Short Story Competition 2025

SHORT STORY COMPETITION 2025

Sponsored by Bridge St and Mayo Books Press

As part of the 2025 Wild Atlantic Words festival, our annual short story competition will include a reading and prize-giving ceremony in Castlebar, Co. Mayo on Friday, 10th October.

• Judge: Eimear McBride

• First prize: €500

• Second prize: €250

• Closing date: Thursday, 31 July 2025 at 5pm

• Entry size: Less than 3,000 words

• Entry fee: €10

Judge: Eimear McBride

Eimear McBride is the author of four novels: A Girl is a Half-formed Thing, The Lesser Bohemians, Strange Hotel, and The City Changes Its Face. She held the inaugural Creative Fellowship at the Beckett Research Centre, University of Reading, resulting in the performance text ‘Mouthpieces’. Her full-length, non-fiction work, Something Out of Place: Women & Disgust was published in 2021. In 2022, she wrote and directed ‘A Very Short Film About Longing’ (DMC Films/BBC), which was selected for screening at the 2023 London Film Festival. She is the recipient of the Women’s Prize for Fiction, Goldsmiths Prize, Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize, Kerry Prize, and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize.

RULES & REGULATIONS

1. The competition is open to people over 18 years of age who are Irish or resident in Ireland.

2. Only one entry per person is allowed.

3. Entries must be the original work of the author and not previously broadcast or published. You may not enter any story the judge has previously had sight of.

4. Stories must be less than 3,000 words.

5. The author’s name and contact details should only appear on the accompanying entry form and NOT on the short story manuscript. A 9-digit order reference number will be issued on receipt of the €10 entry fee and this reference number should appear on the top of the short story manuscript, preceding the story title.

6. Entries should be typed and supplied in PDF format (A4 sheet, 12pt font size). Please give your PDF file the same name as your story title. [Note: If you are having difficulty saving your story in PDF format, please send it as a Microsoft Word document instead]

7. Entries must be submitted via the Wild Atlantic Words website, accompanied by entry form and entry fee order reference number. Entry forms and entry fee payment link are available on www.wildatlanticwords.ie.

8. Entries will be accepted by email until 5pm on the closing date, 31st July 2025. Winners will be announced prior to the Wild Atlantic Words festival on the festival website. Winners will be expected to attend the reading and prize-giving event in Castlebar during festival week, in October. Further details will be provided at a later date.

9. 1st prize is €500, 2nd prize is €250.

10. By submitting an entry, the author agrees that the entry may be read at the prize-giving event during the festival. The festival also reserves the right to publish all shortlisted stories. Entrants may also be invited to take part in a podcast/reading with our sponsors, Bridge St and Mayo Books Press.

11. The judges’ decision is final and Wild Atlantic Words will not enter into any correspondence concerning any entry.

HOW TO ENTER

1) WRITE YOUR SHORT STORY

• Stories must be less than 3,000 words

• The author’s name and contact details should NOT appear on the short story manuscript

• Closing date: 31st July 2025 at 5pm

• NB: See full list of rules and regulations

2) PAY €10 ENTRY FEE AND MAKE A NOTE OF YOUR REFERENCE NUMBER

• Click on the button below to open the payment portal in a new window. A 9-digit order reference number will be issued on receipt of the €10 entry fee. Put this reference number on the top of your short story manuscript, preceding the story title. You will also need this number when filling out your entry form.

• Note: If you are having difficulty navigating the payment portal, please click on the step-by-step guide button below. If you are still having difficulty, please email us.

3) SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY BELOW

Closing date: 31st July 2025 at 5pm

N.B.: Before uploading your story, please ensure that you have added your reference number to the top of your manuscript (preceding story title).

Only ONE entry per person is allowed. Please read the full list of rules and regulations before entering.