The Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award

Closing date for entries Friday 28th July 2017

The Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award for a first unpublished collection of poems in English is open to poets, born in the island of Ireland, or of Irish nationality, or long term resident in Ireland. 

The award is now in its 46th year. 

The winner of this year’s award will receive €1,000.

The Award will be presented on the evening of the Friday 29th September 2017 at the opening of the Annual Patrick Kavanagh Weekend in Inniskeen.

• The award is for an unpublished collection of poems in English and is open to poets, born in the island of Ireland, or of Irish nationality, or long term resident in Ireland. Manuscripts accepted for publication shall be eligible ONLY if the resulting collection of poems is NOT published before the judges’ decision is announced.

• The collection of poems in English must be original and consist of 20 poems. Individual poems should not be more than 40 lines.

• The only works eligible are unpublished or magazine published work. 

• The adjudicator is Brian Lynch (Again! Why the lack of imagination?)

• The entry fee is €25/£25 

Rules and entry form are available on our website www.patrickkavanaghcountry.com or from the Patrick Kavanagh Centre, Inniskeen, Co. Monaghan. 

McLellan Poetry Prize

Part of the McLellan Festival 1st - 10th September 2017
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This year's judge is Maura Dooley.
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 1st prize £1000     2nd prize £300     3rd prize £100

6 commendations of £25

Deadline: 21st June 2017

Entries may be made online or by post.

To enter the competition electronically, complete the online form , attach your poem(s) and pay your entry fee by Credit/Debit card, or direct from your Paypal account if you have one.
Rules:

• Poems should be of no more than 80 lines (excluding title), in English and your own original work (no translations).
• Poems must not have won a prize in any other competition or have been published, self-published (including on social media) or accepted for publication in print or online at the time of the closing date. 
• Each poem should be on a separate page, in black Times New Roman size 12 font. Poems will be judged anonymously and must NOT include the poet’s name or any other distinguishing mark.
• The entry fee is £5 for the first poem and £4 for each subsequent poem submitted on the same form. 
• Prize-winners will be notified individually before the end of July and invited to read at the award ceremony with Maura Dooley in Brodick, Isle of Arran on Friday, 1st September 2017. The results of the competition with copies of the poems will be published on the festival website within one week of the award ceremony.

Link here

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The Fool for Poetry International Chapbook Competition 2018

The Fool for Poetry competition is open to new, emerging and established poets from any country BUT at least one of the winners will be a debutante (with no chapbook or book published previously). Up to 25 other entrants will be publicly listed as "highly commended".

Manuscripts must be 16 to 23 pages in length, in the English language and the sole work of the entrant with no pastiches, translations or 'versions'. The poems can be in verse or prose. Each chapbook is guaranteed a review in Southword Journal.

The winning chapbooks will be published in February 2018 with ISBNs, barcodes and will be offered for sale internationally through our own website, Amazon, and selected independent book sellers. The winning poets will be offered a reading and given three nights' accommodation at the 2018 Cork Spring Poetry Festival. The winning authors will each receive 50 complimentary copies. The first prize winner will receive €1000. The second prize winner will receive €500. 

An entrance fee of €25 will be charged for each manuscript. Entrants may enter more than one manuscript. 

The winners will be selected by a panel chosen by the management board of Southword Editions.

Previous winners include John Mee, Maya Catherine Popa, Victoria Kennefick and Tanya Hershman

Deadline: 30th June 2017

Link here for specific details

Mentorship for Muster-resident poets

Applications are invited from Munster-resident poets (with at least one collection published and no more than two) who would like to be mentored by Matthew Sweeney while working towards their next collection. The successful candidate will meet the Matthew for six sessions. The first five two-hour sessions will be devoted to assessing batches of poems building towards your next book. The sixth session will be devoted to the overall shape of your manuscript. Mentoring sessions can take place at the Munster Literature Centre or at a location mutually agreeable to the Mentor & Mentee.  Submit 10 poems from your manuscript in progress, a literary CV and a note outlining how you believe you can benefit from this opportunity.
This mentorship is made possible through funding by Words Ireland.

No deadline mentioned

Link here

Stinging Fly Submissions

The Stinging Fly is a Dublin-based print magazine and small press. 

They are now publishing two issues each year instead of three. Each of our issues contains a mix of short fiction, poetry, essays and author interviews. We have a particular interest in publishing new writers and in promoting the short story. 

We accept submissions of short stories and poetry on an issue-by-issue basis. Unless otherwise clearly stated, there is no preferred theme – we're just looking for a lively mix of fresh and original new writing to share with our readers. Essays and interviews are commissioned. We pay a small fee for stories, poems and other work. Contributors also receive a free copy. 

We are now accepting fiction and poetry submissions (including work in translation) for Issue 37 of the magazine. 

Link to Submissions Guidelines and Submittable. 

Deadline: Friday 19th May 2017.

They have an extensive archive which includes a poem from me!

They are also accepting applications for our Summer Fiction workshops. Workshop applications will not be considered for publication.