Clare Champion short story competition

It’s time to prepare for the fifth instalment in what has evolved into one of the most prestigious competitions for young writers in the county.

Pupils, from first year to Leaving Cert, should get thinking and writing to enter the fifth annual Clare Champion second-level schools short story competition.
Since the competition was launched in 2007, pupils from schools in Clare and South Galway have submitted over 800 stories. Many of them have entered every year and several have been regular prizewinners. The stories’ authors are anonymous when read by independent judges – Noel Crowley, former county librarian, novelist Niall Williams and folklorist Eddie Lenihan.
Prizes for the competition also whet the appetite. With €300, €200 and €100 on offer for the first three in both the junior and senior categories, in addition to prizes for highly commended, in this regard, it surpasses many national creative writing competitions.
An important aspect of the competition is that all the winning entries appear in a special Clare Champion feature, giving the pupils an opportunity to have their work published for the first time. The stories are also posted on the Clare County Library website.
A new dimension was added to the competition last year, the outcome of which will be experienced during Ennis Book Club Festival 2011 in early March. Winners in the 2010 competition will be invited to read their stories at a series of events over the festival weekend.
The Clare Champion short story competition has captured the imagination of young writers and exceeded all expectations in terms of support. It all began when Evelyn O’Connor, an English teacher at St Flannan’s College, approached the ’Champion in 2007 to consider publishing a winning story in an in-house competition.
Editor Austin Hobbs, with the support of managing director, John Galvin, saw the opportunity to broaden it to cover all schools in the paper’s circulation area.
Principals and English teachers in the schools have been very supportive of the competition and this has been reflected in the wide geographical spread of submissions from an average of 200 pupils each year.
Teachers have encouraged their pupils to embrace the challenge of writing 1,000 to 1,500 words on any subject or theme and the stories that have emerged have been incredible. The standard of writing has been very high and the stories have run the spectrum from humorous to serious and mysterious to bizarre. Some writers have drawn from real life experiences and situations while others have delved into the world of fantasy.
Commenting on the upcoming competition, Austin Hobbs said, “I’m looking forward to reading all of the entries. It’s very exciting to read the work of young writers. Some of our past winners have been exceptionally talented and deserved to have a forum to showcase their work beyond the classroom or State exams.”
Managing director, John Galvin said the writing competition was one of the most successful initiatives undertaken by the newspaper. “We have sponsored a lot of underage sporting activities over the years but the writing competition underlines the fact that we want to support young people in their formative years.
“As an avid reader myself, I can appreciate what it takes to craft a good story and all of those who have entered the competition have displayed fantastic imagination. I have never failed to be impressed by the stories and I’m anticipating many more really good ones this year,” he said.
Posters with full details of the competition will be sent to schools in the coming weeks. Entries, specifying junior or senior category, age, class and teacher, should reach The Clare Champion before Friday, February 4, 2011.