10 October 2025

Cúirt New Writing Prize 2026

The Cúirt New Writing Prize, kindly sponsored by Tigh Neachtain in memory of Lena McGuire, is now open for submissions.

There are four categories: poetry, short fiction, essay and Irish Language poetry and short fiction. 

This year we are delighted to announce Eimear McBride as the short fiction judge, Susannah Dickey as the poetry judge, Molly Hennigan as the essay judge, and Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh as the Irish language poetry and short fiction judge.

The winner in each category will be awarded a €500 cash prize and the opportunity to read at the 41st annual Cúirt International Festival of Literature which will take place in Galway between the 21st and the 26th of April 2026.

This year marks the inaugural Essay Prize, which will be judged by Molly Hennigan. On this prize, Molly remarks:

‘We are looking for writing with a clear voice that uses the space or container of the essay to push the limits of a personal curiosity or preoccupation. We are drawn to essays that find new ways to ask questions that are of particular concern to the writer above and beyond needing to find a definitive answer to them. With this in mind, while various references are welcome within the writing, we are not looking for academic essays.’

Judges

Eimear McBride is the trailblazing author of A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing, The Lesser Bohemians and The City Changes Its Face. Hailed as ‘a writer of remarkable power and originality’ by TLS, McBride’s work is celebrated for its groundbreaking narrative style and emotional depth. She held the inaugural Creative Fellowship at the Beckett Research Centre, University of Reading and is the recipient of the Women’s Prize for Fiction, Goldsmiths Prize, Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year, and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize.

Susannah Dickey is a poet and novelist from Derry. Her debut poetry collection, ISDAL, published by Picador in 2023, won the PEN Heaney Prize and the Michael Murphy Memorial Prize, was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection and the John Pollard Prize, and was an Irish Times and Guardian Book of the Year. Her third novel Into the Wreck will be published spring 2026 by Bloomsbury. She holds a PhD in Creative Writing from Queen’s University Belfast.

Molly Hennigan is a writer and editor whose work has featured in The Stinging Fly, Tolka, The Pig’s Back and more. Her first book The Celestial Realm was published in 2023 and explores the history of psychiatric incarceration in Ireland as it is linked to her own maternal lineage. The Celestial Realm was shortlisted for Newcomer of the Year at the An Post Irish Book Awards and was also shortlisted for the Royal Irish Academy’s Michel Déon Prize. She is the non-fiction editor at Banshee and is also the editor of a forthcoming anthology of Irish writing on Maeve Brennan An Asylum For My Affections: Sketches of Maeve Brennan. Molly is the 2025 Arts Council writer-in-residence at the University of Galway.

Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh is an award-winning Irish-language poet from Kerry. She has published three collections of poetry in Irish, most recently Tonn Teaspaigh agus Dánta Eile (Éabhlóid 2022). The Coast Road was published by Gallery Press in 2016, and includes English translations by thirteen poets. It was awarded the Lawrence O’Shaughnessy Award. In 2019 Cois Life published her translations from the French of Andrée Chedid as part of the ‘File ar Fhile’ series. A new expanded version of Líadain agus Cuirithir will be published in 2026 by Leabhar Breac. She lectures in Modern Irish at University College Cork.

 

Cúirt New Writing Prize Guidelines for Entry

  • Poetry entries must consist of up to three poems under 50 lines each.
  • Short stories should be no longer than 2,000 words.
  • Essays should be no longer than 5,000 words.
  • Entry costs €12 in total which covers one piece of fiction, or one essay, or up to three poems.
  • Writers submitting work should not have had a full collection or work published in the category in which they enter (novel or short collection for fiction, poetry collection for poetry, essay book for essay); this does not include the publication of single poems, stories, essays, self publishing or chapbooks. If you have had single poems, essays or stories published, you are still eligible to submit.
  • The story, essay or poems submitted should not have been accepted for publication elsewhere.
  • There is no restriction on theme or style.
  • The judges’ verdict is final.
  • Work cannot be altered or substituted once it have been entered.
  • Judging is anonymous. Please do not include your name or contact details within the body or title of your submission.
  • Entries should be submitted as follows:
    • In a single document
    • In .doc or .docx format
    • Double spaced, in 12 pt font
    • Please title your submission in the following format ‘TITLE _CATEGORY’, for example ‘The Shift_SHORT FICTION’.
  • Entries in the body of an email will not be accepted.
  • International writers can enter the competition, but we are unable to  provide travel expenses to attend the 2026 festival, should they be successful.
  • Entries submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.
  • Entry fees will not be returned if pieces are withdrawn after entering.
  • Entry is taken as acceptance of these rules.

Submitting Your Entry

Submissions will be accepted through Google Forms only this year. You can submit your work and details through this link.

Fees

The entry fee for each separate submission is €12. This can be paid through the Stripe link here.

It is important to us that the prize is accessible to as many writers as possible from all backgrounds around the world. Because of this, we are offering a limited number of subsidised entries. If you would like to be considered for this, please contact info@cuirt.ie as to why you require a subsidised entry (up to 200 words).

Closing Date

All entries for Cúirt New Writing Prize must be submitted by Saturday, 31st January 2026 at 5pm.
Contact info@cuirt.ie for any further enquiries.

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