RTÉ Radio 1 is accepting short story submissions from today for the RTÉ Radio 1 Short Story Competition in honour of Francis MacManus.
The top prize for the competition, which has been going since 1986, is €3,000 and writers of the second and third placed stories will receive 2,000 and 1,000 euro each.
All three top prizewinners plus seven other shortlisted entrants will have their stories produced for national broadcast in a two-week season of new writing on RTÉ Radio 1 in the Autumn, voiced by some of Ireland’s most talented actors of the stage and screen.
Judging the entries this year are writer and former finalist in the competition, Danielle McLaughlin; RTÉ’s Arts and Media correspondent and author Sinéad Crowley; and books and arts publicist, Cormac Kinsella.
On becoming a judge for the competition, Sinéad said: ‘Reading a well written short story is one of the most satisfying experiences a reader can have and I was thrilled and honored to be asked to judge a prize as prestigious as this one. I’m also a keen listener to audio books and am very much looking forward to having these entries accompany me on my commute. To be a Francis MacManus finalist is a huge achievement for any writer and I can’t wait to see what the competition has in store for us this year.’
Speaking this morning on his return as a judge, Cormac Kinsella said, ‘I’m honoured to be asked back to judge this great award. I was so impressed by the range and quality of the stories in 2015 – it was very difficult to pick a winner. The judging process was also incredibly rewarding and I’m really looking forward to discussing this year’s stories with Danielle and Sinead – both very different writers that I really admire. Awards can be a great stepping stone in any writer’s life and I’m delighted to play a part in the process.’
For all details on how to enter, see rte.ie/writing
Closing date for the competition is Friday June 8th and the shortlist and winners will be announced by the end of September.
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