Short Story RESULTS 2024

At the Wild Atlantic Words short story reading and prize-giving event in the Festival Dome on Friday, 11 October 2024, are (from left): runners-up, Rory M. Duffy and Niall Kitson; winner, Madeleine D’Arcy and competition co-sponsors, David Brennan of Mayo Books Press and Kevin Swift of Bridge St. Picture: John Mee Photography

WILD ATLANTIC WORDS SHORT STORY COMPETITION

Sponsored by Bridge St and Mayo Books Press

Results 2024:

**2024 WAW Short Story Competition Winner:** Madeleine D’Arcy from Cork, reading an excerpt from her story at the prize-giving event in the Festival Dome. Also on stage is Sally Rooney, who stood in for judge Mike McCormack on the night.

First prize: ‘Mr Stenworth’s Slippers’ – Madeleine D’Arcy (Cork)
Runner-up: ‘Black Habits’ – Rory M. Duffy (Co. Westmeath)
Runner-up: ‘Frequency’ – Niall Kitson (Dublin)

The following stories also made the shortlist (in no particular order):

‘Red’ – Aoife Hargadon (Co. Sligo)
‘The Retreat’ – Brid Connolly (Co. Kildare)
‘Bobby Hospital’ – John Armstrong (Co. Mayo)
‘The Wine Bar’ – Leo Cullen (Dublin)

Thank You!

The committee wants to say a huge thank you to all our short story competition entrants. A special thanks also to our judge for 2024, Mike McCormack (whose comments you can read below), and to our sponsors, Bridge St and Mayo Books Press for their ongoing support. Our thanks too, to Sally Rooney, for her support at this year’s prize-giving event.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE WINNING STORIES!

Judge’s Comments – Mike McCormack

Summary

It was a hugely enjoyable experience judging these stories. The quality of the submissions attests to the robust good health of the short story form and the value of competitions such as this. And while there were many I could have chosen these are the ones I kept coming back to. They stood out for their drama and execution, and their understanding of what the short story is capable of.…

First prize: ‘Mr Stenworth’s Slippers’ – Madeleine D’Arcy (Cork)

Chosen because of its unique atmosphere – the gentle mood of its central incident makes it memorable. It’s not a comedy – it is a serious meditation on kindness and goodwill – but it did make me smile.

Runner-up: ‘Black Habits’ – Rory M. Duffy (Co. Westmeath)

A daring and surreal account of abuse and mental illness. Startling imagery and jarring conjunctions give the whole thing an arresting feel that help it linger long in the mind.

Runner-up: ‘Frequency’ – Niall Kitson (Dublin)

A thrilling account of an unlicenced rave on Monmouth Beach in the ’90s. With the same rhythms that kept us raving till dawn it captures well the reckless ecstasies of those hedonistic times.

Shortlisted: ‘Red’ – Aoife Hargadon (Co. Sligo)

A visceral revenge fantasy with loads of raw power and a keen eye for bloody detail and the macabre. There is something remorseless about this story that makes it genuinely scary.

Shortlisted: ‘The Retreat’ – Brid Connolly (Co. Kildare)

A weekend at a spa retreat for a group of middle aged women brings back memories of the glory days when they were revolutionary firebrands. But lurking beneath is the abiding presence of a deep betrayal.

Shortlisted: ‘Bobby Hospital’ – John Armstrong (Co. Mayo)

A love story like no other for the social media age. Original and full of imaginative twists....be very wary of young nurses who order glass cages for their living room!

Shortlisted: ‘The Wine Bar’ – Leo Cullen (Dublin)

A clatter of wild girls who need each other more than they need anyone else turn up in London to bring adventure and emotional turmoil to a young couple. Memorable for its depiction of sisterly solidarity and its lingering note of sadness.

2024 Judge: Mike McCormack

Mike McCormack comes from the west of Ireland and is the author of two collections of short stories, Getting it in the Head and Forensic Songs, and four novels, Crowe’s Requiem, Notes from a Coma, Solar Bones and This Plague of Souls.

In 1996, he was awarded the Rooney Prize for Literature and Getting it in the Head was chosen as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. In 2006, Notes from a Coma was shortlisted for the Irish Book of the Year Award. In 2016, Solar Bones was awarded the Goldsmiths Prize and the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Novel of the Year and Book of the Year; it was also long-listed for the 2017 Man Booker Prize. In 2018, it was awarded the International Dublin Literary Award. He is a member of Aosdána.