Fish Publishing Short Story Prize
Please note: The 2011/12 Short Story Prize will open for entries 1st Aug 2011.
David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas, number9dream, Ghostwritten, Black Swan Green and The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, will be judging the 2011/12 prize.
Fish Publishing runs the short story competition each year, the winners of which are published in the annual Fish Anthology. The Anthology is launched during the West Cork Literary Festival, July each year.
Roddy Doyle, Colum McCann and Dermot Healy, past judges of the Fish Short Story Prize, are honorary patrons.
The Fish Short Story Prize welcomes stories on any theme written in English, with a maximum of 5,000 words.
Fish has been running the short story contest since 1995. Publication in the anthology has been a stepping stone for many into successful writing careers. For a sample of these authors click Alumni, and for a sample of short stories published in previous anthologies click short stories
To view our catalogue of anthologies containing the winning stories from previous short story competitions click Fish Books.
Summary - Prizes - The Rules - Entry Fees - How to Enter
Competition Summary 2011/12
Opens: 1st Aug 2011
Closing date: 30th November 2011
Results announced: 17 March 2012
Anthology published: July 2012Judge: David Mitchell.
Prizes
The winner and nine runners-up will be published in the 2012 Fish Anthology.First Prize - €3,000 - (of which €1,000 is for travel expenses to the launch of the Anthology.)
Second Prize - a week at the Anam Cara Writers' & Artists' Retreat in West Cork's Beara Peninsula, with €300 traveling expenses.Third Prize - €300
All those who are published in the Anthology will receive five complementary copies.
The Rules
No entry form is needed. Entry is mostly on-line, or by post if required.
You may enter as many times as you wish.
The competition is open to writers of any nationality writing in English.
There is no restriction on theme or style.
Maximum number of words is 5,000.
The winning stories must be available for the anthology and, therefore, must not have been published previously.
Fish holds publishing rights for one year after publication. Copyright remains with the author.
Notification of receipt of entry will normally be by email.
The judges' verdict is final.
No correspondence will be entered into once work has been submitted.
Stories cannot be altered or changed after they have been entered. Judging at all stages is anonymous. Names or addresses must not appear on the stories, but on a separate sheet if entering by post, or in the appropriate place if entering online.
The short story competition is open to writers of any nationality writing in English.
Overall winners of the Fish Short Story Prize may enter again, but will not be eligible for the first prize
A writer who has had two stories in Fish Anthologies from the Short Story Prize, may not enter for three years. They may enter other Fish Prizes in that time. (This is designed to give opportunities to emerging writers)
Entry is taken to be acceptance of these rules
Entry Fees
Online Entry
€Postal Entry
€Per Entry
20.00
22.00
Critique (Optional)
45.00
47.00
2011 Fish Anthology
(Buy Online)
12.00 (Inc. p. & p.)
How to Enter
You can enter online or by post. The cheaper option is to enter online.
To Enter Online:
To Enter online, simply submit your story(ies) through our online entry system on our website. Please do not send stories as email attachments.
MAKE SURE YOUR NAME IS NOT ON THE STORY. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT ALL SHORT-LISTING AND JUDGING IS DONE ANONYMOUSLY. YOUR STORY IS AUTOMATICALLY LINKED TO YOUR AUTHOR NAME IN THE SYSTEM.
If you have any difficulty submitting your story, post your problem at Feedback and Support.
To Enter by Post:Post your story to Fish Short Story Prize, Durrus, Bantry, Co. Cork, Ireland.
Print on one side of the page only in reasonable sized type. The Fish Prize is judged anonymously, so please do not put your name or any contact details on any of the story pages. Include all contact details on a separate sheet. Receipt of entry will be by email. Stories will not be returned.
Cost €22 or equivalent in the currency of your country. Do not sent postal orders (outside Ireland), or cheques made out in Euros if you are outside the Euro zone.
Cost of postal critique €47, or entry and critique €69.