RTÉ Radio 1 Francis MacManus Short Story Award

あーるてぃーいーふらんしすまくまなすたんぺんしょうせつしょう

RTÉ-hosted Francis MacManus commemorative competition for short stories aimed at radio broadcast (Short Story Award).

Short storyBroadcast fiction (radio)Newcomer support

Established: 1985
Organizer: RTÉ (Raidió Teilifís Éireann) / RTÉ Radio 1 (Producer: Sarah Binchy)
Category: Film, Video, and Broadcasting
Selection Method: Open call
Target: Newcomer
Frequency: 1 per year
Status: Ended

Description

Short story competition hosted by RTÉ (RTÉ Radio 1) in memory of Francis MacManus. Free to enter and attracts numerous submissions annually, targeting new Irish fiction for radio broadcast. The 10 shortlisted works are announced in September, and top winners (1st, 2nd, 3rd places and 7 runners-up) are announced and broadcast on a special RTÉ Radio 1 program. Judging emphasizes story completeness as well as "broadcast suitability (how it sounds when read aloud)."

Prize

Main Prize: 1st: €5,000, 2nd: €4,000, 3rd: €3,000, plus €250 each to 7 runners-up. Shortlisted works are broadcast on RTÉ and published online.
Cash Prize: 13,750 EUR

10 shortlisted works published on RTÉ Culture website
Broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 (read by professional actors)
Exposure through broadcast = publication opportunity for writers

Selection

Selection Process

Stage	Judges	Pass Rate	Announcement
Shortlist selection (first round)	Judging panel selected by RTÉ (e.g., composed of editors/writers such as Brendan Barrington, John MacKenna, Éilís Ní Dhuibhne)	Very low (thousands of submissions, shortlist of 10)	Shortlist announced in September on RTÉ Culture website etc.
Final selection (winner determination)	Same judging panel listens to recordings read by professional actors and reviews manuscripts	From shortlist, 1st place approx. 10% (1/10)	Top winners announced on RTÉ Radio 1's RTÉ Arena special program
Broadcast and publication	RTÉ production team and related personnel (editing and production for broadcast)	N/A	Winning and shortlisted works broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 and published on RTÉ Culture site

Shortlist selection (first round)

Judges Judging panel selected by RTÉ (e.g., composed of editors/writers such as Brendan Barrington, John MacKenna, Éilís Ní Dhuibhne)

Pass Rate Very low (thousands of submissions, shortlist of 10)

Announcement Shortlist announced in September on RTÉ Culture website etc.

Final selection (winner determination)

Judges Same judging panel listens to recordings read by professional actors and reviews manuscripts

Pass Rate From shortlist, 1st place approx. 10% (1/10)

Announcement Top winners announced on RTÉ Radio 1's RTÉ Arena special program

Broadcast and publication

Judges RTÉ production team and related personnel (editing and production for broadcast)

Pass Rate N/A

Announcement Winning and shortlisted works broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 and published on RTÉ Culture site

Criteria

Broadcast suitability (listenability when read aloud, suitability for audio expression)
Completeness as a short story (structure, style, originality)
Suitability of narrative voice to radio format
New fiction from contemporary Ireland