It’s Literary Competitions time again! And that means either time to get scribbling or to retrieve those short stories, poems, plays and humourous essays from your files and send them to us in time for 2nd March 2015. Prize-winners will receive their awards on the Opening Night of Listowel Writers’ Week on Wednesday 27th May 2015.
As always we have an extensive range to choose from, so why not follow in the footsteps of previous winners such as novelist Christine Dwyer Hickey or playwright Fiona Doyle, who have successfully launched their writing careers after winning one of our Literary Competitions.
The Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award is generously sponsored again this year by Kerry Group Plc, and with a prize of €15,000 it is the largest monetary prize for fiction available solely to Irish authors. Novel entries must be published between 1st February 2014 and 1st February 2015. The 2014 Prize was won by Eimear McBride for A Girl Is A Half-formed Thing, which went on to win numerous prestigious international awards, including the Goldsmith’s Prize and the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction.
The Pigott Poetry Prize is now in its second year and is generously sponsored by Mark Pigott KBE and the Pigott Family. The €5,000 Prize is
awarded for a published collection of Poetry by an Irish poet. Collection entries must be published between 1st February 2014 and 1st February 2015. The 2014 Prize was won by Matthew Sweeney for Horse Music.
The closing date for entries for the above two Awards is 3rd February 2015.
Our other Literary Competitions are open to entries that have been previously unpublished and are as follows:
The Bryan MacMahon Short Story Award Prize €2,000
(Sponsored by Kerry County Council)
Eamon Keane Full-Length Play Award Prize €1,000
(Sponsored by The Family of Eamon Keane)
Duais Foras na Gaeilge Prize €1,200
(Sponsored by Foras na Gaeilge)
The Single Poem Competition Prize €700
(Sponsored by Listal Ltd)
The Poetry Collection Competition Prize €1,500
(Sponsored by Tim Costelloe, Profile Developments)
The Nilsson Local Heritage Writing Competition Prize €750
(Sponsored by The Nilsson Family)
Listowel Writers’ Week Originals Prize €750
Short Story
Short Poem
Humorous Essay
(Sponsored by McDonald’s Restaurants, Kerry)
The Con Houlihan Young Sports Journalist Award Prize €100
(Sponsored by The Irish Independent and Radio Kerry)
Kerry County Council Creative Writing for Youth Prize Fund €1,500
(Sponsored by Kerry County Council)
Creative Writing for Special Education Needs Prize €200
(Sponsored by Robert Pierse)
A number of the above Competitions are now available to enter online and are: The Bryan MacMahon Short Story Award; Duais Foras na Gaeilge; The Single Poem Competition and Listowel Writers’ Week Originals.
For full details and eligibility criteria please click here