* New Irish Writing, edited by Ciaran Carty, is published on the first Sunday of every month and is open to new and emerging writers who are Irish or normally resident in Ireland, and whose work has yet to appear in book form under an established publishing imprint. All stories and poems published are eligible for the annual Hennessy X.O Literary Awards.

* Stories should not exceed 2,200 words. Up to six poems may be submitted. Entries (with a stamped addressed envelope) should be submitted to: New Irish Writing, The Sunday Tribune, 27-32 Talbot Street, Dublin 1, along with name, phone number and email address (where available).

* The New Irish Writing Page was established in 1968 in The Irish Press by David Marcus and has been published in The Sunday Tribune since 1988. It has become internationally renowned for picking out future literary stars, and launched the careers of Patrick McCabe, Neil Jordan, Dermot Healy, Deirdre Madden, Eilis Ni Duibhne, Frank McGuinness, Sebastian Barry, Dermot Bolger, Joseph O’Connor, Colum McCann, Mary O’Donnell, Mary O’Malley, Vona Groarke, John Boyne, Anne Enright, Hugo Hamilton, Philip O Ceallaigh and many other leading Irish writers.

* The Hennessy X.O Literary Awards in association with The Sunday Tribune, were launched in 1971 and are unique in Ireland and the UK for their support of new writing talent. Awards are made in three categories, First Fiction (for writers publishing their first story), Emerging Fiction and Emerging Poetry. Each winner receives a Hennessy trophy and 1,500 euro. A New Irish Writer of the Year is chosen from the three category winners and receives an additional 2,500 euro and trophy.

* The awards are adjudicated each year by different judges, chaired by Ciaran Carty. The 2008 winners were Eimear Ryan (First Fiction), Kevin Power (Emerging Fiction) and David Mohan (Emerging Poetry), who was also chosen as New Irish Writer of 2008. The 2008 judges were Sally Nicholls and John Boyne, author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas whose first story was published in New Irish Writing when he was 22. The 2009 Awards, based on stories and poems published this year in New Irish Writing, will be announced on April the 20th 2010