Write By the Sea Literary Festival (WBTS) 2023 Writing Competitions
PRIZES
The winner of each category will receive a cash prize of €500, a beautiful hand-crafted WBTS 2023 Writing Competition trophy and a free weekend pass to Write By The Sea festival 2023. All four winning pieces will be published on the Write By The Sea website.
The runners-up in each category will receive €200 and third place will receive €100.
CATEGORIES
There are four competition categories:
1. Fiction Short Story (maximum 2,500 words)
2. Flash Fiction (maximum 700 words)
3. Poetry (maximum 40 lines)
4. Memoir/Personal Essay (maximum 1,000 words)
The independent panel of judges will select the winners and each category winner will be invited to read their work at a public event as part of the festival.
RULES AND CONDITIONS
Note A: It breaks our hearts when we have to disqualify entrants who break the rules. Sadly, each year we have to disqualify a significant number of the entries for disregarding simple rules such as not submitting text in double-spacing or not using Times New Roman font, as instructed. Please remember to spell check and proofread your work. We look forward to receiving your entries and we wish you every success in the 2023 competition.
- Entries must be the original work of the entrant and should not have been previously published in any format, online or print, self-published or paid.
- Entries must be double-spaced in Microsoft Word, 12 point, Times New Roman font – please do not include images or coloured fonts – and should be saved as .docx or .doc documents. The name of the entrant should not appear anywhere in the document. (see Note A above).
- Entries must be submitted via the Online Entry Form on the Competition Page of the WBTS website, writebythesea.ie where entrants will upload their names and contact details.
- All entries must be in English and the competition is open to entrants worldwide.
- Entrants can submit as many entries as they wish at €10 per entry, or enter 3 pieces, in the same or different categories, for €25.
- Should your entry win a prize or be published elsewhere, please let us know so that we can remove it from the WBTS 2023 Writing Competition. Entry fees will not be returned if stories are withdrawn after entering.
- The decision of the judges is final, no correspondence/contact will be entered into, and no feedback will be given to individual entrants.
- Entrants should retain copies of their work as entries will NOT be returned.
- Committee members and relatives of committee members of the Write By The Sea festival, its agents, contributors or sponsors are not eligible to enter the competition.
- All non-winning entries will be deleted from our records after three months from the date of the announcement of the competition results.
- Entry is taken as acceptance of these rules.
COMPETITION ENTRY FORMS
If there are any questions regarding the competition, please email competitions@writebythesea.ie
COMPETITION TIMELINE
• Saturday 4th February 2023 – submissions open through www.writebythesea.ie
• Sunday 4th June 2023, competition closes at 11.59 pm
• Sunday 6th August 2023– shortlist of the winning entry titles will be posted on the WBTS website, www.writebythesea.ie
• Sunday 3rd September 2023 – winners will be notified by WBTS
• Each category winner will be invited to read their work at a public event as part of the festival.
• October 2023 – the winning pieces will be published on the WBTS website
• Sunday 4th June 2023, competition closes at 11.59 pm
• Sunday 6th August 2023– shortlist of the winning entry titles will be posted on the WBTS website, www.writebythesea.ie
• Sunday 3rd September 2023 – winners will be notified by WBTS
• Each category winner will be invited to read their work at a public event as part of the festival.
• October 2023 – the winning pieces will be published on the WBTS website