Short Story Competition: How to get published in Irish Country Magazine

Is one of your life goals to become a published author?

It’s common knowledge that if you’ve always wanted to write a book, now is the time to do it. But feeling pressure to craft the perfect prose, plot and people to populate a full-length book can feel a bit overwhelming. Why not start with a short story instead?

Irish Country Magazine’s Short Story segment is looking for readers and followers to send in their fictional short story. The winning story will be published inside the magazine and the story that comes in second place will appear on irishcountrymagazine.ie.

How to enter your story:

Each issue has a different theme – you can interpret this theme however you see fit. Your short story must be at least 800 words and no longer than 1,000 words.

The theme for the next issue is Mother’s Day and will appear in the March|April issue of Irish Country Magazine, out in February.

Fill in the form below and attach your story by 5.30pm on 8 January* to be in with a chance of winning (or you can email it to editorial@irishcountrymagazine.ie).

The writer of the winning story will also receive a year-long subscription to Irish Country Magazine.

Stay tuned to irishcountrymagazine.ie and follow us on our social channels @irishcountrymag for further information.

*Terms and conditions:

– Each entry must be the original work of the person submitting it. All work must be original and not created using AI tools.
– All writers retain the copyright of their work.
– Electronic files sent as attachments will not be returned and Irish Country Magazine accepts no responsibility for submissions in any other form. Prints or physical media sent as submissions will not be returned.
– If your piece contains people, you must have their consent for their likeness to be used before submitting.
– The finalists grant Irish Country Magazine the right to use the stories in electronic form or in print for the specific purpose of promoting the magazine and its Competitions/Awards without restriction in any media.
– Irish Country Magazine agrees that all stories used will be credited to the author. Irish Country Magazine will not be responsible for unauthorised use of any piece by a third party.