All-women shortlist announced for debut crime writer prize

A prize for debut crime writers has an all-women shortlist for the first time, organisers have announced.

Five authors are in the running for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize 2026, with the winner set to be announced during the Bloody Scotland festival in Stirling in September.

The shortlist includes A Bad, Bad Place by Frances Crawford, who graduated from the University of Glasgow creative writing course aged 60, having been tutored by bestselling crime writer Louise Welsh.

Also shortlisted are Original Sins by Linda Duncan McLaughlin, a playwright and screenwriter for BBC Scotland’s River City, and We Know What You Did by Scottish journalist Kirsty Lockwood.

The Vanishing Place by Zoe Rankin, who grew up in Scotland but now lives in New Zealand, is also in the running, as is Liar Thief by May Rinaldi, who lives in Dumfries and Galloway.

Crime writer Denise Mina, who is guest programmer for the festival, congratulated the shortlisted authors.

She said: “As a previous judge of the Women’s Prize for Fiction, I am absolutely delighted to see that the 2026 Bloody Scotland Debut shortlist is entirely made up of women.

“For decades, shortlists only had occasional women or none at all.

“A debut is always a howl into an indifferent abyss. Sometimes the abyss is listening and it thinks you’re brilliant. Congratulations!”

The judges for the prize are broadcaster Bryan Burnett and crime writer Vaseem Khan, and the judging panel is chaired by Bloody Scotland co-founder, Alex Gray.

She said: “Lin Anderson and I decided from the start of Bloody Scotland that we wanted to bring on the crime writers of tomorrow as well as showcasing the best of Scotland and elsewhere.

“Now, as the chair of the judging panel for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize, I’m thrilled to read the shortlist and help select the winner each year.”

The winner of the prize will be announced on the opening night of the festival at the Church of the Holy Rude on September 18.

The prize is sponsored by The Glencairn Glass.

Kirsty Nicholson, marketing director at Glencairn, said: “We’re always excited to see the shortlist for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize and this year it’s particularly encouraging to see so many talented women represented.

“We’re also delighted to see Frances Crawford included following her success in winning our 2023 Glencairn Glass Crime Short Story Competition – it’s wonderful to see her career continuing to flourish.

“We congratulate all of the shortlisted authors and wish them the very best of luck.”