World War One Short Story Competition Now Open for Entries

Entries encouraged from 15 to 21–year–olds

One hundred years on from the outbreak of the First World War it now seems to belong to another age and another world. Yet the impact which the War had on the future of Ireland and on the everyday life of its people right down to the present time is still being thought about. Imaginative engagement with the Great War and its legacy can take many forms and the Historical Commemorations and Centenaries Working Group of the Church of Ireland is sponsoring a short story competition for those between the ages of 15 and 21 to mark this important centenary. 

The competition will be impartially judged by a select panel including the renowned author Glenn Patterson and the QUB historian Professor David Hayton. The prize for the best story will be €1,000 with a Runner–up prize of €300 and a Highly Commended award of €200 and it is hoped to publish these and up to eight of the best stories in November. Entrants are free to write about any aspect of the impact of the First World War in any part of Ireland or on Irish people in the period 1914–18. The story should be no more than 3,500 words in length.

In launching the competition, Glenn Patterson said,

 ‘It is all too easy to fall into the trap of thinking that previous generations are not just distant, but different. The competition is an invitation to imagine people just like us in circumstances we would hope ourselves never to have to live through.’

The deadline for the receipt of entries is 12 September 2014 and the awards will be announced in November. The decision of the judging panel will be final and entries will all be anonymised during the judging process. To receive an entry form, please contact: Jenny Compston, Church of Ireland Press Office, by email: [email protected] or by telephone: +44 (0)28 90828880.