Internationally respected short story prize run since 2008. Up to 4,000 words. Open to writers worldwide. All shortlisted writers receive £50 and publication in the…
Celebrates the best fiction translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland. The £50,000 prize is shared equally between author and translator. Short stor…
Annual awards from one of America's most prestigious literary journals — published since 1970 by the University of Iowa. Three categories: poetry, fiction, and creat…
Annual contest from one of America's most distinguished literary journals, founded at the University of Iowa in 1969. Open internationally. Submit up to 3 poems (8 p…
Prize from one of America's most distinguished literary journals. Stories up to 12,000 words. Open internationally. Winner receives US$1,000 and publication. America…
Founded in 1998 by screenwriter Gordy Hoffman, BlueCat is particularly valued for the written feedback every entrant receives on their script — not just finalists. A…
An annual prize for emerging writers run by the prestigious Cúirt International Festival of Literature in Galway. Four categories: short fiction, poetry, essay, and…
Free-entry flash fiction prize. Max 300 words. Open internationally. Top poem earns €1,000. Winners published in the Fish Anthology. A prestigious platform for write…
A timed, prompt-based screenwriting competition running three rounds. Writers receive a genre, subject, and character assignment and must write an original short scr…
International short story competition with multiple genre categories. Stories must be no longer than 5,000 words. No sexual, political or hate speech content accepte…
One of the world's most reputable flash fiction prizes. Up to 300 words. Open internationally. Two rounds per year with £1,000 first prize each round. All shortliste…
Australia's largest open poetry prize, awarding AU$15,000 for the best single poem. Open internationally. Winning poem published in the annual anthology alongside sh…
Prestigious international competition specifically for independently published authors and small presses. Recognises quality books outside traditional publishing. No…
An annual award for unagented, unpublished writers of children's, YA and adult fiction, run in partnership with Darley Anderson Agency. Now in its eighth year with a…
An annual poetry contest from BOMB — one of New York's most respected arts and culture magazines, known for its artist-to-artist interviews and experimental literary…
One of America's most distinguished prizes for a short story collection manuscript, published by the University of Georgia Press since 1983. Open internationally for…
Known as the 'writer's festival', AFF runs one of the world's largest screenwriting conferences alongside its competition. Categories include feature, short, pilot,…
A significant cash prize for the best unpublished short story. Open to Australian and international writers. 2,000–5,000 words. Winning and shortlisted stories publi…
International contest for unagented novelists worldwide. Submit the first 5,000 words plus a one-page synopsis. Welcomes both unpublished and self-published authors.…
250 words max. Open to writers aged 16+ worldwide. One of the most competitive flash fiction prizes. Winners published in the annual Bridport anthology.
The Peggy Chapman-Andrews First Novel Award. Submit 5,000–8,000 words from opening chapters plus a 300-word synopsis. A win or shortlist is one of the most powerful…
One of the most coveted poetry prizes in the English-speaking world. Up to 42 lines. Open to all writers aged 16+ worldwide. Winners published in the Bridport anthol…
One of the world's most respected writing competitions. Open to writers worldwide aged 16+. Max 5,000 words. Winners published in the annual Bridport anthology. Stro…
Seeks bold, original writing that challenges norms and takes creative risks. Emotional stories with fresh perspectives. No AI-generated work accepted. International…
Established 1981 by the granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway, this prestigious competition has over 40 years of history. Focuses on emerging voices in short fiction. Op…
A biennial award from Canada's oldest literary magazine for emerging writers who have not yet published a full-length book. Alternates annually between poetry and fi…
An annual contest from Ploughshares — one of America's most respected and widely read literary magazines — for writers who have not yet published a full-length book.…
One of Ireland's longest-established and most significant literary prizes, run by RTÉ Radio 1 in honour of writer and broadcaster Francis MacManus. Free to enter, wi…
Presented by the makers of the industry-standard screenwriting software, Big Break accepts feature films, TV pilots (hour-long and half-hour), and short scripts. Ope…
Part of the annual HollyShorts Film Festival (Aug 13–23, 2026), this contest accepts short screenplays up to 30 pages and TV pilots up to 50 pages. Winners gain expo…
One of Hollywood's most respected screenplay contests, judged by working producers, agents, managers, and development executives. Ten genre categories including Acti…
Prestigious international prize from Ireland's celebrated literary magazine. Up to 3,000 words. Open to anyone over 16 worldwide. Winning story published in the Iris…
Open to women and non-binary writers worldwide writing in English. Submit the first 10,000 words of an unpublished novel plus a synopsis. Winner receives £5,000 plus…
One of the longest-running U.S. screenplay contests, focused on connecting writers with representation. Quarterfinalists and above receive personalised development s…
An annual competition for poetry chapbooks run by the Munster Literature Centre and Southword Editions, launched at the Cork International Poetry Festival. Two winne…
Ireland's most prestigious and popular book awards, voted by the public and judged by a panel. The Irish Novel of the Year is the flagship prize. Winners enjoy enorm…
The leading Irish poetry prize, awarded as part of the An Post Irish Book Awards — Ireland's most prominent book prize suite. Open to poetry collections by Irish aut…
The Irish Writers Centre's flagship annual initiative gives unpublished novelists the opportunity to pitch their novels to world-class publishers and literary agents…
Open to women and non-binary writers worldwide. Up to 2,200 words. Winner and finalists published in Mslexia and the Best Women's Short Fiction anthology. One of the…
One of the world's most prestigious literary awards, given annually for the best novel written in English and published in the UK or Ireland. Open to writers of any…
Known as the 'writer's festival', the Austin Film Festival hosts the world's largest screenwriters' conference alongside its film programme. Hundreds of panels, pitc…
Awarded to a debut full-length poetry collection published originally in English. Publishers submit four copies. One of the most valuable poetry prizes for debut col…
An annual prize from The Missouri Review — one of America's most influential literary journals — for the best unpublished fiction, poetry, and essay. Open internatio…
Run by The Poetry Society since 1978, one of the world's most prestigious prizes for a single unpublished poem. Open to all poets worldwide aged 18+. Judged anonymou…
Sister award to the Bath Novel Award, open to unagented writers of children's fiction worldwide — both unpublished and self-published authors welcome. Submit the fir…
Respected international poetry prize. Open to all poets worldwide. Winners and shortlisted poems published in the annual Fish Anthology. Judged anonymously. Maximum…
Internationally respected short story prize. Max 5,000 words. Open to all writers worldwide. Winners and shortlisted stories published in the Fish Anthology, a respe…
A major annual international poetry prize run by the Munster Literature Centre (publishers of Southword journal) and named for Cork poet Gregory O'Donoghue. Open to…
One of the world's most valuable prizes for a single poetry collection, with CA$65,000 each for best Canadian and best International collection. Publisher-submitted.…
Created to address gender bias in literary awards. Celebrates excellence, originality, and accessibility in women's writing. Open to women of any nationality writing…
Supported by the Malcolm Robertson Foundation and named after novelist Neilma Gantner. Seeks powerful short fiction up to 3,000 words on an annual theme. Open intern…
Named for acclaimed Australian-born British poet Peter Porter, this prize is awarded annually by Australian Book Review for the best unpublished poem. Open internati…
Monthly free-entry flash fiction contest run by the Australian Writers' Centre. Stories must be 500 words max and written within a weekend using set criteria. Open i…
Free-entry contest for poetry and short fiction. Winners published in Aesthetica Magazine and receive £1,000. Open internationally. Celebrates innovative and boundar…
Free-entry contest for the best philosophical-themed writing. Offers one of the largest free-entry prizes in creative writing. Open internationally.
International screenplay competition based in Australia, open to screenwriters worldwide. Accepts feature scripts, shorts, and TV pilots. Emphasises detailed reader…
International competition for crime novelists writing in English. All crime subgenres welcome. Entrants may not have self-published fiction over 20,000 words. Win ca…
No entry fee prize run by the independent publisher Galley Beggar Press. Seeks extraordinary storytelling. Open internationally. One of the few free-entry prizes fro…
Free-entry competition awarding US$1,000 across multiple genres including short stories, poetry, and flash fiction. Open internationally. Rolling deadlines make it a…
Awarded to the best work of literature in the English language, regardless of form or nationality. Nominated by Academy members. Celebrates literary merit across fic…
Weekly themed short story contest with rolling deadlines and free entry. Open internationally. Strong community of writers. A good entry point for emerging writers s…
Runs year-round genre-specific competitions including Drama, Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi, Animation, and TV Pilot, each judged by relevant industry professionals. Known f…
A prestigious prize for new writing in poetry or short fiction named for Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney, run by the Seamus Heaney HomePlace in Bellaghy. Open to writer…
Open to anyone over 16. Five categories: Novel, Short Story, Poetry, Children's/YA Novel, and Writing Without Restrictions. Strong track record of supporting emergin…
Irish Writing Competitions in 2026
Ireland has a vibrant literary competition and festival scene — from the Fish Publishing competitions to some of Europe's most celebrated literary events.
Irish competitions are often open to writers worldwide. Use the filters above to find competitions by type.
See the Resources & Festivals tab for Irish writers' organisations — and major festivals including Cúirt International Festival of Literature in Galway and Mountains to Sea in Dún Laoghaire.
Can’t find what you’re looking for? Browse the full Scriptorium directory or submit a competition for review.
Browse the full directory
Search all competitions across Australia, NZ, UK, Ireland, USA and Canada in one place.
Open full directory →The national organisation for poetry in Ireland, offering development programs, the Poetry Ireland Introductions series for emerging poets, professional bursaries an…
Galway's prestigious international literary festival, held each April. One of Ireland's most celebrated literary events, hosting major Irish, British, and internatio…
Ireland's largest book festival, held in Dún Laoghaire each spring. Features major Irish and international authors across fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Supported…
Ireland's leading postgraduate writing program. Combines intensive workshop-based teaching with academic literary study. Strong industry links and a track record of…
UCD's Creative Writing MA is delivered by the School of English, Drama and Film. A workshop-intensive program with strong links to the Irish literary scene.
Ireland's national resource centre for professional literary writers. Runs the Novel Fair, manuscript development programs, workshops, mentoring and advocacy. One of…
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