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Dear Writers & Readers,
Just over two weeks to go. The 2026 Write by the Sea Writing Competition closes on Sunday, June 7th.
Read the details and enter here: https://writebythesea.ie/writing-competition/
Jay McKenzie won the Short Story category at Write by the Sea 2025. Her debut novel How to Lose the Lottery was published by Harper Fiction this March to wonderful reviews. Jay entered Write by the Sea several times before she won — and here is what she has to say about that.
On entering:
'By submitting, you're already doing a brave thing. You are writing. You are sharing. You are putting yourself out there. And if your piece resonates with the right reader - great! But if it doesn't, you have lost nothing.'
On judging:
'I recently read for another contest and went back and forth between pieces that read equally as well as each other. I made difficult decisions, cut stories that I loved. Would I have made a different choice on a different day? Very possibly, so you never know just how close a piece might have come to listing or even winning.'
On community:
'My writing community is insanely talented and supportive, and scattered all over the world. Entering contests like WBTS has allowed me to form connections with some of the brightest and most talented writers out there.'
'I strongly urge all writers considering entering to do it.'
Jay's winning story Flaunt was read at last year's festival by Wendy Erskine. Read it here: https://writebythesea.ie/writing-competition/competition-winning-entries-2025/
How to Lose the Lottery is available from The Book Centre and at all good independent bookshops.
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