THE MOTH
SHORT STORY PRIZE 2023 IS NOW OPEN
The Moth Short Story Prize is an international
prize, open to anyone from anywhere in the world, as long as their story is
original and previously unpublished. The winners are chosen by a single judge
each year, who reads the stories anonymously.
Previous
judges include Mike McCormack, Belinda McKeon, Donal Ryan, Kit de Waal, Kevin
Barry, Mark Haddon, Ali Smith and Sarah Hall.
THE
JUDGE
The Prize will be judged this year by Ottessa Moshfegh. Her first novel, Eileen, was shortlisted for the National Book
Critics Circle Award and the Man Booker Prize and won the PEN/Hemingway Award
for debut fiction. Her next three novels were New York Times
bestsellers. She is also the author of a novella, McGlue, and the short story collection Homesick
for Another World.
‘Ottessa is one of our newest, most dazzling, daring and outrageous
voices in literature’ Vogue
ENDORSEMENTS
‘The Moth Short Story Prize is hugely important to me. Short stories give writers and readers the opportunity to experiment with all kinds of approaches and effects that might not work over the sustained length of a novel, and sometimes to talk about things that we might not be able to approach in any other way. The Moth is a fantastic champion of that.’
Owen Booth, previous winner
‘A total pleasure judging this. This was an exceptional set of stories.’ Ali Smith, previous judge
‘To see my story in a publication that has done as much for writers as The Moth is the most
astounding and unexpected affirmation I could have imagined.’ Conor Crummey, previous winner
‘This seal of approval is superglue for the sanity! I am mighty grateful.’ Caoilinn Hughes, previous winner
HOW
TO ENTER
The Prize is open to anyone over 16, as long as the work is original and
previously unpublished.
There is a word limit of 3,000.
The entry fee is €15 per story.
You
can enter online or send your story along with a cheque or
postal order made payable to ‘The Moth Magazine Ltd.’ with an entry form or a cover letter with your name and
contact details and the title of your story (or stories) attached to: The
Moth, Ardan Grange, Milltown, Belturbet, Co. Cavan, Ireland H14 K768.
Please note: If you are at all concerned about the formatting of your story
online, please send a copy of the story (or stories) in a word doc to
enquiries@themothmagazine.com, along with your entry number. Payment can be made
via PayPal to enquiries@themothmagazine.com.
Please remember to read the rules of the competition before you enter.
CLOSING
DATE 30 JUNE 2023
The winners will be announced in August 2023.
The
winning story will be printed as part of the summer fiction series in the Irish
Times, while the 2nd and 3rd-prize-winning stories
will be published in the Irish Times online.
With thanks to
Circle of Misse for the superb second prize of a
week-long writing retreat in France and an open travel stipend, enabling the 2nd
prize winner to travel to France from anywhere in the world.
Call 00 353 87
2657251 or email enquiries@themothmagazine.com for more details
