Who is it for?

The 2025 prize is open to beginner and emerging writers (fiction or non-fiction) aged 18 and over who are resident on the island of Ireland (or view Ireland as their home) who have yet to publish their first short story or essay in an anthology, literary journal or magazine. This criterion extends to online journals and magazines but does not include online self-publishing, e.g. blogs. Writers working in other genres (e.g. poetry, drama) are welcome to submit on the basis that this is their first time publishing a piece of fiction or non-fiction. 

We encourage writers from backgrounds typically underrepresented in Irish literature to apply. We particularly invite applications from Black, POC (person of colour), Traveller, Roma, LGBTQIA+, disabled and working-class writers, and those who consider themselves to be within the target groups described in the EDI Policy on the Irish Writers Centre website.

How to Apply?

Writers are invited to submit a piece of fiction or non-fiction (i.e. a short story or essay) with a maximum word count of 1,500 words.
All work submitted must be previously unpublished (in print or online).
Alongside their creative work, writers are invited to submit a short biographical statement (max. 150 words) telling us about their writing experience to date, which writers have influenced their work, and what they’d like to accomplish with their writing.
We further ask that you supply us with:

• Your name
• Your email address
• Your postal address
• Your phone number

Writers are instructed to submit just one application per person.

Please state in your SUBMISSION FILE NAME whether your piece is a SHORT STORY or an ESSAY.

Any questions? Contact us at projects@irishwriterscentre.ie

This is no entry fee to apply. 

The five selected writers for the Annaghmakerrig Residencies 2025 will spend seven nights all-inclusive, from Monday 18 August 2025 to Sunday 24 August 2025 at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre, in County Monaghan with check out on Monday 25 August 2025 by 11am.

The main aim of this residency is to provide an opportunity for writers to spend time working on their projects with each writer allocated one of the five self-catering cottages. Although these are self-catering, meals will be provided in the main house. You do have the option to cook for yourself in your cottage, but please notify the kitchen in advance. There will be a common studio assigned to the five writers to meet during their stay to share their experiences with each other.

Each of the writers will have the opportunity to share a piece of their work at a small event, held at the end of the residency on Sunday 24 August 2025.

Who can apply

This is an open call for all writers, both emerging and established who are over 18 years of age and resident on the island of Ireland. Writers of both English and Irish language are welcome to apply.  We welcome all forms of writing, including fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction and plays. 

How to apply

If you are interested in applying, please submit the following:

1. A cover letter (Max. one A4 page) including your personal details and statement of artistic intent, clearly and concisely outlining the project you would like to focus on during your time at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre.
2. A  Writer’s CV (max. two A4 pages). See our guide to a Writer’s CV here.
3. Clearly labelled samples of recent work. We are looking for clearly labelled samples of recent work (up to three short samples of no more than 500 words each or between 4-6 poems) plus a sample from the work-in-progress you propose to focus on during the residency

Note: Please compile all relevant documentation into a single Word doc or PDF attachment. (Incorrect collation may result in ineligibility.)

Applications will be acknowledged via an automatic email. If you don’t receive a confirmation of receipt, please contact us (projects@irishwriterscentre.ie) to check if your application has gone through.