Many months ago, I entered the EPIC eBook Awards, and promptly forgot all about it. Then, whilst wallowing slightly in the post-Christmas, going-back-to-work blues, I received an email, saying You Think You Know Me has made the finals! It’s a lovely boost, and the second time the novel’s been placed in an award. If you fancy getting hold of a copy, it’s currently 99p as part of Kobo’s January sale. (Just thought I’d mention it… I’m over-excited since as I type it’s number 1 in their romantic suspense chart!)
So, with my mind on competitions and awards, here’s a round-up of a few that are running currently in the mystery/crime field – some for published and some for unpublished authors:
The CWA Margery Allingham Short Story Competition – open to all. (Closing date 1st March 2016)
The CWA debut dagger – for unpublished authors. You can sign up here to join the Debut Daggers mailing list and receive regular email updates and crime writing tips. (Closing date 28th February 2016)
Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense – with multiple romantic suspense categories, as well as one for mainstream mysteries, and divisions for published and unpublished writers. (Though if the rules stay the same, published authors have had to submit paperbacks in order to enter – something that scuppered me last year, as I only had a Kindle file to offer at that point!) (Entries are received 15th January – 15th March each year)
CrimeFest’s FlashBang – a flash fiction competition open to all except ‘established crime authors’. (Closing date 4 March 2016)
Finally, it’s not specific to the crime genre, but I also have to mention The Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize, as I used to work at Lucy, and once administered the award! It’s for the opening of a novel by a woman over the age of 21 (matching the college’s intake) that marries literary merit with unputdownability. Literary and genre fiction are equally welcome. You need to be either unpublished, or self-published but entering with a different book. (Closing date 5th February 2016)
Clare Chase 