The Moth Short Story Prize 2025

The Moth Short Story Prize is an international prize, open to anyone from anywhere in the world as long as their story is original and previously unpublished. The winners are chosen by a single judge each year, who reads the stories anonymously.

The Prize is open to anyone over 16, as long as the work is original and previously unpublished. There is a word limit of 3,000. The entry fee is €15 per story. Closing 30 June 2025.

The winning story will be printed as part of the summer fiction series in the Irish Times, while the 2nd and 3rd-prize-winning stories will be published in the Irish Times online.

Previous judges include Ottessa Moshfegh, Kevin Barry, Mark Haddon, Ali Smith and Sarah Hall.

This year’s judge is Evie Wyld. Evie Wyld is the award-winning author of four novels and one graphic novel. She has won the Betty Trask Prize, Miles Franklin Literary Award, John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and the European Union Prize for Literature. In 2013 she was named as one of Granta‘s Best of Young British Novelists. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and runs Review, an independent bookshop in Peckham, south London.

PRIZES:

• 1st prize €3,000
• 2nd prize week-long writing retreat at Circle of Misse in France plus open travel stipend
• 3rd prize €1,000

FAQ
If you are curious how writing competitions work, or it’s your first time entering one, we recommend reading our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page first.

Sudowrite
We’re keen to encourage quality, so we recommend writers refine their stories before submitting using Sudowrite – a creative writing tool designed to help you rewrite, expand, and enhance your prose with ease. Whether you need help overcoming writer’s block, finding the perfect phrase, or strengthening your story, Sudowrite offers tools that support your creative flow. Visit their website to explore Sudowrite — free trials are available.