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Breda Spaight’s Southword poem on Forward Prize for Best Single Poem Shortlist
The Curse by Breda Spaight, published in Southword 42, has been selected for the Forward Prize for Best Single Poem 2023 Shortlist. You can read about Breda here, her conversation with the Forward Arts Foundation here, and her poem The Curse here. In 2019 we published Breda Spaight’s debut chapbook, The Untimely Death of My…
Southword Literary Essay Competition 2023 Results
This competition was open to original, unpublished, personal essays between 2500 ‒ 5000 words. We were looking for personal, confessional essays which border on memoir ‒ gripping essays full of memories and feelings. The best indicator of the kind of thing which interested us is what we have published in past issues; essays by Kim…
Applications open for mentorships in poetry & fiction
Our five mentors this year will each mentor two individuals. Candidates may apply to a maximum of two mentors, but no successful candidate can receive more than one mentorship. Mentorships will consist of four face-to-face, two-hour sessions. Complete guidelines and submission details are available at southword.submittable.com. Deadline for submissions: 14th July 2023 (midnight) Mentorship in…
Southword Subscribers’ Competition Results
Every year we hold a free-to-enter flash fiction competition and poetry competition exclusively for subscribers to Southword. For each category, all current subscribers are emailed a link and may submit up to three poems and/or three pieces of flash fiction; winners are published in our summer issue and receive the following: 1st Prize €150, 2nd…
Fool for Poetry Chapbook Competition Open
The Fool for Poetry International Chapbook Competition is now open for entries. Page limit: 16 – 24Closing date: 31st August (midnight)Entry fee: €25 per manuscript The competition is open to new, emerging and established poets from any country. At least one of these winners will be the highest scoring manuscript entered by a poet with no solo…
Farmgate Café National Poetry Award Winner
With sponsorship from one of Cork’s most loved restaurants, the Farmgate Café, this award is €2000 for the best full-length poetry collection in English published in 2022 by a poet residing in Ireland. Judges this year were Colm Breathnach, Eleanor Hooker and Thomas McCarthy. Limited places are available for a cosy reception at the Farmgate…
Ó Faoláin Short Story Competition Open
The Seán Ó Faoláin International Short Story Competition is now open for entries. Word limit: 3,000Closing 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. More details at our competition page.
Farmgate Café National Poetry Award Shortlist
The Farmgate Café National Poetry Award was established in 2019 with sponsorship from one of Cork’s most loved restaurants, The Farmgate Café. The partnership between the Munster Literature Centre and the Farmgate received the Business to Arts 2019 Best Small Sponsorship Award.Revived in 2023, the award will be €2000 for the best full-length poetry collection…
Southword Subscribers Competition
We have now opened Flash Fiction and Poetry Competitions exclusively for subscribers to Southword. These competitions are free to enter. Subscribers can enter three poems and/or three flash fiction pieces. There will be three prizes in each category: 1st €150, 2nd €100, 3rd €75. Winning entries will be published in issue 44 of Southword at…
Gregory O’Donoghue International Poetry Competition Results
The winner of the 2022 Gregory O’Donoghue International Poetry Competition, Jenny Mitchell, will read her winning poem When Our Mother Dies along with a selection of her other work on 20th May 2023 at the Cork International Poetry Festival. We have also highlighted the first, second and third prize winners as well as finalists (whose poems will appear…