2013 Over The Edge New Writer of The Year competition Wednesday, August 7th, 2013.

2013 Over The Edge New Writer of The Year to be judged by Sarah Clancy OPEN TO WRITERS WORLDWIDE Closing Date 7th August 2013

competition judge Sarah Clancy

major sponsor Charlie Byrne's Bookshop

2013 Over The Edge New Writer of The Year competition

Major Sponsor: Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop,

other sponsors to date:

ISupply, Quay Street
Ward's Hotel, Lower Salthill

Kenny’s Bookshop

& Derek Nolan T.D

In 2013 Over The Edge is continuing its exciting annual creative writing competition. Since its inception in 2007, it has grown to become one of the most important competition’s for emerging writers in Ireland and internationally. The competition is open to both poets and fiction writers worldwide. The total prize money is €1,000. The best fiction entry will win €300. The best poetry entry will win €300. One of these will then be chosen as the overall winner and will receive an additional €400, giving the overall winner total prize money of €700 and the title Over The Edge New Writer of The Year 2013. The 2013 Over The Edge New Writer of The Year will be a Featured Reader at Ireland’s leading literary reading series, the Over The Edge: Open Readings in Galway City Library, on a date to be scheduled in Winter 2013/14. Salmon Poetry will read, without commitment to publish, a manuscript submitted to them by the winner in the poetry category. Doire Press will read, without commitment to publish, a manuscript of short stories submitted to them by the winner in the fiction category. In two new additions to the prize this year the overall winner will receive a hamper of books from the famous Kenny’s Bookshop of Galway and the winner in the poetry category will have one of the poems from her or his winning entry published in the January 2014 issue of Skylight 47 magazine.

 Entries should be sent to Over The Edge, New Writer of The Year competition, 3 Carbry Road, Newcastle, Galway with an accompanying SAE. Entries will be judged anonymously, so do not put your name on your poem(s) or story. Put your contact details on a separate sheet.

Criteria: fiction of up to three thousand words, three poems of up to forty lines, or one poem of up to one hundred lines. Multiple entries are acceptable but each must be accompanied by a fee. The fee for one entry is €10. The fee for multiple entries is €7.50 per entry e.g. two entries will cost €15, three entries €22.50 and so on. Fee payable by cheque or money order to Over The Edge. To take part you must be at least sixteen years old by September 1st 2013 and not have a book published or accepted for publication in the genre in which you enter. Chapbooks excepted. Entries must not have been previously published or be currently entered in any other competition. The competition is open to writers worldwide. We accept payment in Dollars, Sterling, Australian Dollars, Canadian Dollars and so on. Writers from outside the Euro area can calculate the payment for their entry here http://www.xe.com/ucc/

The closing date is Wednesday, August 7th, 2013. A long-list will be announced at the August Over The Edge: Open Reading in Galway City Library on Thursday, August 29th, 2013 (6.30-8pm). THE LONGLIST WILL BE AVAILABLE, BEFORE THAT, AT CHARLIE BYRNE’S BOOKSHOP FROM 5PM ON THURSDAY AUGUST 29TH. The shortlist will be announced at a special Over The Edge Culture Night event at Kenny’s Bookshop & Gallery, Liosbán Retail Park, Tuam Road, Galway on Friday, September 20th, 7pm. The winners will be announced at the October Over The Edge: Open Reading in Galway City Library on Thursday, October 31st 2013 (6.30-8pm).

This year’s competition judge is Sarah Clancy. Sarah Clancy has been shortlisted for several poetry prizes including the Listowel Collection of Poetry Competition and the Patrick Kavanagh Award. Her first book of poetry, Stacey and the Mechanical Bull, was published by Lapwing Press Belfast in December 2010 and a further selection of her work was published in June 2011 by Doire Press. Her poems have been published in Revival Poetry Journal, The Stony Thursday Book, The Poetry Bus, Irish Left Review and in translation in Cuadrivio Magazine (Mexico). She was the runner up in the North Beach Nights Grand Slam Series 2010 and was the winner of the Cúirt International Festival of Literature Grand Slam 2011. She has read her work widely at events such as Cúirt and as a featured reader at the Over the Edge reading series in Galway, the Temple House Festival, Testify, Electric Picnic, O Bheal and at the Irish Writers’ Centre, she was an invited guest at the 2011 Vilenica Festival of Literature in Slovenia and in Spring 2012 her poem "I Crept Out" received second prize in the Ballymaloe International Poetry Competition. Her second poetry Thanks For Nothing, Hippies was published by Salmon Poetry last year and has been a poetry best seller.

For further details contact Over The Edge on 087-6431748,
e-mail over-the-edge-openreadings@hotmail.com