitions
Deadline: 21 March 2025
SCRIPTS: Ireland’s Playwriting Festival
SCRIPTS: Ireland’s Playwriting Festival, in partnership with Birr Theatre & Arts Centre, seeks new works for stage. This opportunity is for playwrights to have thier work developed and produced. Three scripts, most suited for development, will be selected through a rigorous shortlisting process.
Accepted forms: Playwrights (both established and emerging) are invited to submit an original 15 minute play on the theme PERCEPTIONS. Plays should have no more than 3 characters.
Award: The residency supports three playwrights with a team of artists to mentor, develop, and produce the emerging scripts for a rehearsed reading of the new works by professional actors at the festival finale. Industry professionals then judge the final versions and a winner is selected.
Entry fee: €10
More Information here:
Deadline: 31 March 2025
The Caterpillar Poetry Prize
The Caterpillar Poetry Prize is an annual prize for unpublished poems written by adults for children aged 7–11. Every year since 2015, The Caterpillar Poetry Prize has been awarded to a single poem by a single judge – among them John Hegley, Chrissie Gittins, Roger McGough, Michael Morpurgo & Michael Rosen. Previous winners include Louise Greig, Coral Rumble, Laura Mucha, Carole Bromley and Ciara O’Connor.
Accepted forms: unpublished poems written by adults for children aged 7–11
Prize: 1st prize €1,000 plus a week at Circle of Misse in France, 2nd prize €500 and 3rd prize €250
Entry fee: €15 per poem
More Information here:
www.thecaterpillarmagazine.com
Deadline: 1 April 2025
Nature and Place Poetry competition 2025
The RSPB and The Rialto are additionally working with BirdLife International, the Cambridge Conservation Initiative and the University of Leeds Poetry Centre. There’s a fantastic range of prizes on offer and prizewinners will be invited to read their poems at an event with Helen Mort at CCI in summer 2025. As well as offering poets the chance to win considerable cash prizes and publication of their poems, the competition supports conservation and poetry.
Accepted forms: Poetry
Prizes: 1st PRIZE £1000, 2nd PRIZE £500, 3rd PRIZE £250
Entry fee: is £7 for the first poem and £4 for each subsequent poem.
More Information here:
Deadline: 9 April 2025
Mairtín Crawford Awards 2025 for Short Story and Poetry
The Mairtín Crawford Awards 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.
Accepted forms: Short story and poetry
Award: The Winner of 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 a Hotel in Belfast, and 4 days of dedicated writing space in The Crescent. Two Runners Up for each Category will receive a £250 cash prize.
Entry fee: £10
More Information here:
Deadline; 13 April 2025
2025 Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize
The Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize is now open with a first prize of €2000, a stay at the Civitella Ranieri residency, and manuscript consultations. The goal of the prize is to give as much visibility and support to new writers, experimental writers, writers doing something daring. This year’s judges: Mariana Enríquez, Henry Hoke, and Ottessa Moshfegh
SHORTLIST SELECTION: Early July 2025 WINNERS ANNOUNCED: Late July 2025
ENTRY FEE: €20 for the first entry. €10 for every further entry
More Information here:
Deadline: 22 April 2025
Women’s Prize for Playwriting
The Women’s Prize for Playwriting was founded in 2019 to champion and produce plays by female and non-binary writers, campaigning for a fairer and more equitable industry.
The Women’s Prize for Playwriting is open to writers who are: female or non-binary, aged sixteen or older. Resident in the UK, Republic of Ireland or in a British Overseas Territory, or have a British Forces Post Office address.
Accepted forms: Play (last an hour or more in playing time). Any cast size.
Award: The production of the play in a high-profile theatre and £12,000 fee.
Free entry fee.
More Information here:
womensprizeforplaywriting.co.uk
Other Opportunities
Deadline: 12th March 2025
Creative Ageing Writing Bursary 2025
To mark the 30th anniversary of the Bealtaine Festival, Age & Opportunity wishes to commission an essay that reflects specifically on this 30-year milestone. Launched in 2021, the Age & Opportunity Creative Ageing Writing Bursary aims to generate discussion, debate and knowledge about the arts and ageing in Ireland. The bursary is intended to afford time and space for an artist, writer, or arts worker to reflect on their practice, ideas and knowledge as it relates to the arts and ageing.
One award of €1000 will be made to the successful applicant.
More Information here:
Deadline: 4th April 2025
Date With an Agent 2025
Calling all aspiring authors – hook an Agent who loves your writing at the International Literature Festival Dublin!
Do you have a potential New York Times bestseller under the bed? Get your work in front of top literary agents at Date With An Agent, an exclusive pitch event during The Insider’s Guide to Publishing at ILFD in Merrion Square Park. Ten writers will meet agents one-on-one for personalized advice. Now in its 11th year, this full-day event is presented by ILFD in partnership with industry expert Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin (aka Sam Blake) and Writing.ie.
Accepted forms: Fiction (novel), Picture Books/Early years
Submission & Administration Fee: €30.00
More Information here:
Bursaries
For a full list of Ireland-based bursary and grant schemes, please check out our Bursaries and Funding webpage.
The Irish Writers Centre is the leading support and development organisation for writers in Ireland. Each year, we runs up to 20 free and exciting programmes to support writers’ development. Carrying out it’s work on an all-island basis, the Irish Writers Centre offers a range of support schemes, residency opportunities, mentoring, and other development programmes. View more opportunities for writers here.
Join our mailing list to receive bi-monthly updates straight to your inbox. We will keep you informed of what’s on at the Centre, including the current opportunities we have for writers, our events, the latest creative writing courses, resources for writers at all stages, and other news you’ll want to know.
Please get in touch with Communications Officer Jo Morton at communications@irishwriterscentre.ie if your organisation 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.
