Ireland’s Own Writing Competition 2026 with Total Prizes Worth €2,450
Applicant criteria
- No specific age required
- Both
Opportunity criteria
Opportunity description
Ireland’s Own has opened submissions for the Ireland’s Own Writing Competition 2026, a literary competition in Ireland aimed at creative writing enthusiasts. Participants can compete in several categories, including short stories and writing about memories and personal experiences.
The competition is one of the international creative writing awards and competitions and offers prizes in the form of gift vouchers with a total value of up to €2,450. It is open to both experienced and beginner writers, with a dedicated category for writers who have never previously published a short story.
All submitted works must be original and previously unpublished. Participants may submit more than one entry, provided that a separate entry fee is paid for each submission.
Competition Categories
The competition includes the following categories:
1. Open Short Story
- Maximum length: 2,000 words.
- First prize: €600.
- Second prize: €200.
- Two additional prizes of €100 each.
2. Beginners’ Short Story
- Open to writers who have never previously published a short story.
- First prize: €300.
- Three additional prizes of €100 each.
3. Memories
- Maximum length: 800 words.
- First prize: €200.
- Four additional prizes of €100 each.
4. Frank McDonald Prize
- An additional prize worth €250.
- Awarded to an entry that makes a particularly strong impression on the judging panel, regardless of the category in which it was submitted.
Benefits
- Participants may enter one of the available competition categories.
- The submitted work must be original and written by the participant.
- The work must not have been previously published.
- For the Beginners’ Short Story category, the participant must not have previously published a short story.
- Participants must comply with the word limit specified for each category.
- An unlimited number of entries may be submitted.
- A separate entry fee must be paid for each submitted work.
- Participants must comply with all competition rules and submission instructions.
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Eligibility criteria
To participate in the Ireland’s Own Writing Competition 2026, applicants must meet the following requirements:
- The submitted work must be original and written by the participant.
- The work must be previously unpublished.
- Participants may enter the Open Short Story category with a short story of no more than 2,000 words.
- The Beginners’ Short Story category is intended for writers who have never previously published a short story.
- Participants may enter the Memories category with a piece of no more than 800 words.
- Applicants may submit more than one entry, with a separate fee required for each submission.
- The entry fee is €10 per submission.
- Entries must be submitted electronically according to the competition’s instructions.
- The competition page does not specify any clear nationality restriction, so the published terms do not appear to limit participation to Irish citizens or residents.