Announcing the 2026 Irish Writers Centre New Writing Prize in association with The Stinging Fly – (opens 16 June) – closes 30 June

The New Writing Prize is an annual literary award, now in its second year, organised as part of an ongoing collaboration between the Irish Writers Centre and The Stinging Fly. The aim of the award each year is to discover, promote and encourage the talents of new, undiscovered voices in Irish writing.
The focus for 2026 is on writers living on the island of Ireland or who consider Ireland to be their home who have not yet published fiction in print or online with The Stinging Fly.

  • Submissions for the 2026 competition will be open from Tuesday 16th June until Tuesday 30th June at 5.00pm.

During this time, eligible writers are invited to submit one short story up to 3,000 words in length.

Please note that the Submittable link for the competition will only be accessible through the Irish Writers Centre’s website and The Stinging Fly’s website.

There is no entry fee.

Read more about the Prize and how to apply at the Irish Writers Centre website below.

2026 Irish Writers Centre New Writing Prize

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