Competitions and submissions
The latest writing competitions and submissions windows for writers.
June 10, 2026
Words by the Sea Open Mic
This Open Mic event will take place at Walters Pub, Dun Laoghaire, on the second Wednesday of the month until 10 June 2026. Sign up from 6.45 and start at 7pm. Readers will have a maximum of 5 minutes each which could be a few short poems or your own songs, spoken word or one longer piece or flash fiction, about 800 words of prose.
More Information here:
artnetdlr.ie12 June 2026
Michael Hartnett Annual Poetry Award / Gradam Bliantúil Filíochta i gCuimhne ar Mhícheál Ó hAirtnéide
This annual award was established by Limerick County Council and is jointly funded by Limerick City and County Council and The Arts Council to mark Michael Hartnett’s contribution to literature in English and Irish. The award is open to mid-career poets with the objective of supporting and encouraging the development of their career.
In 2026, the award of €8,000 will be made to the winning poet on the basis of a third or subsequent book of poetry, published in the last two years, i.e. 2024 – 2025.
More Information here:
www.limerick.ie14 June 2026
Submissions Call for Edition VII of Tintreach
Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality would like to invite submissions to Edition VII of Tintreach: The Smashing Times Arts and Literary Journal, which will be published on Saturday, 18 July 2026. Submissions are open until midnight on Sunday, 14 June 2026.
This is a special bilingual edition themed ‘Muintearas: Macallaí Uíbh Ráthaigh / Belonging: Echoes of Iveragh’, which will exclusively publish six artists from Uíbh Ráthach, County Kerry.
The edition will celebrate artistic practice, the Irish language, and community engagement. The theme can be interpreted broadly, but should include some exploration of art, place, community, the Irish language, nature (land and seascapes), or belonging. Successful artists will receive a fee.
More Information here:
smashingtimes.ieJune 15, 2026
The Moth Short Story Prize
The Moth Short Story Prize is now open for submissions. This year the competition will be judged by novelist and short story author Wendy Erskine.
The prize is open to anyone over 16 as long as the work is original and previously unpublished. The word limit is 3,000 and the entry fee is €17.
The winning story is printed as part of the summer fiction series in the Irish Times, while the 2nd and 3rd-prize-winning stories are published in the Irish Times online.
THE PRIZES
1st prize €3,000
2nd prize €1,000
3rd prize a week at The Moth Retreat.
More Information here:
www.themothmagazine.comJune 15, 2026
Anne Brown Essay Prize
The Anne Brown Prize awards £1500 for the best literary essay by a writer in or from Scotland. The Prize was established in honour of Anne Brown’s contribution within Wigtown Book Festival as well as her astonishing career in radio and broadcasting, and her cultivation of new talent in journalism.
More Information here:
www.wigtownbookfestival.com23 June 2026
Free Flash Fiction Competition 34
Submit a flash fiction piece of between 100 and 300 words, on any theme.
1 Winner will receive £200.00 and publication
2 Highly Commended will receive £100.00 and publication
3 Shortlisted will receive £80.00 and publication
More Information here:
freeflashfiction.comJune 30, 2026
Drumshanbo Written Word Poetry Film Competition
Drumshanbo County Leitrim, Ireland, hosts an annual literary festival bringing together some of Irelands finest writers and poets to celebrate the written word. As part of this we host an annual Poetry Film competition open to filmmakers and poets from everywhere. Each year the festival hosts an evening where they screen the shortlisted films as part of the opening ceremony. Send your entries and join them in this beautiful Lakelands town in August
The judge this year will be Csilla Toldy, Award winning poet and filmmaker from Rostrevor, Co.Down.
First Prize €500 will be awarded to the best poetry film on Friday 21st August after the shortlist screening.
More Information here:
filmfreeway.com30 June 2026
Frazzled Lit Short Story Award
The Frazzled Lit Short Story Award will be judged by international award-winning author Donal Ryan. Prizes are as follows: 1st prize: € 1,000, 2nd prize: € 500, 3rd prize: € 300. Stories must be between 750 and 2,000 words, excluding title.
More Information here:
www.frazzledlit.com30 June 2026
Fiction Factory Short Story Competition
Top prize- £500. Length of story: max 3,000 words Entries should be as a Word document. All types of stories are welcome (excluding Children’s and Young Adult Fiction). Entry Fee: £7.00 (£13 for 2 stories, £18 for 3 stories)Entry fee plus optional critique: £35.00
Winning stories will be published on this website and, at a later date in a planned anthology
More Information here:
fiction-factory.bizJune 30, 2026
Southword Creative Non-Fiction Award
We are looking for compelling writing, as memoir or as innovative essays or as an admixture of both. Simon Van Booy, Sandra Beasley, Thomas Lynch, Kim Addonizio & Yoko Tawada have all published creative non-fiction in Southword, why not join that illustrious company? Entrants may submit more than one entry. Once entered, no alterations can be made to the submission. Simultaneous submissions are accepted but please notify us immediately should your work be accepted elsewhere. Multiple submissions are allowed and entries must be previously unpublished. First prize: €1000.
More Information here:
munsterlit.ieJuly 1, 2026
Magma Open Poetry Pamphlet Competition 2026
MAGMA invites you to enter their fifth pamphlet competition, now open for entries. They are delighted to have Marjorie Lotfi as judge.
PRIZE: publication of the winning pamphlet + launch reading.
Poets on the shortlist of 10 will each get a paragraph of feedback from the judge. The winner and 3 others will have a poem published in Magma. All shortlisted poets will have a poem published on our website.
Marjorie Lotfi will read 50 entries selected by Magma board members.
More Information here:
magmapoetry.comJuly 3, 2026
Hubert Butler Essay Prize
The Hubert Butler Essay Prize is intended to encourage the art of essay-writing with a European dimension and to expand interest in Butler’s work. There is a prize sponsored by Haus Publishing of €2,500. The author must be over 18 and be a UK or European Union citizen. Essays submitted should be in English and of no more than 3,000 words in length (inclusive of quotations).
More Information here:
Opening 8 June, Submissions close 26 July 2026
Sci-Fi Ireland Issue #2: Call for Submissions
Sci-Fi Ireland will be accepting submissions from 8th June – 26th of July for issue 2, publishing in November 2026. Stories should be between 2000-6000 words. Stories should be Science-Fiction or Sci-Fi crossover, including but not limited to Science-Fantasy, Science-Horror and Sci-Fi blended with folklore, myth and legend.
More Information here:
www.sci-fi-ireland.comJuly 31, 2026
Seán Ó Faoláin International Short Story Competition
The competition is open to original, unpublished and unbroadcast short stories in the English language of 3,000 words or fewer. The story can be on any subject, in any style, by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. Translated work is not in the scope of this competition. Entrants may submit more than one entry. Once entered, no alterations can be made to the submission. Simultaneous submissions are accepted but please notify us immediately should your work be accepted elsewhere. First prize: €2,000, Featured reading at the Cork International Short Story Festival (with four-night hotel stay and full board), Publication in Southword
More Information here:
munsterlit.ie14 August 2026, 10am
Waterford Poetry Prize
The Arts Office, Waterford City & County Council is pleased to announce that entries are now being accepted for the Waterford Poetry Prize 2026. This competition is open to all writers currently living on the island of Ireland. This prize has emerged from the influence of the late Waterford writer Seán Dunne whose poetry continues to inspire.
The winners of the Waterford Poetry Prize 2026 will be announced at the closing event of the Waterford Writers Weekend on Sunday 25th October 2026. This year the Arts Office is pleased to welcome back the poet, essayist and librettist, Jessica Traynor as adjudicator.
There is no age limit and no entry fee for the Waterford Poetry Prize 2026. The first prize is €600. Second prize is €400 and third prize is €300. The closing date for receipt of entries is Friday 14th August 2026 at 10am.
More Information here:
waterford.submit.comAugust 31, 2026
Munster Literature Centre Fool for Poetry International Chapbook Competition
The competition is open to new, emerging and established poets from any country. At least one of these winners will be the highest scoring manuscript entered by a poet with no solo collection (full-length or chapbook) previously published. The other winner may have previously published poetry books. Up to 25 other entrants will be publicly listed as “highly commended”. 1st Prize: €1000, Chapbook publication and 25 complimentary copies, Featured reading at the Cork International Poetry Festival (with three-night hotel stay and full board)
More Information here:
munsterlit.ieAugust 31, 2026
Aesthetica Creative Writing Award
The Award was launched after the publication of Aesthetica Magazine, as a way to support the next generation of literary talent. These were first published in the Creative Works Annual, a collection celebrating innovative poetry and short fiction from both established and emerging practitioners. Originally, it was an anthology of new writing and new artwork. However, as the Aesthetica Creative Writing Award and the Art Prize started to reach more audiences, the decision was made in 2013 to separate them into two Awards with their own prizes and publications.
More Information here:
aestheticamagazine.comAugust 31, 2026
Anthology Personal Memoir Competition 2026
The Anthology Personal Memoir Competition is open to original and previously unpublished memoirs in the English language by writers of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. In the spirit of authenticity, there are no constraints on themes or writing styles. Memoirs submitted must not exceed a maximum of 1,500 words. Writers can submit as many entries as they wish. Each submission will require a separate entry form and is subject to a separate entry fee.
More Information here:
anthology-magazine.comJuly 31, 2026
Anthology Short Story Competition 2026
Established to recognise and encourage creative writing and provide a platform for publication, the Anthology Short Story Competition is open to original and previously unpublished short stories in the English language by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. There is no restriction on theme or style. Stories submitted must not exceed the maximum of 1,500 words. Writers can submit as many entries as they wish. Each submission will require a separate entry form and is subject to a separate entry fee.
More Information here:
www.writing.ie21 August 2026
Letterkenny Cathedral Quarter Literary Festival Poetry Competition
Letterkenny Cathedral Quarter Literary Festival is delighted to announce its 2026 Poetry Competition is open for submissions. This year, the theme of the competition is New World.
Five shortlisted poets will be invited to read their entries at the Letterkenny Cathedral Quarter Literary Festival on Saturday 17th October when the overall winner will be announced.
The judge this year is Deirdre Hines. Deirdre is an award-winning poet and author of The Language of Coats (New Island) which includes her Listowel Prize-winning collection, and The Mermelf: A Fable for Our Times (Austin Macauley Publishers), runner-up in the the London Book Festival 2024. Her Japanese Poetry Workbook: Master Haiku, Tanka, Renku, Haibun & more with prompts, is an Amazon Top 50 bestseller.
The Festival Committee wish to thank Brennan’s Pharmacy and Donegal ETB for sponsoring our main prizes.
The winner will receive €150 and the runner-up €100.
Three highly commended entries will receive cash prizes.
The closing date for entries is Friday 21st August. Results will be announced by the end of September.
More Information here:
lkcqlitfest.weebly.comSeptember 1, 2026
The Barbellion Prize
Any full-length work of fiction or non-fiction, excluding poetry, originally written in English or translated into English and available in published form by a writer who is chronically ill or disabled or who has dealt personally and directly with illness or disability, is eligible for submission and the judge’s consideration..
More Information here:
barbellionprize.orgSeptember 30, 2026
Southword Editor’s Poetry Award
Each entrant for their €24 entry fee will receive a complimentary postage-free, one-year subscription to Southword. Poems will be read and judged anonymously. Poems must be previously unpublished. The winning poet will have their three poems published in Southword. If you are already a subscriber, your subscription will be extended. Once a subscriber, there is the opportunity to enter, for free, other competitions which are for subscribers only. Prize: €1000.
More Information here:
munsterlit.ieNovember 1, 2026
The Scribble Annual Short Story Competition
2026 Theme: ‘A SLICE OF LUCK’. Maximum length: 3000 words. Prizes: £100.00; £50.00; £25.00. Entry fee: £5.00. Free unlimited entries for annual subscribers. The winning entry will be published in the winter 2026 edition of Scribble, published during December.
More Information here:
www.parkpublications.co.ukOngoing
The Scribble Quarterly Short Story Competitions
Short stories on any subject. Max. 3000 words. Entry fee £5.00. Prizes of £75.00, £25.00, and £15.00 for the best three stories in each issue of Scribble, as chosen by the readers. Email entries to submissions@btinternet.com.
More Information here:
www.parkpublications.co.ukDeadline: 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.
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.
