Sean O'Faolain Prize

MUNSTER LITERATURE CENTRE
IONAD LITRÍOCHTA an DEISCIRT

MLC books

Welcome to the Munster

Literature Centre

Founded in 1993, the Munster Literature Centre (Ionad Litríochta an Deiscirt) is a non-profit arts organisation dedicated to the promotion and celebration of literature, especially that of Munster. To this end, we organise festivals, workshops, readings and competitions. Our publishing section, Southword Editions, publishes a biannual journal, poetry collections and short stories. We actively seek to support new and emerging writers and are assisted in our efforts through funding from Cork City Council, Cork County Council and the Arts Council of Ireland.

Originally located in Sullivan's Quay, the centre moved to its current premises in the Frank O'Connor House (the author's birthplace) at 84 Douglas Street, in 2003.

In 2000, the Munster Literature Centre organised the first Frank O'Connor International Short Story Festival, an event dedicated to the celebration of the short story and named for one of Cork's most beloved authors. The festival showcases readings, literary forums and workshops. Following continued growth and additional funding, the Cork City - Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award was introduced in 2005, coinciding with Cork's designation as that year's European Capital of Culture. The award is now recognised as the single biggest prize for a short story collection in the world and is presented at the end of the festival.

In 2002, the Munster Literature Centre introduced the Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Prize, an annual short story competition dedicated to one of Ireland's most accomplished story writers and theorists. This too is presented during the FOC festival. The centre also hosts the Cork Spring Literary Festival each year.

Workshops are held by featured authors in both autumn and spring, allowing the general public to receive creative guidance in an intimate setting for a minimal fee. In addition, the centre sponsors a Writer in Residence each year.

We invite you to browse our website for further information regarding our events, Munster literature, and other literary information. Should you have any queries, we would be happy to hear from you.

THE SEÁN Ó FAOLÁIN SHORT
STORY COMPETITION

Now open for submissions through 31 July 2013. Read guidelines below carefully before submitting.

John Boilard, Seán Ó Faoláin Competition winner PG O'Connor, winner of the Seán Ó Faoláin competition

Open for submissions from May to July annually.The Munster Literature Centre is a not-for-profit organisation; all moneys raised from the competition benefits writers and writing. Click here to view winners and longlisted/commended authors from previous years, and access links to the winning stories.

First Prize: €2,000 (*approx $2602.11/£1700.04), 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 10.04.13. If the winner is from outside Ireland, the amount paid will be the equivalent of €2,000, subject to market changes as determined by the bank in September 2013.

Submission deadline: 31 July, 2013. Judge: Joyce Russell.

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The Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Competition is an annual short story competition open to writers from around the world. It is 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 Story Festival (18 - 22 September 2013). Click here to download the printable 2013 poster!

Anam Cara Writer's and Artist's Retreat www.anamcararetreat.com is again awarding a week-long residency to the first prize winner of the Seán Ó Faoláin 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 Story Festival. Otherwise, the week can be scheduled for another time of the year, at Anam Cara's discretion.)

Judge: Author of Bloodlines, current fiction editor of Southword Journal and winner of the 2006 Seán Ó Faoláin Prize Joyce Russell.

Bloodlines by Joyce Russell Joyce Russell grew up in the Yorkshire Dales and in 1978 moved to Bantry in west Cork to live the self-sufficiency dream. She has won or been shortlisted on multiple occasions for the Sean O Faolain Short Story Award, The Real Writers International Award, and the START Chapbook prize, the Bridport Prize, the RTE Francis MacManus Short Story Competition and the FISH Short Story Competition. She is a founder member of Friends of the Earth Ireland and is co-author with her husband, Ben, of The Polytunnel Book.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

1. 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 payments in Euro. 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 2013. 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 Story Festival in Cork in 18 - 22 September 2013. The winner of the first prize will be invited to read their prize-winning story at the festival. 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.
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 ENTRIES

Email 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 Paypal account using a different email address please include this in the body of the email as well.
5. Use the subject header "SOF 2013 Entry".
6. Email submissions to competitions(AT)munsterlit(DOT)ie or by clicking here.