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The Glencairn Glass crime short story competition is returns and is looking for entries.
The world’s favourite whisky glass, the
Glencairn Glass, is once again venturing
into the thrilling realm of crime
fiction with its annual short story
competition. They have once again
launched the event, in collaboration
with the Bloody Scotland International
Crime Writing Festival and Scottish
Field Magazine, the competition beckons
writers to submit their compelling crime
stories set in Scotland, all under 2000
words. The deadline for submissions is
December 31, 2023.
The winner of this prestigious
competition will not only receive a
prize of £1,000 but also have their
story published in the esteemed Scottish
Field Magazine. Additionally, the
runner-up will be awarded a cash prize
of £500. Both winning entries will be
showcased on the Scottish Field website
and the Glencairn Glass website (whiskyglass.com).
This competition has seen a remarkable
influx of entries from both seasoned and
budding crime writers worldwide over the
past two years. Embracing a theme of "A
crime set in Scotland," the competition
continues to allure writers from all
corners of the globe, offering them a
platform to showcase their talent and
creativity.
The Glencairn Glass is no stranger to
the ‘dram-atic’ world of Scottish crime
fiction. The Scottish family business
Glencairn Crystal has celebrated and
supported the Bloody Scotland Crime
Writing Festival since 2020 with its
Glencairn Glass sponsorship of the
McIlvanney Prize for the Scottish Crime
Book of the Year and the Bloody Scotland
Debut Crime Novel of the Year awards.
Earlier this year a new three-year deal
was agreed to secure the company’s
commitment and sponsorship until the end
of 2025.
The esteemed panel of judges for this
year’s Glencairn Glass short story
competition includes Callum McSorley,
the acclaimed author of Squeaky Clean
and winner of this year's Bloody
Scotland McIlvanney Prize. Joining him
is Kate Foster, an accomplished
journalist and author whose debut novel,
The Maiden, received the Bloody
Scotland’s Debut Prize. The third judge
is Gordon Brown, the marketing director
of Glencairn Crystal and a crime writer
with eleven published crime and thriller
books to his name.
Gordon Brown expressed his enthusiasm,
stating, "We are delighted to set out on
the search for a great Scottish set
crime short story once more. The
Glencairn Glass’s sponsorship of the
crime writing prizes at Bloody Scotland
and its success globally, makes it the
perfect glass to toast all those writers
that are about to sit down to pen a
classic crime short story."
Reflecting on the impact of winning,
last year's champion, Frances Crawford
from Glasgow, shared her experience. Her
winning story, "The Dummy Railway,"
offered a gripping narrative through the
perspective of a young Scottish girl,
earning her the top spot. Frances, who
graduated at 60 with an MLitt (First) in
Creative Writing from Glasgow
University, emphasized how winning the
competition opened numerous doors for
her in the literary world.
Frances commented: "What attracted me to
the Glencairn Glass Crime Short Story
Competition was the fact that it is so
inclusive and open to everyone, whether
absolute beginner or published author.
Since winning, I developed The Dummy
Railway as a full-length novel, with
very promising agent interest. It was an
honour to win such a prestigious prize.
I would encourage crime writers at all
stages of their writing path to enter".
In 2021, Brid Cummings, a fiction writer
and occupational therapist from South
Australia, clinched the victory in the
inaugural Glencairn Glass Crime Short
Story Competition. Her entry, "Halmeoni’s
Wisdom," unfurled a grim narrative
surrounding human trafficking, illicit
trade, and the longing for liberation.
Brid's triumph in the competition acted
as a catalyst, instilling in her the
confidence and motivation to finish her
psychological suspense novel.
Subsequently, she has recently secured
representation by a UK literary agency,
marking a significant milestone in her
writing career.
To participate in the competition, all
short story submissions must be made via
www.whiskyglass.com/crime-short-story-competition.
The submission window closes at midnight
on Sunday, December 31, 2023. The names
of the winner and runner-up will be
revealed in March 2023.
Bloody Scotland’s Festival Director, Bob
McDevitt, said: "Bloody Scotland has
always been dedicated to supporting and
discovering new writing and this short
story competition provides a great
opportunity for writers to flex their
creative muscles and explore the broad
church of crime writing."
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