Maura McHugh

Maura McHugh is an Irish author of horror and fantasy in prose, comic books, plays, and screenplays.

Early life Born in the US, McHugh moved to Ireland as a child. She was educated in the National University of Ireland in Galway where she graduated with a B.A. in English and History, and then an M.A. in English. After living overseas for a while McHugh returned to Ireland and to education where she gained a Diploma in Film studies at NUIG, a Foundation Course in Filmmaking at the Galway Film Centre, and finally a second M.A. in Screenwriting at the Huston School of Film and Digital Media.

Career Based in Galway, McHugh is the author of Róisín Dubh and Jennifer Wilde. She is also editor of the Writers Guild of Ireland fortnightly newsletter, as well as the guild's website and blog.

McHugh has been a regular judge for the Galway Junior Film Fleadh, the British Comic Awards, and Octocon's Golden Blasters, as well as having been a judge for The Shirley Jackson Awards. She also curated "The Image" during the Hay festival in Kells. She was Guest of Honour at the 2015 Octocon (the Irish National Science Fiction Convention).

In 2018, she was invited to take part in an initiative of the Creative Europe project, a 10-day residency in Angoulême in France. Since 2018, she has worked on a number of Judge Anderson stories for Rebellion, including a novella published in 2020.

Awards Won Recipient of the Gordon R. Dickson Scholarship for the 2006 Clarion West Writers Workshop, 2006. Best Irish Writer (comic books) in The Arcade Awards, 2014. ICN Award 2015 for ‘Best Irish Writer Published Outside of Ireland’, 2015. World Fantasy Award for Short Fiction 2025 for Raptor, published in Heartwood: A Mythago Wood Anthology

Nominations The Arcade Award in the ‘Best Irish Writer’ category, 2015 The Geekies 2015 – the Geek Ireland Awards – in the Best Irish Writer category, 2015 Geek Feminist Award in the Women Write About Comics Awesome Awards, 2014 British Fantasy Award for Best Comic/Graphic Novel for Jennifer Wilde(Atomic Diner Comics), along with Stephen Downey & Karen Mahoney, 2014 Two ICN Awards, 2014 Geek Ireland's Best Irish Author of 2014 (comic books), 2014 Eagle Award for ‘Favourite European Comic Book’ for Jennifer Wilde, 2012 ICN Award for ‘Best Irish Writer Published Outside of Ireland’, 2013 The Arcade Award in the ‘Best Irish Writer’ category, 2013