Seán Ó Faoláin International Short Story Competition | 2023

pen for entries 1 May – 31 July

Word limit: 3,000
Closing date: 31st July (midnight)
Entry fee: €19 per story

The competition is open to original, unpublished and unbroadcast short stories in the English language of 3,000 words or fewer. The story can be on any subject, in any style, by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. Translated work is not in the scope of this competition. Entrants may submit more than one entry. Once entered, no alterations can be made to the submission. Simultaneous submissions are accepted but please notify us immediately should your work be accepted elsewhere.

Prizes

1ST PRIZE

€2,000
Residency (one week) at Anam Cara Retreat
Featured reading at the Cork International Short Story Festival (with four-night hotel stay and full board)
Publication in Southword

2ND PRIZE

€500
Publication in Southword

FOUR RUNNERS-UP

€250
Publication in Southword

Judge

TBA

Submission Details

EMAIL ENTRY

Send to: sofcomp@munsterlit.ie
Subject: SOF entry

Attachment 1: the story for submission (Word or other text document – we cannot accept PDFs). As the competition is judged anonymously, we request that you do not write your name or personal details anywhere on this document.

Attachment 2: cover letter (separate text document attached to the same email, not in the body of the email). The cover letter should include:

Your name
Story title
Email address
Phone number
Postal address
Image of PayPal receipt or the PayPal transaction ID number
How your heard about the competition
A brief bio (optional)

POSTAL ENTRY

Submission manuscript (typed). To ensure anonymity, please do not write your name or any other personal details on the manuscript.
Cover letter: see required details above. Cover letter should be on a separate page to ensure anonymity.
Payment: If you have paid through PayPal, just quote the PayPal transaction ID. Alternatively, we accept cheques or bank drafts payable to the “Munster Literature Centre” in Euro, U.S Dollars or Pounds Sterling at a rate of €19 EUR, $22 USD or £18 GBP for each entry. We also accept postal orders from the Republic of Ireland only. Please note that we cannot accept cash payment or Western Union money orders.
Send to:Seán Ó Faoláin Competition,
The Munster Literature Centre,
84 Douglas Street,
Cork, T12 X802
Ireland
Please do not sent entries by registered post. Unfortunately, we are less likely to receive entries sent by registered post and your submission may be ineligible due to the delay incurred.
If you would like us to send you confirmation of your postal entry, please include a self-addressed stamped postcard or envelope (if posted within Ireland). We can confirm the receipt of international entries via email.

More about the competition

The Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Competition is an annual short story competition open to writers from around the world, submissions accepted from May 1st to July 31st annually. It is dedicated to one of Ireland’s most accomplished story writers and theorists and is sponsored by the Munster Literature Centre.

Due to the large volume of entries, the judge will not be able to notify the authors of non-winning entries or give individual feedback. A shortlist will be posted on our website homepage by late September / early October, with winners and runners-up contacted before the public announcement. We recommend following us on social media or signing up for our newsletter to stay up to date with all competition developments directly:

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Anam Cara Writer’s and Artist’s Retreat awards a weeklong residency to the first prize winner of the Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Competition. Located just outside the colourful village of Eyeries on the Beara Peninsula in West Cork, Anam Cara is a tranquil spot structured to provide support and sanctuary for people working in the creative arts. It offers private and common working rooms as well as five acres of walking paths, thirty-four nooks and crannies, a river cascades and a river island, gardens, and a labyrinth meadow. Editoral consultation is also available. The additional prize is valued at €700. (The dates of the residency will be arranged between the writer themselves and Anam Cara, and can be scheduled before or after the week of the Cork International Short Story Festival. Otherwise, the week can be scheduled for another time of the year, at Anam Cara’s discretion.)

The Munster Literature Centre is a not-for-profit organisation; all money raised from the competition benefits writers and writing.

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