Writing Opportunities February 2024

The latest writing opportunities for January 2024.

If you would like your submissions call listed on our website, please contact us here.

Winter Papers

Deadline: 15th February

Winter Papers, Ireland’s annual anthology for the arts offers fiction, non-fiction, poetry, photography, visual arts, along with craft interviews and in-conversation pieces on writing, film, theatre, photography and music. It is edited by Kevin Barry and Olivia Smith. Sub­mis­sion guid­ance for short sto­ries and non-​fiction pieces: your piece must be pre­vi­ously unpublished and the max­i­mum word limit is 5,000 words.

Abridged

Deadline: 16th February

Abridged aims to publish and exhibit contemporary/ experimental poetry plus contemporary art. They are funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and each of their issues are beautifully curated and presented. For their next issue they are looking for submissions that explore the concept of ‘Home’ in contemporary society – what’s hiding in the dark of its foundations, and what it might mean to be broken. You can submit up to 3 poems. Check out their website for more info.

The Maria Edgeworth Festival Poetry and Short Story Competitions

Deadline: 23rd February

Part of the Maria Edgeworth Festival which celebrates the life and legacy of Maria Edgeworth, an 18th century enlightenment figure who made leaps and contributions in the subjects of science, education and politics, this competition has both a Poetry and Short Story categories. It costs €5 per entry in both categories. The prizes are the same for each category: 1st Prize €500, 2nd Prize €200, 3rd Prize €100. There is a maximum word count of 2000 words for the short story section and 40 lines for the poetry section.

Howl New Irish Writing

Deadline: 29th February

HOWL is an annual print publication showcasing the creative wail in Irish writing from around the world. Subs open on the 15 February, 2024 (and close on the 29th February, 2024) for poetry and prose in English and as Gaeilge.

Lilliput at 40 Anthology

Deadline: 31st January 2024

Lilliput is turning 40 in 2024! To celebrate, a special anthology of short stories and essays is in the making – and your writing could be the highlight of the book. We’ve commissioned new work from some of the writers we’ve published before and are now looking for a contribution from one undiscovered voice. We’re welcoming submissions of short stories and essays between 3000-6000 words until 29 February 2024 under the loose theme ‘Christmas Parties’. The winner will be published alongside a line-up of some of the best Irish writers at work today (including: Donal Ryan, Kevin Power, Elske Rahill, Alice Lyons, Martina Devlin, Mike McCormack, Rob Doyle and many more…) and be paid €500.

Dingle Lit Short Story Competition

Deadline: 29th February 2024

The Dingle Lit Short Story Competition is open to all writers on the island of Ireland, writing in either English or Irish. Writers are invited to submit previously unpublished work. The competition will be judged by Nicole Flattery, Anna Stein, Camilla Dinkel, and Cathal Póirtér.

The word count is 3000 words and the prizes for this one are pretty exciting with a week long retreat up for grabs for the winners of both the Irish and English language categories.

The Edinburgh Short Story Award

Deadline: 29th February

Open to writers from anywhere in the world the Edinburgh Short Story Award is accepting submissions until the 29th of February. Your story can be on any topic (It does not have to be about Scotland!) and the word limit is 2000 words or fewer.

The entry fee is £10 per story and with a first 1st prize of £3,000, a 2nd prize £500 and a 3rd prize £250, it is definitely worth a shot!

IWC National Mentoring Programme 2024

Deadline: 2nd March

Each year, the Irish Writers Centre sets up over 30 mentorships across the island of Ireland. Writers receive sustained creative and professional mentoring from an acclaimed Irish writer of their choosing. Accepted genres/forms: literary fiction, creative non-fiction, children’s / young adult fiction and poetry. Writers living in all thirty-two counties can apply. This initiative is supported by the Arts Council and 20 arts offices/organisations in Ireland.

Write for Palestine

Deadline: 10th March

Write for Palestine is a fundraising initative for Medical Aid for Palestinians. We are accepting entries towards an online anthology on the theme of solidarity. All selected pieces will be published in an online anthology and all selected writers will receive a free spot on the Sonder Magazine Flash Fiction Workshop. Submissions will be read and selected by the team at Sonder, as well as a board of guest readers.

Sans. Press

Deadline: 12th March

Sans. Press are reading short story submissions for their new collection, Stranger! They are looking for stories of all genres that respond to our title and/or cover art, and selected writers will receive a flat rate of €175 for accepted submissions.

The Dublin Review

Deadline: Ongoing.

The Dublin Review welcomes submissions of fiction and non-fiction previously unpublished in the English language. We do not accept poetry submissions. We especially encourage submissions from members of groups traditionally underrepresented in literary magazines and other cultural forums.

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