The Colm Tóibín International Short Story Award

The competition is now open for entries and will close on 1 April 2016.

The long list will be announced on 1 May 2016 and the short list on 31 May 2016. The winners will be announced during the Focal Wexford Literary Festival in summer 2016.

Competition Rules

1. This is an open competition for a short story, with no restriction on the subject matter.
2. The competition is open to people of 18 years and older.
3. Only one entry per person is permitted.
4. Competition is open internationally.
5. 1st Prize is €1,000, 2nd Prize €500, 3rd Prize €350.
6. Entries must be in English.
7. Entries must be between 1,800 and 2,000 words in length. Entries outside this word count will not be permitted and will be automatically rejected.
8. Entries must be the original work of the author and must not have been previously published either in writing or electronically. Entries which have received awards in other competitions are also ineligible.
9. Only short stories will be accepted. Poetry and prose entries are inadmissible.
10. The author’s name and details should only appear on the accompanying entry form. Please ensure that the title is clearly marked at the top of the entry and each page thereafter. The author’s name must NOT appear on the entry submitted, only on the entry form accompanying the piece.
11. The author is advised to retain a copy, as Focal Wexford Literary Festival will not return scripts.
12. Entries will be accepted from 1 November 2015 until 1st April 2016. Entries received after this date will not be considered.
13. The decision of the judges is final and Focal Wexford Literary Festival  cannot enter into correspondence concerning the judging or merits awarded. The onus is on the author to ensure that their entry complies with the rules of the competition.
14. Each submission should be sent in an A4 envelope accompanied by a completed entry form and fee.
15. Entries should be typed and double-spaced on one side of A4 paper. Handwritten entries will not be accepted. Please do not bind, tape or staple your entry: use paper clips only.
16. The winning authors should be available to attend the awards ceremony to be held at the Focal Wexford Literary Festival, Enniscorthy, Co Wexford in June/July 2016. Any and all expenses incurred to attend the awards ceremony are the winners’ responsibility and Focal Wexford Literary Festival will make no contribution in this regard. Focal Wexford Literary Festival will circulate details of the date, time and location of the awards ceremony on our website when our 2016 Festival programme is announced.
17. While copyright of the short story will remain with the author, Focal Wexford Literary Festival reserves the right to arrange the first publication and broadcast of the selected works. The right to use the stories to further publicise this award is also retained by Focal Wexford Literary Festival. The winning author will agree to have their photograph taken and used for publicity purposes by Focal Wexford Literary Festival.
18. The entry fee of 10 Euro must be included with the entry otherwise the entry will not be adjudicated. Likewise entries which do not include the signed declaration by the author will also not be considered.