The 2011 Seán Ó Faoláin Competition Guidelines
First Prize: €1,500 (*approx USD $2000/ GBP £1300), publication in the literary journal Southword,
AND a week-long residency at Anam Cara Writer's and Artist's Retreat.Second Prize: €500 and publication in Southword.
Four other shortlisted entries will be selected for publication in Southword and receive a publication fee of €120.
*Currency exchange amounts via XE.com, calculated 11.04.11
The Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Competition is an annual short story competition dedicated to one of Ireland’s most accomplished story writers and theorists, sponsored by the Munster Literature Centre. If the winner comes to Cork to collect their prize, we will lavish them with hotel accommodation, meals, drinks and VIP access to the literary stars at the Cork International Short Fiction Festival (14-18 September 2011).
This year, Anam Cara Writer's and Artist's Retreat www.anamcararetreat.com is awarding a week-long residency to the first prize winner of the Sean O'Faolain Short Story Competition. Located just outside the colourful village of Eyeries on the Beara Peninsula in West Cork, Anam Cara is a tranquil spot structured to provide support and sanctuary for people working in the creative arts. It offers private and common working rooms as well as five acres of walking paths, thirty-four nooks and crannies, a river cascades and a river island, gardens, and a labyrinth meadow. Editoral consultation is also available. The prize is valued at €700. (The dates of the residency will be arranged between the writer themselves and Anam Cara, and can be scheduled before or after the week of the Cork International Short Fiction Festival. Otherwise, the week can be scheduled for another time of the year, at Anam Cara's discretion.
Judge: For 2011 is author and Fish International Short Story Prize winner Ian Wild.
Ian Wild is a writer, composer and theatre worker from Enniskean, Co. Cork, Ireland and is the fiction editor for the forthcoming Southword Journal Online, Issue 20. In 2009 he won the Fish International Short Story Prize and received a literature bursary from the Irish Arts Council. His publications and broadcast work include Way Out West—a comedy series about the English community in West Cork for RTE Radio One; The Great Moodini and other stories—20 children’s stories also broadcast on RTE’s Radio One. He has a collection of short stories published by Fish: The Woman Who Swallowed The Book Of Kells and also a volume of poetry entitled Intercourse With Cacti (Bradshaw Books). His literary awards include the North West Playwrights Award, a short story prize with the Cork Literary Review and in 2005 he won a runner-up award in the Bridport Short Story Prize. Four of his highly successful musical comedies appeared in Cork Midsummer Festivals between 1998 and 2003: The Pirates in Short Pants, Marco Polo’s Toilet Brush, Reds Under the Beds and Spaghetti Western.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES1. The competition is open to original, unpublished and unbroadcast short stories in the English language of 3,000 words or fewer. The story can be on any subject, in any style, by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. Unfortunately, translated work is not in the scope of this competition.
2. Judging for this competition is ANONYMOUS. The entrant's name and contact details (address, phone number) must be on a separate piece of paper. Manuscripts cannot be returned. Entries should be typed.
3. Each entry must be accompanied by an entry fee of €15, US $20 or £15. You may submit as many entries as you wish. Cheques and money orders must be made payable to THE MUNSTER LITERATURE CENTRE. Paypal link available below for Euro payments. VERY IMPORTANT: We DO NOT accept US Postal Orders as they cannot be redeemed outside of the United States. Pleae do not send cash. No entry form is necessary.
4. Closing date is 31st July 2011. All non-email entries must be postmarked before or on that date (i.e. entries posted before or on the date will be accepted after 31st July provided they are sent via airmail). Entries must be sent to The Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Competition, The Munster Literature Centre, Frank O'Connor House, 84 Douglas Street, Cork, Ireland (no postal/zipcode).
5. The winners will be announced at the Cork International Short Fiction Festival in Cork in September 2011. The winner of the first prize will be invited to read their prize-winning story at the festival.
6. If you require acknowledgement of your entry, you must submit a self-addressed stamped postcard. SASEs for international entries should include money for IRISH stamps. Please do not include SASEs with foreign stamps.
7. The Judge's decision is final. Due to the volume of entries we receive each year, the judge will not be able to reply individually to unsuccessful submissions. However, we will notify all entrants of the shortlist via our e-mail newsletter (click here to to subscribe). A shortlist will be posted on our website in September and the winner will be announced at the festival. Winners and shortlistees will be notified individually.
8. It would greatly assist us if you let us know how you heard of the competition (whether through mailshot, word of mouth, advertisements, newspaper, website, etc.) with your entry.
ADDITIONAL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES FOR EMAIL ENTRIESEmail entries should be submitted as follows:
1. Send your entry as a word document (files ending with ".doc"). Please ensure that you do NOT send PDF files or Word files marked '.docx'.
2. Include the story and cover letter as separate documents in the same email.
3. Pay your entry fee through Paypal (see link below). Paypal accepts Mastercard and Visa and guarantees secure transactions. All Paypal payments are in Euro.
4. In the body of the email, list your name, address, short story title and Paypal receipt number. If you have paid using a credit card under a different name, or from a different email address please include this in the body of the email as well.
5. Use the subject header "SOF 2011 Entry".
6. Email submissions to competitions(AT)munsterlit(DOT)ie or by clicking here.
For further information contact The Munster Literature Centre, Frank O'Connor House, 84 Douglas Street, Cork or email the administrator at administrator(AT)munsterlit(DOT)ie.
