Here at the University of North Georgia Press, we always keep our eyes open for exciting opportunities for authors or fledgling writers to expand their craft and maybe even win some prizes. Recently, the Seán Ó Faoláin International Short Story Competition has come to our attention as a thrilling event for those who feel moved to try their hand at writing a short story.
The competition is sponsored by the Munster Literature Centre in Cork, Ireland. Founded in 1993, this non-profit arts organization has dedicated itself to the “promotion and celebration of literature.” The Munster Literature Centre organizes many events such as festivals, workshops, readings, and competitions. They also publish a biannual journal of poetry collections and short stories called the Southword Editions. The centre seeks “to support new and emerging writers.”
The Seán Ó Faoláin International Short Story Competition is open to writers from all over the world and accepts submissions every year from May through July. The submitted short story must be an original and unpublished or unbroadcasted work originally written in English that is less then 3,000 words. The story can be on any “subject, in any style, by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world,” and the judging process is completely anonymous. To look at the full submission guidelines go here.
Now, the entry fee is twenty dollars, but it sounds pretty reasonable compared to the possible prizes. The first prize winner receives €2,000, or $2,308, publication in the Southword literary journal, and a week-long residency at Anam Cara’s Writer’s and Artist’s Retreat. The second prize wins €500 and is also published in Southword.
If you like travel and you win the first place prize, you’ll be excited to hear about another perk you will receive. The first prize winner will be announced at the Cork International Short Story Festival in Cork, Ireland on September 13-16, 2017. They will be asked to read their prize-winning story at the festival and their hotel accommodation, meals, drinks, and VIP access to the literary stars in attendance at the festival will all be provided.
So get your writing together, and get your submissions in—remember they are due at the end of this month!
Speaking of short stories, hold onto your hats because the Press is releasing a work of short stories this fall titled Floods and Fires by Dan Leach. We’re so excited to share his first short story collection with you this upcoming fall.
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