The window for entries has now opened for the 2025 Frances Browne Multilingual Poetry Competition.
Applications are being saught ahead of the fifth edition of the Frances Browne Literary Festival, which will be held in October.
The poetry competition embraces entries from multiple languages, with categories open for Irish, Ulster-Scots and English-language poetry, as well as a local section.
Entries will be judged by reputable poets and academics in each section.
This year’s English and Ulster-Scots entries will be judged by Stranorlar’s Dr Pauline Holland, playwright and editor of Treasure Each Voice, 400 Years of Anglo-Irish, Irish and Ulster-Scots Literature, and Poet, Author and playwright Anne McMaster, Walking of the Land 2021.
Anne McMaster.
Pauline Holland.
Meanwhile Poet and writer Dr Dubhán Ó Longáin, IDEO Locator, 2020, will judge the Irish language entries.
Dubhán Ó Longáin.
The closing date for entries is midnight on Wednesday 20th Aug 2025.
The Poetry Awards Ceremony, where the winning entries in the three languages will be read, is scheduled for Friday 10th Oct 2025 in Kee’s Hotel, Stranorlar.
There is also a total prize fund of €1,500 up for grabs.
With an impressive total prize fund of €1500, the Frances Browne Multilingual Poetry Competition stands as a unique opportunity for poets from diverse backgrounds to come together and celebrate their craft.
How to enter:
Entries accepted until 20th August 2024 online, by post or in person. €5 per entry. No limit on the number of poems. Categories for entry are as follows:
● English Language – First Prize – €250, Second Prize – €100, Third Prize, €50
● Irish Language – First Prize – €250, Second Prize – €100, Third Prize, €50
● Ulster Scots Language – First Prize – €250, Second Prize – €100, Third Prize, €50
Local Categories
There will be one winning entry in each of these categories. The prize for each category is €100.
● The Eilish McBride Award – English Language – Local – Sponsored by Edel MacBride
● Irish Language – Local
● Ulster Scots Language – Local
‘Local’ categories are open to individuals who were born in and/or are currently living in the Lifford-Stranorlar Municipal District of County Donegal. For details of this area please refer to the link to the Donegal County Council website, or contact the festival committee for confirmation.
For full terms and conditions, schedule of dates and to enter you can head to the festival’s website – www.francesbrowneliteraryfestival.com; email info@francesbrowneliteraryfestival.com or contact the team via the offices of the Finn Valley Voice – +353 (0)74 913 1665.
The Frances Browne Multilingual Poetry Competition is funded and supported by Donegal County Council.
