ABOUT THE PRIZE

Every year, a single author is asked to anonymously judge The Moth Short Story Prize, choosing three winning stories from entries submitted worldwide. 

The winner receives €3,000, with the runners-up receiving a week-long stay at the wonderful Circle of Misse plus €250, and €1,000 respectively.  

Previous judges include Martina Evans, John Boyne, Donal Ryan, Belinda McKeon, Mike McCormack, Kevin Barry & Kit de Waal.

THE JUDGE

The judge for The Moth Short Story Prize 2020 is Mark Haddon. Haddon’s recent collection of stories, The Pier Falls, was lauded as ‘pure genius’ by Douglas Coupland, while Max Porter described his recent novel, The Porpoise, as a ‘full-throttle blast of storytelling mastery’. Haddon’s worldwide bestseller, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, won seventeen literary prizes and is now an acclaimed stage play.

HOW TO ENTER

The Moth Short Story Prize is open to anyone over 16, as long as the work is original and previously unpublished. There is a 5,000 word limit. The entry fee is €15 per story and you can enter as many stories as you like.

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 read the rules before you enter. 

The three winning stories will appear in the autumn issue of The Moth. 

With thanks to Circle of Misse for the superb second prize of a week-long writing retreat in France and a travel stipend of €250. Their house rests on the banks of the Thouet River (a tributary of the Loire), ‘thouet’ being the ancient Gallic word for ‘tranquil’. 

Call 00 353 87 2657251 or email enquiries@themothmagazine.com for more details