The Glencairn Glass invites writers to compose Scottish themed crime stories for its second short story competition
Last year the world’s favourite whisky glass – The Glencairn Glass – launched its first ever crime short story competition attracting entries from talented crime writers across the globe. The competition is being launched again this year, in partnership with the Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival and Scottish Field Magazine, with the theme; “A crime story set in Scotland”.
Over the past three years The Glencairn Glass – produced by the Scottish family-run glassware company Glencairn Crystal – has supported and celebrated Scottish crime writing talent working closely with the Bloody Scotland team to sponsor their prestigious McIlvanney and Bloody Scotland Debut crime-writing prizes. Its inaugural short story competition was launched last year to build on this creative collaboration.
This year’s competition opens for entries on 18th October and runs until 31st December. Both experienced and novice crime writers are invited to submit their stories, in no more than 2000 words, around the theme: “A crime story set in Scotland”.
The first prize winner will receive £1000, the runner up will be awarded £500. Both will also receive a set of six bespoke engraved Glencairn Glasses. The winning entry will be published in Scottish Field Magazine in spring 2023 and both stories will be published online at the Scottish Field website, as well as the Glencairn Glass website.
The competition judging panel will comprise Tariq Ashkanani, whose debut novel Welcome to Cooper won this year’s Bloody Scotland Debut Award 2022, and Sharon Bairden, an established book reviewer and author of psychological thrillers; Sins of the Father and You Need Me. The third judge is Glencairn Crystal’s marketing director Gordon Brown, who has written ten crime novels with his latest – ‘Any Day Now – out now. Gordon is also one of the founding directors of the Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival.
Gordon Brown commented: “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.
Brid commented: “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, which has recently gained 3rd prize in the Yeovil Literary Prize. I would highly recommend this competition to anyone wishing to start a career in crime writing.”
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 with the competition closing at midnight on the Saturday 31st December 2022. Details can also be found at www.scottishfield.co.uk. The winners will be announced in March 2023.
Notes
For further details about competition rules and regulations please visit: www.whiskyglass.com/crime-short-story-competition
Glencairn Crystal:
The Glencairn Glass, created in 2000 is the world’s favourite whisky glass. Glencairn Crystal now make 5 million Glencairn Glasses per year, across hundreds of brands, distributed to over 140 countries worldwide.
Short story competition judges:
Tariq Ashkanani is a solicitor based in Edinburgh, whose debut novel Welcome to Cooper won this year’s Bloody Scotland Debut Award 2022. He also helps run Write Gear, a company that sells high-quality notebooks for writers, and co-hosts Write Gear’s podcast Page One.
Sharon Bairden is author of psychological thrillers, Sins of the Father and You Need Me, published by Red Dog Press. She is an established book reviewer and lives on the outskirts of Glasgow. Sharon has worked in the third sector since graduating with BA(Hons) in Psychology. She is Chief Officer of an Independent Advocacy Service and has a passion for human rights and social justice.
Morgan Cry is the alias of Gordon Brown, who has written ten crime novels and thrillers, including his crime thriller series set in Spain’s Costa Blanca as well as the Craig McIntyre series. He is a founding director of the Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Festival and marketing director for the Scottish glassware company, Glencairn Crystal.