Over The Edge New Writer of the Year competition 2009

Kevin Higgins

Over The Edge New Writer of the Year competition 2009

sponsored by

Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop & a generous individual donor who wishes to remain anonymous

In 2009 Over The Edge is continuing its exciting annual creative writing competition. The competition is open to both poets and fiction writers. 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 author total prize money of €700 and the title Over The Edge New Writer of The Year 2009. The 2009 Over The Edge New Writer of The Year will be a Featured Reader at a reading to be scheduled in Galway City Library in Winter 09/10.

Entries should be sent to Over The Edge, New Writer of the Year competition, 3 Carbry Road, Newcastle, Galway, Ireland 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 2009 and not have a book published or accepted for publication in that genre. Chapbooks excepted. Entries must not have been previously published or be currently entered in any other competition.

The closing date is Monday, August 3rd, 2009. A longlist will be announced in Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009. A shortlist will be announced at the Over The Edge: Open Reading in Galway City Library on Thursday, August 27th 2009. The winners will be announced at the Over The Edge reading in Galway City Library on Thursday, September 24th, 2009.

This year the competition judge is Patrick Chapman. He is a poet, fiction-writer and screenwriter. His poetry collections are Jazztown, (Raven Arts Press, 1991), The New Pornography (Salmon, 1996), Breaking Hearts and Traffic Lights (Salmon, 2007) and A Shopping Mall on Mars (BlazeVOX, 2008). His fifth collection will appear from Salmon in 2010. He has also written a collection of stories, The Wow Signal (Bluechrome, 2007); Burning the Bed (2003), a multi-award-winning film starring Gina McKee and Aidan Gillen; and an audio play, Doctor Who: Fear of the Daleks (Big Finish, 2007). He lives in Dublin.

For further details contact Over The Edge on 087-6431748 or see http://overtheedgeliteraryevents.blogspot.com

godspal

Finally finished my story for this. Sending it around to colleagues and friends to try and get feed back. Its been mainly positive so far, but you know they could be saying that to protect my feelings.
Very nervous about sending it out, its the first piece of fiction I have ever sent to a professional critical reviewer.

antonf

Finished a short story for this also but my daughter felt it was too lame, not "over the edge" enough. Now confused. If a 20-year old can be this critical, what will Patrick Chapman make of it.

Kevin Higgins

Hi Godspal and Antof,

I think the only thing to do is take the plunge.

Antof, 20 year old daughters can be fierce critics. I'm sure Patrick Chapman will be much gentler.

Best of luck to you both,

Kevin Higgins

http://overtheedgeliteraryevents.blogspot.com

antonf

Hi Kevin,

Thanks for encouragement. Are you stalking me???!!