The Glencairn Glass has announced the return of its Scottish crime-writing competition.
The short story competition was launched by the Glencairn Glass – produced by family-run glassware manufacturer Glencairn Crystal – in 2021 to complement the company's support of Scottish crime-writing talent, including its sponsorship of the McIlvanney and Bloody Scotland Debut crime-writing prizes at the Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival.
This year's competition is being held in partnership with the Bloody Scotland team and Scottish Field magazine, the original partners in 2021. Both experienced and novice crime writers are invited to submit stories of no more than 2,000 words on the theme, "A crime story set in Scotland".
Entries are open from Tuesday 18 October until Saturday 31 December 2022. The first-prize winner will receive £1,000, and the runner-up will receive £500. Both will also be given a set of six engraved Glencairn Glasses. The winning entry will be published in Scottish Field in spring 2023, and both the winning and runner-up stories will be published online on the Scottish Field website and the Glencairn Glass website.
The competition judging panel will comprise: Tariq Ashkanani, whose debut novel Welcome to Cooper won the Bloody Scotland Debut Award 2022; Sharon Bairden, an established book reviewer and author of psychological thrillers Sins of the Father and You Need Me; and Glencairn Crystal’s marketing director Gordon Brown, author of 10 crime novels and one of the founding directors of the Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival.
Brown said: "The response to last year’s inaugural short story competition was fantastic. I’m looking forward to celebrating all of this year’s entries with a wee dram in a Glencairn Glass.”
Last year’s inaugural competition was won by Brid Cummings, a fiction writer and occupational therapist based in South Australia. Her winning story Halmeoni’s Wisdom was a dark tale of human trafficking, illegal trade and a desire for freedom.
Cummings said: "Winning the inaugural Glencairn Glass Crime Short Story Competition was a fantastic experience – not only did it provide an opportunity to build my profile and connect with other crime writers, it also gave me the confidence to finish my psychological suspense novel."
Bloody Scotland’s festival director, Bob McDevitt, said: "At Bloody Scotland we are passionate about supporting new writing and encourage aspiring writers to seize this fabulous opportunity. A short story is a great stepping stone to writing a novel. Whatever your background or experience we encourage you to give the Glencairn Glass short story competition a go!"
All short story entries must be submitted at www.whiskyglass.com/crime-short-story-competition by midnight on 31 December 2022. Details can also be found at www.scottishfield.co.uk. The winners will be announced in March 2023.
The short story competition was launched by the Glencairn Glass – produced by family-run glassware manufacturer Glencairn Crystal – in 2021 to complement the company's support of Scottish crime-writing talent, including its sponsorship of the McIlvanney and Bloody Scotland Debut crime-writing prizes at the Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival.
This year's competition is being held in partnership with the Bloody Scotland team and Scottish Field magazine, the original partners in 2021. Both experienced and novice crime writers are invited to submit stories of no more than 2,000 words on the theme, "A crime story set in Scotland".
Entries are open from Tuesday 18 October until Saturday 31 December 2022. The first-prize winner will receive £1,000, and the runner-up will receive £500. Both will also be given a set of six engraved Glencairn Glasses. The winning entry will be published in Scottish Field in spring 2023, and both the winning and runner-up stories will be published online on the Scottish Field website and the Glencairn Glass website.
The competition judging panel will comprise: Tariq Ashkanani, whose debut novel Welcome to Cooper won the Bloody Scotland Debut Award 2022; Sharon Bairden, an established book reviewer and author of psychological thrillers Sins of the Father and You Need Me; and Glencairn Crystal’s marketing director Gordon Brown, author of 10 crime novels and one of the founding directors of the Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival.
Brown said: "The response to last year’s inaugural short story competition was fantastic. I’m looking forward to celebrating all of this year’s entries with a wee dram in a Glencairn Glass.”
Last year’s inaugural competition was won by Brid Cummings, a fiction writer and occupational therapist based in South Australia. Her winning story Halmeoni’s Wisdom was a dark tale of human trafficking, illegal trade and a desire for freedom.
Cummings said: "Winning the inaugural Glencairn Glass Crime Short Story Competition was a fantastic experience – not only did it provide an opportunity to build my profile and connect with other crime writers, it also gave me the confidence to finish my psychological suspense novel."
Bloody Scotland’s festival director, Bob McDevitt, said: "At Bloody Scotland we are passionate about supporting new writing and encourage aspiring writers to seize this fabulous opportunity. A short story is a great stepping stone to writing a novel. Whatever your background or experience we encourage you to give the Glencairn Glass short story competition a go!"
All short story entries must be submitted at www.whiskyglass.com/crime-short-story-competition by midnight on 31 December 2022. Details can also be found at www.scottishfield.co.uk. The winners will be announced in March 2023.
