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Sisters in Crime Australia’s 25th Scarlet Stiletto Awards close 31 August 2018

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Sisters in Crime Australia’s 25th Scarlet Stiletto Awards offer almost $10,000 is on offer in prize money.

For the first time, Swinburne University of Technology is sponsoring the first prize.

There are two brand-new awards on offer this year: Writers Victoria Crime and Punishment Award ($660) for the story with the most satisfying retribution (the winner gets a three-month spell in prison in the guise of a studio residency at Old Melbourne Gaol) and the International Association of Forensic Linguistics (IALF) Award for Best Forensic Linguistics Story ($1000).

The best Best Forensic Linguistics Story Award is designed to foster understanding of forensic linguistics which uses a scientific approach to language analysis in legal and criminal investigations.

Errata: The box to tick for the The Athenaeum Library ‘Body in the Library’ Award was inadvertently left off the on-line version of the entry form (though not the printed copy). Correct versions are now on the website.

The full list of awards is:

  • The Swinburne University Award: 1st Prize: $1500
  • The Simon & Schuster Award: 2nd prize: $1000
  • The Sun Bookshop Award: 3rd Prize: $500
  • The Fleurier Consult Award for Best Young Writer (18 and under): $500
  • The Athenaeum Library ‘Body in the Library’ Award: $1000 ($500 runner-up)
  • International Association of Forensic Linguists Award: $1000 for Best Forensic Linguistics Story
  • The Every Cloud Award for Best Mystery with History Story: $750
  • Kerry Greenwood Award for Best Malice Domestic Story: $750
  • Writers Victoria Crime and Punishment Award: $660 (studio residency, Old Melbourne Gaol) for the Story with the Most Satisfying Retribution
  • HarperCollins Publishers Award for Best Romantic Suspense Story: $500
  • Clan Destine Press Award for Best Cross-genre Story: $500
  • Liz Navratil Award for Best Story with a Disabled Protagonist Award: $400
  • ScriptWorks Award for a Great Film Idea: $200

Nine collections of winning stories are available: http://clandestinepress.com.au/

Closing date for the awards is 31 August 2018. Entry fee is $20 (Sisters in Crime members) or $25 (others). Maximum length is 5000 words. The awards will be presented at a ceremony in Melbourne in late November.

To download an entry form, pay the entry fee and read the FAQs, go to https://sistersincrime.org.au/the-scarlet-stiletto-awards/