Benedict Kiely Short Story Competition

2017 brings the inaugural Benedict Kiely Short Story Competition and we’re open for submissions.

The competition is open to both published and aspiring writers alike, so long as they are over the age of sixteen. Submissions should be aimed at adults, but there is no set theme. Word counts should be in the region of 2,000 words.

Send your submission to submissions.kiely@gmail.com for the opportunity to have your work become part of, and be associated with, a festival that has hosted some of Ireland’s greatest literary figures.

Closing date for entries is 1st September 2017. Three finalists will be selected by the competition judge, Carlo Gebler, with all three receiving two weekend passes to the Benedict Kiely Festival on the 20th and 21st of October, where the winner will be announced. Entrants must be available and willing to attend the festival on Saturday 21st October, when the winner will be announced.

All entries must be original and must not have been published before 2017. We do accept simultaneous submissions, and submissions which have been selected for publication in 2017 will still be eligible for consideration. Writers may submit one entry only. Finalists will be notified at the email address stated in their entry, and competition updates will also be posted on our twitter and facebook pages.

Your entry can appear in the body of the email or as a Word/PDF attachment and as long as it’s clear and easy to read, we have no other formatting requirements.