Competitions, submissions and other opportunities
The latest writing competitions and submissions windows for writers.
Ongoing from 29 September until 24 November 2025
Off the Scéal: Multilingual Open Mic Night
Off The Scéal is a new multilingual open mic night co-curated by Daniel Flynn and Ola Majekodunmi, and funded by Creative Ireland and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. It is aimed at poets, musicians, storytellers and comedians, and will take place on six occasions from September to November at the DLR Lexicon Studio. All nationalities and languages are welcome. Attendees must be 18+.
The dates for the six events are: 29 September, 13 October, 20 October, 3 November, 10 November, 24 November. For further information please contact Ola Majekodunmi at wura-ola@hotmail.com and/or Daniel Flynn at danflynn94@gmail.com.
More Information here:
www.creativeireland.gov.ieDeadline: 30 September 2025
The Moth Nature Writing Prize 2025
The Moth Nature Writing Prize is an annual award that celebrates exceptional literary writing that explores the writers’ relationship with the natural world. The 2026 prize – which is now open for submissions – will be be judged by award-winning writer and naturalist Mark Cocker. See the Moth’s website for details on how to submit.
Accepted forms: Prose and poetry.
Prize: €1,000 and a week at the Moth Retreat; 2nd prize €500; 3rd prize €250.
Entry fee: €15.
More Information here:
www.themothmagazine.comDeadline: 30 September 2025
New Voices Short Film Awards 2026
Screen Wexford, in partnership with Wexford County Council Arts Office, is currently seeking applications for the New Voices Short Film Awards 2026. This biannual film award is valued at €20,000 and is designed to provide funding and mentorship support to emerging filmmakers based in the County Wexford region.
In 2026, two short films will be awarded funding of €10,000 each. This will be broken into €7,000 cash and €3,000 for film equipment hire from our partner company. Further, both teams will receive mentorship from leading film industry professionals as well as ongoing support from Screen Wexford.
See Screen Wexford’s website for full details.
More Information here:
screenwexford.comDeadline: 30 September 2025
The Southword Editor’s Poetry Award Competition
Munster Literature Centre is currently seeking submissions of original, unpublished poems (three per author) for the 2025 Southword Editor’s Poetry Award Competition. This year, the competition will be judged by the current Southword poetry editor, Patrick Cotter. See the Munster Literature Centre’s website for full details.
Accepted forms: Poetry.
Prize: €1,000, plus publication in Southword.
Entry fee: €24 (includes a one-year, postage-free subscription to Southword).
More Information here:
munsterlit.ieDeadline: 2 October 2025
Arts Council Writer in Residence / Fellowship Scheme 2026
The Arts Council Writer in Residence / Fellowship scheme provides mid-career and established writers with residency opportunities at a number of partner Irish universities.
This year, residencies are available in Dublin City University (English and Irish language), Maynooth University, University of Galway, Trinity College Dublin, University College Cork and University College Dublin.
Full details are available on the Arts Council website.
More Information here:
artscouncil.ieDeadline: 2 October 2025
dlr Mentorship Scheme for Artists 2025
dlr Arts Office is delighted to offer a mentorship scheme for professional artists working in all artistic disciplines. Each mentee will select their own mentor. If the mentee does not have a specific person in mind, dlr arts has a list of artists interested in offering their services as mentors (available by emailing cbrown@dlrcoco.ie). Up to ten mentorships will be awarded with a payment of €1,400 to the mentor and €400 to the mentee to cover travel and subsistence. All proposed activities should take place by the end of June 2026. Mentees must be living or practicing their art professionally in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown in order to be eligible.
See the dlr Arts Office website for full details.
More Information here:
dlrcoco.submit.comDeadline: 13 October 2025
The Peter Porter Poetry Prize 2026
Applications for the 2026 Peter Porter Poetry Prize are now open. Run by the Australian Book Review, the prize – worth a total of AUD$10,000 – is open to all living poets writing in English. The five shortlisted poems will be published in the January–February 2026 issue of ABR and the winner will be announced at a ceremony later that month. This year’s judges are Judith Bishop, Felicity Plunkett, and Anders Villani.
Accepted forms: Poetry.
Prize: 1st place AUD$6,000; four shortlisted writers AUS$1,000.
Entry fee: AUD$30 (includes four-month digital subscription to the ARB).
More Information here:
www.australianbookreview.com.auDeadline: 15 October 2025
Creative Writing Ink Short Story Competition 2025
Creative Ink is currently seeking submissions of original short stories (max. 3,000 words) for its annual short story competition. Entries can focus on any subject or theme, and can be entered via Creative Ink’s Submittable page. Writers may submit multiple entries so long as each entry is paid for individually and includes a separate entry form.
Accepted forms: Short stories.
Prize: 1st prize £1000, a free creative writing course of the winner’s choice, and publication on Creative Ink’s website; runners-up £200 each and publication on Creative Ink’s website.
Entry fee: £12.
More Information here:
creativewritingink.co.ukDeadline: 15 October 2025
Iceland Writers Retreat 2026
Applications are now open for several financial need-based grants for the 2026 Iceland Writers Retreat (to be held from 15-19 April 2026 in Reykjavík, a UNESCO City of Literature). At the retreat, participants will gather for small-group writing workshops led by an esteemed faculty, including Susan Choi, Kamila Shamsie, Evan Osnos, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Ann Marie MacDonald, Jesse Thistle, and others. The retreat also includes literary tours of the region, talks by Icelandic writers, cultural receptions, readings, and a Q&A with the faculty. Applicants are asked to provide:
- A statement of impact on why you are applying for the award
- A 1,000-word creative writing sample (prose: fiction, non-fiction, or memoir)
- Two references
- An acknowledgment of financial need
See icelandwritersretreat.com for full details.
More Information here:
icelandwritersretreat.comDeadline: 15 October 2025
Poetry Ireland Review Issue #147
Poetry Ireland Review is currently seeking submissions for Issue #147 (guest-edited by Theo Dorgan). Writers are invited to submit up to four poems (compiled in the one document) alongside a cover note detailing any relevant publication credits to date. See Poetry Ireland’s website for full details.
Accepted forms: Poetry.
Contributor fee: €50 minimum.
Entry fee: None.
More Information here:
www.poetryireland.ieDeadline: 15 October 2025
Skylight 47: Issue #21
Skylight 47 is currently seeking submissions of original poems (up to three per author), as well as works of visual art (six to ten pieces per artist), for inclusion in its next issue. Poems should be no longer than 40 lines in length and should be compiled within a single document. If you were published in the current issue of Skylight 47, the editors ask that you do not submit to this issue. See the journal’s website for full details.
Accepted forms: Poetry, visual art.
Contributor fee: €40 for poets, €240 for featured visual artist.
Entry fee: None.
More Information here:
skylight47poetry.wordpress.comDeadline: 30 October 2025
Dublin City Council Residential Artists’ Studio Open Call 2026
Dublin City Council Arts Office is pleased to announce an open call to Irish and international artists and arts organisations interested in applying for their 2026 Residential Scheme. The scheme will run from January 2026 to November 2026.
The programme is open to emerging and established artists working across diverse disciplines who are interested in exploring the social, cultural, and physical fabric of the city. There are four residences on offer: three residency spaces for eleven month stays and one residency space available for short term leases. Rent for each property is set at €750 per month.
See the link below for full details.
More Information here:
dublincityartsoffice.submittable.comDeadline: 31 October 2025
Ennis Book Club Festival Short Story Competition 2026
Ennis Book Club Festival is currently seeking submissions of original short stories (max. 3,000 words) for its annual short story competition. This year, Wendy Erskine (author of Sweet Home, Dance Move and The Benefactors) will act as judge. The winning entry will be announced at the Ennis Book Club Festival (6 to 8 March 2026), and will be read at one of the events.
Accepted forms: Short stories.
Prize: 1st prize €750; 2nd prize €400.
Entry fee: €20.
More Information here:
ennisbookclubfestival.comDeadline: 31 October 2025
Frazzled Lit: Issue #4
Frazzled Lit is currently seeking submissions of fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction for inclusion in its fourth issue. Writers are advised to take note of the following word counts: short stories (max. 2,500 words), flash fiction (max. 550 words; up to two per person), poetry (max. 40 lines; up to three per person), and creative non-fiction (max. 3,000 words). See Frazzled Lit’s website for full details.
Accepted forms: Short fiction, flash fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction.
Contributor fee: None.
Entry fee: None.
More Information here:
www.frazzledlit.comDeadline: 31 October 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. Though there is no restriction on subject matter or theme, stories that align with the core themes of hope, courage and resilience, as personally experienced or imagined by the writer, will be prioritised. The competition is limited to prose pieces only – i.e. fiction or narrative non-fiction (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 winning and highly-commended entries will be will be featured in an anthology published by Simon & Schuster Australia.
Entry fee: $30 AUD.
More Information here:
www.thehopeprize.comDeadline: 31 October 2025
National Poetry Competition 2025
The National Poetry Competition, run by the Poetry Society since 1978, is one of the world’s most prestigious prizes for a single unpublished poem. Though the Poetry Society is based in the UK, the competition is open to poets aged 18+ all around the world. This year’s judging panel includes Denise Saul, Ian Duhig and Susannah Dickey.
All poems must have a title and must not exceed 40 lines in length. The top three winners, in addition to receiving prize money, will have their winning poems published in The Poetry Society’s quarterly journal, The Poetry Review.
Accepted forms: Poetry.
Prize: 1st place £5,000; 2nd place £3,000; 3rd place £2,000; commendations £500.
Entry fee: £8 (all subsequent poems £6).
More Information here:
npc.poetrysociety.org.ukDeadline: 4 November 2025
Dublin City Arts Office Bursary Awards 2025
The Dublin City Arts Office is currently open for applications for the 2025 Bursary Awards. These awards – worth a maximum of €5,000 – are not for the creation and presentation of new work, but for an individual artist to pursue a work plan that may include training, mentoring, research and capacity building in 2026.
Bursary 2026 applications are welcome from applicants from all artistic backgrounds, including literature.
See the Dublin City Arts Office’s website for full details.
More Information here:
www.dublincityartsoffice.ieDeadline: 17 November 2025
Historical Novel Society First Chapters Competition 2026
The Historical Novel Society is currently seeking submissions of original historical fiction for the 2026 First Chapters Competition – an annual competition that aims to recognise and promote excellence in the storytelling and craft of historical fiction and its sub-genres. Writers are invited to submit the opening (max. 3,000 words) and a one-page synopsis of a full-length historical novel that has not previously been published in any form. See the HNS website for full details.
Accepted forms: Historical fiction.
Prize: Overall winner £1,000 and a trophy; ten category winners €500 and a free HNS 2026 conference ticket.
Entry fee: £25 for HNS members and £35 for non-members.
More Information here:
hns2026.comDeadline: 30 November 2025
Gregory O’Donoghue International Poetry Competition 2025
Munster Literature Centre is currently accepting submissions of original, unpublished poems (max. 40 lines) for the 2025 Gregory O’Donoghue International Poetry Competition. Entries can focus on any subject or theme and can come from anywhere in the world. Three overall winners will be selected, in addition to ten shortlisted writers who will receive €50 and have their work featured in an edition of Southword.
Accepted forms: Poetry.
Prize: 1st prize €2,000, a reading at the Cork International Poetry Festival (with a four-night hotel stay and full board) and publication in Southword; 2nd prize €500 and publication in Southword; 3rd prize €250 and publication in Southword.
Entry fee: €7 per poem or €30 for a batch of five.
More Information here:
munsterlit.ieDeadline: 30 November 2025
The International Dark Poets Prize: Edition IV
Submissions are now open for the fourth International Dark Poets Prize – an annual award celebrating poems that explore ‘the beauty within darkness’. Writers are invited to submit poems up to 250 words in length (excluding title), ideally to be submitted as a Word doc. Full details can be found on the Prize’s website.
Accepted forms: Poetry.
Prize: £1,000, certification, and an official Dark Poets Club t-shirt.
Entry fee: £6 per poem (single poem); £10 for 3 poems (£3.33 per poem); £14 for 5 poems (£2.80 per poem).
More Information here:
www.darkpoets.clubDeadline: 15 December 2025
Mini Plays Review: December 2025 Issue
The Mini Plays Review is seeking submissions of original one-minute plays (max. one page) for inclusion in its December 2025 issue. Submissions should revolve around the theme of ‘unfinished business’ and should be previously unpublished (this includes blogs/social media but does not include performance). Submissions can be emailed to miniplaysmag@gmail.com.
Accepted forms: Short plays.
Contributor fee: None.
Entry fee: None.
More Information here:
sites.google.comDeadline: Ongoing
The Dublin Review
The Dublin Review welcomes submissions of fiction and non-fiction previously unpublished in the English language. They do not accept poetry submissions. They especially encourage submissions from members of groups traditionally underrepresented in literary magazines and other cultural forums.
More Information here:
thedublinreview.comDeadline: Ongoing
Guernica: A Magazine of Global Arts & Politics
Founded online in 2004, Guernica is an award-winning 501(c)3 non-profit magazine focused on the intersection of arts and politics. A home for incisive ideas and necessary questions, Guernica publishes memoir, reporting, interviews, commentary, poetry, fiction, and multimedia journalism exploring identity, conflict, culture, justice, science, and beyond. They offer honoraria of $50 for poetry, $100 for original essays, and $150 for original fiction and reportage/journalism.
More Information here:
www.guernicamag.comDeadline: Ongoing
The London Magazine
The London Magazine (est. 1732) is now accepting pitches for essays, reviews and interviews on an ongoing basis. This from the editors: ‘We’re looking for clear, engaging writing that connects literature to wider culture or brings fresh perspectives to books, art and ideas. Please read our submission guidelines before sending pitches to pitches@thelondonmagazine.org.’
More Information here:
thelondonmagazine.orgDeadline: Ongoing
PN Review
PN Review considers submissions in hard copy form only (unless you are an individual subscriber to the magazine, in which case electronic submissions, word files rather than PDFs, will be considered). Writers wishing to send work should familiarise themselves with PN Review. Submissions should generally not exceed fifteen double-spaced pages of work (prose) or four poems/five pages (verse in English or translation). Copies of the original texts should accompany translations where possible. The editors discourage simultaneous submissions. Writers wishing to propose projects should send a synopsis and covering letter, with sample pages, having first ascertained from the website that the kind of proposal is suitable for PN Review.
Generally, the editors do not publish short stories, children’s prose/poetry and/or non-poetry related work (academic, biography etc.).
More Information here:
www.pnreview.co.ukDeadline: Ongoing
The Poetry Review
The Poetry Review, founded in 1912, is the magazine of the Poetry Society, UK, and has a long-standing policy of publishing the very best work by new, up and coming poets, and established poets. All submissions are read by the editor and considered on an equal basis. Unfortunately, due to the volume of submissions we receive, we cannot offer any individual criticism. Our aim is to accept or reject work within three months – but please read, and follow, the submission guidelines below, in order to facilitate our response.
