The Moth International Short Story Prize: Entries Close

THE MOTH MAGAZINE IS CURRENTLY INVITING ENTRIES FROM WRITERS AROUND THE WORLD TO ITS ANNUAL SHORT STORY PRIZE. THE WINNER WILL RECEIVE €3000.

This prize is open to previously unpublished works of fiction up to 5000 words. In addition to the €3000 (approximately US$3400) first prize, a second prize winner will receive a writing retreat at Circle of Misse, located in the south of France’s Loire Valley plus €250. A third prize winner will receive €1000 and all three winners will have their stories published in the autumn issue of The Moth.

The winners will be decided by judge Kit de Waal. de Waal’s writing has received numerous awards, including the Bridport Flash Fiction Prize 2014 and 2015 and the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year and has been shortlisted for the Costa First Book Award, the Desmond Elliott Prize and the British Books Awards Debut Novel of the Year.

The judging takes place anonymously; de Waal will only learn the identities of the shortlisted writers after the selection of the winning stories. The Moth publisher Rebecca O’Connor thinks this is an important way of levelling the playing field. According to O’Connor, The Moth is “passionate about nurturing new talent and much of what we publish is by new or up-and-coming writers. We want to produce a magazine which is vibrant and new, and which keeps its readers on its toes. So often, these publications can become stale when they focus too much on names and not enough on entertaining their readers . . . Having just one judge means there is no compromise.”

The Moth Short Story Prize closes on Sunday 30 June 2019. An entry fee of €15 is payable with each entry. For full entry details visit The Moth website.

To discover more writing prizes, see our guide to short story contests in 2019.


ABOUT THE MOTH

“The Moth is a beautiful creature.” – David Mitchell

Founded in June 2010, The Moth is an Irish quarterly printed arts and literature magazine based in featuring poetry, short fiction and art by established and up-and-coming writers and artists. Each issue also features two interviews with writers or artists.

In addition to its annual prizes for poetry and short fiction, The Moth also accepts unsolicited submissions. Prose pieces (up to two short stories) should preferably be no longer than 3000 words. If you are submitting poetry, then you are asked to send no more than six poems. Submissions are also open for The Moth’s junior edition, The Caterpillar. The Caterpillar’s audience is primarily readers aged between 7 and 11.