Ennis Book Club Festival is delighted to announce the 2025 Short Story Competition.
Now in its second year, the EBCF Short Story Competition is an opportunity for new and emerging writers to showcase their writing and read at the Festival.
The 2025 Competition Judge is Cathy Sweeney. Cathy published a collection of short stories, Modern Times, in 2020 and published her debut novel Breakdown in January 2024.
We will announce the winner of the Competition at the Ennis Book Club Festival, 7-9 March 2025. The winner will be notified ahead of the Festival and invited to read at the event entitled ‘The Art of the Short Story’ on 7 March 2025.
Competition closes on 6 December 2024.
We look forward to receiving your entries and celebrating the art of the short story together!
Read last year’s competition winner here.
The prizes for the EBCF Short Story Competition are as follows:
The winner will receive €750
Second prize is €400
Terms and Conditions:
- Short stories should be no longer than 3,000 words.
- Each entry costs €20.
- The deadline for entries is 5pm on 6 December 2024.
- Entries submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.
- Writers submitting work should not already have had a full collection of short stories published but may have individual stories published in magazines or journals.
- Entries should not have been accepted for publication elsewhere.
- There is no restriction on theme or style.
- The judge’s verdict is final.
- Entries cannot be altered or substituted once they have been entered.
- The winner will be notified ahead of the 2025 Festival and invted to read at the Festival.
- International writers can enter the Competition, but we are unable to provide travel expenses to attend the 2025 festival, should they be successful.
How to enter:
- Entries should be emailed as an attachment to entries@ennisbookclubfestival.com.
- Entries should be in .doc or .docx format.
- Stories should be double spaced and in 12 pt font.
- Please title your submission in the following format ‘TITLE _CATEGORY’, for example ‘The Shift_SHORT STORY’.
- Entries submitted in the body of an email will not be accepted.
- Judging is anonymous. Please DO NOT include your name or contact details within the body or title of your submission document.
- Payment of €20 per entry can be made via PayPal or credit or debit card here. Please add your name as a reference when paying.
- Entry fees will not be returned if stories are withdrawn after entering.
- Entry is taken as acceptance of these rules.