Win share of $8800/Sisters in Crime Short Story Awards

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http://www.sistersincrime.org.au/content/record-8800-offer-21st-scarlet-stiletto-awards-crime-short-story-competition

Record $8800 on offer for 21st Scarlet Stiletto Awards Crime Short Story Competition
Submitted by Carmel on 9 July 2014 - 5:43pm

A record $8800 is on offer this year for the 21st Sisters in Crime Australia’s short story competition, the Scarlet Stiletto Awards – up $1800 from last year. The awards are most lucrative in Australia crime writing. Stories must have a crime or mystery theme, a female protagonist and a female author.

The Harper Collins 1st Prize is $1500 with the winner also receiving the coveted trophy, a scarlet stiletto withits steel heel plunging into a perspex mount.

Pantera Press is new sponsor for second prize, now worth $1000 (up $500) while the Sun Bookshop 3rd Prize is now $500 (up $150).

New awards include a $500 award for the Best Story by an Indigenous Writer donated by Josephine Pennicott, a two-time Scarlet Stiletto Award winner; a $250 award for the Best Story with a Disabled Protagonist, named in honour of the late Liz Navratil, a member of Sisters in Crime’s Brisbane chapter; and a $500 award for Best Story with a Political Edge Award from Arena Magazine. Arena will publish the winning story in the category and runner-up.

Melbourne’s Athenaeum Library is again offering a prize of $1000 and a runner-up prize of $500 for the best short story that includes the words ‘body in the library’.

Other awards include:

·         Kerry Greenwood’sMalice Domestic Award: $750

·         the Ann Byrne Award for Best Financial Crime: $500 (up $150)

·         The Catherine Leppert Award for Best Environmental Theme:$500 ( up $150)

·         Clan Destine Press Cross-genre Award: $400 (up $50)

·         Benn’s Books Best Investigative Story Award: $200

·         ScriptWorks Great Film Idea Award: $200

 

National Co-convenor Carmel Shute said that Sisters in Crime was delighted with the increased prize money but, most especially, with the success of the awards in digging up so much literary criminal talent over the past two decades.

“To date, 2,538 stories have been entered with 17 Scarlet Stiletto Award winners –including category winners – going on to have novels published: Cate Kennedy, Tara Moss, Angela Savage, Josephine Pennicott, Ellie Marney, Sarah Evans, Inga Simpson, Alex Palmer, Liz Filleul, Margaret Bevege, Patricia Bernard, Bronwen Blake, Jo McGahey, Cheryl Jorgensen, Kylie Fox, Simmone Howell and Amanda Wrangles. Come September, with the publication of Sandi Wallace’s Tell Me Why, the tally will be 18,” Shute said.

“At the recent Death in July Festival of Women’s Crime Writing in Ballarat (4-5 July) it was simply inspiring to hear authors such as Angela Savage and Ellie Marney, authors of three and two crime novels respectively, pay tribute to the Scarlet Stiletto Awards for kick-starting their literary careers.

“The great variety of awards on offer should appeal to all sorts of different literary sensibilities, from the cosy to hard-boiled and speculative.”

Last year, the Awards attracted 175 entries.

Five authors have won the Scarlet Stiletto Award twice and subsequently been invited to become judges: Cate Kennedy, Christina Lee, Roxxy Bent, Janis Spehr and Josephine Pennicott. Only Cate Kennedy, however, has a matching pair of stilettos.

Three collections of winning stories have been published by Clan Destine Press: Scarlet Stiletto: The First Cut, Scarlet Stiletto: The Second Cut and Scarlet Stiletto Short Stories: 2013 (ebook).

Closing date for the awards is 31 August 2014. Entry fee is $10; maximum length is 5000 words. Entry forms are available here.

The 21st Scarlet Stiletto Awards will be presented at the Thornbury Theatre Velvet Room in Melbourne, 6.30pm Friday 21 November.

Info:  Email Carmel Shute, National Co-Convenor, Sisters in Crime Australia: 0412 569 356