We’re delighted to announce a special partnership between the Irish Writers Centre and the Irish Book Awards. Together, we’re offering the two winners of the New Irish Writing Short Story and Poetry categories, in association with the Irish Independent, an Irish Book Awards Scholarship at the Centre.

This unique scholarship provides a package of supports designed to help each writer develop their writing career and take the next step in their creative journey.

Larry Mac Hale, Chairperson of the An Post Irish Book Awards, says: 
We’re particularly excited to continue our partnership with the Irish Independent through the Best Short Story and Poetry categories. It is incredibly important that we support new authors and nurture emerging voices, and we’re delighted that the winners of both these categories will each receive a special Irish Book Awards Scholarship with the Irish Writers Centre – offering mentoring, courses, and membership to help them further their writing journey and careers.

Each winner will receive a tailored support package, which may include a combination of the following:

Academy Course

• One 6-week course, in-person or online, chosen from the Irish Writers Centre Academy programme.

One-to-One Mentoring

• Up to 10,000 words of fiction or 240 lines of poetry reviewed by a professional mentor.

• Includes a 300-word written report and a 1.5-hour one-to-one mentoring session with an industry professional.

Membership

• One-year membership of the Irish Writers Centre, offering access to exclusive benefits, resources, and events.

Competition Entry

• Complimentary entry to the 2026 International Debut Novel Competition
  (likely applicable only to the fiction winner)