THE MOTH SHORT STORY PRIZE 2023

THE MOTH SHORT STORY PRIZE 2023 IS NOW OPEN

The Moth Short Story Prize is an international prize, open to anyone from anywhere in the world, as long as their story is original and previously unpublished. The winners are chosen by a single judge each year, who reads the stories anonymously. Previous judges include Mike McCormack, Belinda McKeon, Donal Ryan, Kit de Waal, Kevin Barry, Mark Haddon, Ali Smith and Sarah Hall.

THE JUDGE

The Prize will be judged this year by Ottessa Moshfegh. Her first novel, Eileen, was shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Man Booker Prize and won the PEN/Hemingway Award for debut fiction. Her next three novels were New York Times bestsellers. She is also the author of a novella, McGlue, and the short story collection Homesick for Another World.

‘Ottessa is one of our newest, most dazzling, daring and outrageous voices in literature’ Vogue

ENDORSEMENTS

‘The Moth Short Story Prize is hugely important to me. Short stories give writers and readers the opportunity to experiment with all kinds of approaches and effects that might not work over the sustained length of a novel, and sometimes to talk about things that we might not be able to approach in any other way. The Moth is a fantastic champion of that.’Owen Booth, previous winner

‘A total pleasure judging this. This was an exceptional set of stories.’ Ali Smith, previous judge

‘To see my story in a publication that has done as much for writers as The Moth is the most

astounding and unexpected affirmation I could have imagined.’ Conor Crummey, previous winner

‘This seal of approval is superglue for the sanity! I am mighty grateful.’ Caoilinn Hughes, previous winner

HOW TO ENTER

The Prize is open to anyone over 16, as long as the work is original and previously unpublished.

There is a word limit of 3,000.

The entry fee is €15 per story. You can enter online or send your story along with a cheque or postal order made payable to ‘The Moth Magazine Ltd.’ with an entry form or a cover letter with your name and contact details and the title of your story (or stories) attached to: The Moth, Ardan Grange, Milltown, Belturbet, Co. Cavan, Ireland H14 K768.

Please note: If you are at all concerned about the formatting of your story online, please send a copy of the story (or stories) in a word doc to enquiries@themothmagazine.com, along with your entry number. Payment can be made via PayPal to enquiries@themothmagazine.com.

Please remember to read the rules of the competition before you enter.

CLOSING DATE 30 JUNE 2023

The winners will be announced in August 2023. The winning story will be printed as part of the summer fiction series in the Irish Times, while the 2^nd and 3^rd-prize-winning stories will be published in the Irish Times online.

With thanks to Circle of Misse for the superb second prize of a week-long writing retreat in France and an open travel stipend, enabling the 2^nd prize winner to travel to France from anywhere in the world. Call 00 353 87 2657251 or email enquiries@themothmagazine.com for more details

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