The 32nd Scarlet Stilett Awards are open!

Crime writers, your time has come! The 32^nd Scarlet Stiletto Awards are back. The Scarlet Stiletto Awards are Sister’s in Crime’s annual short story competition, composed of twelve awards, where winners have the chance to win a share of $13,050. If you’re feeling stabby, then these might just be right for you. So, report what you have done and send Sisters in Crime your fabulous stories exploring the world of crime, and let’s see if you can crack the case. This is the award to showcase criminally good short stories by Australian women.

No red herrings here! The categories for the awards are:

· Best Young Writer (Under 19)

· Body in the Library

· Best Thriller

· Best Malice Domestic

· Best Mystery with a History

· Art and Crime

· Best Cross-genre

· Best Inspired by a Forensic Clue

· Great Film Idea

· Most Satisfying Retribution

The Scarlet Stiletto Awards investigate and uncover the best female literary talent in Australia, and the judges want to find the best women’s short crime and mystery stories. Over the past thirty years, there have been 4777 stories entered and 34 Scarlet Stiletto Award winners, such as:

· Cate Kennedy

· Tara Moss

· Aoife Clifford

· Ellie Marney

· Anna Snoekstra

· Annie Hauxwell

· Angela Savage

· Josephine Pennicott

· Sarah Evans

· Inga Simpson

· Alex Palmer

· Liz Filleul

· Margaret Bevege

· Patricia Bernard

· Bronwen Blake

· Lois Murphy

· Cheryl Jorgensen

· Kylie Fox

· Simone Howell

· Jo McGahey

· Emilie Collyer

· Sandi Wallace

· Amanda Wrangles

· Janis Spehr

· TJ Hamilton

· Dawn Farnham

· Natalie Conyer

· Fin J Ross

· Suzanne Frankham

· Julianne Negri

· Hayley Camille

· Veronica Lando

· Louise Basset

· A D Penhall

To find more information about entry and FAQs – all essential reading, follow this link to find out what to do. Following the FAQ link will give you a PDF with relevant information and a picture of this year’s forensic clue, as well as all the entry requirements. With so many options for your story, you will only be limited by your imagination. The trophy is a red stiletto, and one of the big goals is to collect a pair.

This year’s forensic clue is an image of a pair of red stilettos, a notebook and an Australian passport abandoned in a garden, and this is available on the FAQ information, accessible through the Sisters in Crime Scarlet Stiletto page.

Not only that, all the first-prize winners for the past 31 years, and a few others have been narrated by Susanna Lobez for the Sisters in Crime podcast, Scarlet Stiletto Bites.so far, there are 76 stories available to listen to on various podcast services such as Spotify and Apple.

The awards are also presented by a woman from Australian crime TV shows, and in the past, the presenters have included:

· Nicole Chamoun

· Essie Davis

· Marta Dusseldorf

· Danielle Cormack

· Sigrid Thornton

· Noni Hazelhurst

· Debra Lee-Furness

· Catherine McClements

· Nadine Garner

· Nicole da Silva

· Kate Atkinson

· Geraldine Hakewell

There are also sixteen collections of the winning stories available, as well as a hardcopy of all the first-prize winning stories that can be purchased through Clan Destine Press. The hardcopy celebrates the first 30 years of first-prize winners.

The full list of awards is:

Swinburne University Award: 1^st Prize: $2000

Simon & Schuster Award: 2^nd Prize: $1000

Sun Bookshop & Fremantle Press Award: 3rd Prize: $800

Echo Publishing for Best Young Writer (under 19): $1000

Melbourne Athenaeum Library ‘Body in the Library’ Award: $1250 ($750 runner-up)

HQ Books Award for Best Thriller: $1200

Kerry Greenwood Award for Best Malice Domestic Story: $1000

Every Cloud Phryne Award for Best Mystery with History Story: $1000

Bolton Clarke Art and Crime Award: $1000

Clan Destine Press Award for Best Cross-genre Story: $750

Cate Kennedy Award for Best Story Inspired by a Forensic Clue: $500

ScriptWorks Award for a Great Film Idea: $500

Writers Victoria Award for the Story with the Most Satisfying Retribution: Choice of online course and membership.

The competition closing date is the 31^st of August, and there is an entry fee. $25, or $20 for Sisters in Crime members. Your story must be no more than 5000 words.

Who is the competition open to? All women – cisgender, transgender or intersex who are residents or citizens of Australia.

To download information and a list of FAQs, go to: https://www.sistersincrime.org.au/the-scarlet-stiletto-awards/

To pay the entry fee, go to https://www.eventbrite.com/manage/events/1416060307499/details