International Writing Competition 2026 with a EUR 1,000 Prize and a One-Week Residency in Ireland
Applicant criteria
- No specific age required
- Both
Opportunity criteria
Opportunity description
The Moth is accepting entries for The Moth Nature Writing Prize 2026, an international literary competition that celebrates creative writing exploring the relationship between people, nature, and the natural world.
The competition welcomes submissions in poetry and literary prose, including both fiction and non-fiction. It seeks writing that combines strong literary quality with reflection on, engagement with, or appreciation of nature. Writers and poets from around the world are eligible to participate, including applicants from all Arab countries.
The total cash prize is EUR 1,750, distributed among three winners. The first-prize winner will also receive a one-week residency at The Moth Retreat in rural Ireland. Winning works will also be published by The Irish Times Online, providing writers with an opportunity to reach an international audience.
Submission Categories
Applicants may enter one of the following two categories:
Poetry
- Submit one poem.
- The poem may be of any length.
- A full collection of poems cannot be submitted as a single entry.
Prose
Applicants may submit one piece of:
- Literary writing.
- Fiction.
- Non-fiction.
Prose submissions must not exceed 4,000 words.
Entries may address any subject, but they must in some way demonstrate an engagement with, appreciation of, or exploration of the natural world and our relationship with it.
Benefits
Winners will receive:
- First Prize: EUR 1,000.
- A one-week residency at The Moth Retreat in rural Ireland for the first-prize winner.
- Second Prize: EUR 500.
- Third Prize: EUR 250.
- Publication of all three winning entries on The Irish Times website.
- The opportunity to gain exposure to an international literary audience.
- Retention of intellectual property rights to the submitted work, while granting The Moth the right to publish the winning entries in accordance with the competition terms.
Eligibility criteria
Applicants may apply if they:
- Are over 16 years old at the time of submission.
- Are from any country around the world.
- Submit an original work written by themselves.
- Submit one poem or one prose piece per entry.
- Keep prose submissions within the 4,000-word limit.
- Submit the work in English.
The submitted work must:
- Be entirely original and written by the applicant.
- Be previously unpublished.
- Not have been printed or self-published.
- Not have been published online.
- Not have been previously broadcast or aired.
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