THE Clare Champion Short Story Competition has just been launched and entries for the ninth annual contest are now being sought.
Open to second level students, the long running competition has gone from strength to strength each year, with in excess of 270 entries received last year from secondary school students across the county. Short stories can be on any subject and should be approximately 1,000 to 1,500 words long.
There are two entry categories for the competition, Leaving Certificate and Junior Certificate, but entries are open to those from first year to sixth year students. Full details are on posters that are being sent to schools this week.
The first prize in each category is €300, second prize is €200, and third prize is €100. There are also awards for those highly commended and all those shortlisted will have their stories published in The Clare Champion.
The Clare Champion short story competition aims to recognise the talents of young writers across its readership, which not only encompasses County Clare, but extends into South Galway.
Last year’s winners came from Ennis, Ennistymon, Spanish Point, Killaloe and Lisdoonvarna showing that talented young writers are to be found in every corner of the county.
Subject matters too, varied with some deriving inspiration from the Millennial Brian Ború celebrations, others were motivated by Clare’s hurling successes, while the storms that battered the Clare coastline was also another topic that came up.
The closing date for entries is Friday February 20, 2015 and all entries must be typed and must include the applicant’s name, age, telephone number, school, their year, and their English teacher’s name, to authenticate the entry.
The young writers can submit their entries through their school or directly to the Clare Champion – Second Level School’s Short Story Competition, Leaving Certificate/Junior Certificate category, The Clare Champion, Barrack Street, Ennis.
By Carol Byrne
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.