The Bill Crider Prize for Short Fiction

by Paula Gail Benson

Portions of this post appeared in the November 19, 2019, post for Writers Who Kill. However, this great news deserves to be shared more than once!

I was delighted to be asked by Carol Puckett and Kendel Lynn to be the contest coordinator for the Bill Crider Prize for Short Fiction, debuting this year at the Dallas Bouchercon. The contest honored the memory of revered Texas writer and reviewer Bill Crider. Open to any writer in the world, stories had to be between 3,500 and 5,000 words and deal with the theme “Deep in the Heart.”

Jim Jackson, who was experienced working on anthologies, agreed to be the submissions coordinator, without knowing what that task might entail. Sixty-three stories were blindly submitted. Thirty-seven advanced to the second round and eleven were selected as finalists for the following prizes:

·         First Place:      $1000

·         Second Place:  $750

·         Third Place:     $500

·         Bill Crider Memorial Scholarship:      Registration to Bouchercon 2020

We were so fortunate to have excellent short story writers and editors to agree to judge the preliminary rounds. They were: Carla Coupe, Kaye George, Barb Goffman, Debra H. Goldstein, Tara Laskowski, Robert Mangeot, Karen McCullough, Warren Moore, Terrie Moran, and Beth Terrell. I cannot thank these folks enough for taking on the difficult task of determining which stories would go forward.

Janet Hutchings, editor of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, and Linda Landrigan, editor of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, graciously agreed to serve as judges for the final round.

The eleven finalists were:

“Long Overdue” by Jaap Boekestein

“Trust Me” by Douglas Dorow

“Mi Corazón, Sin Cartero, Sin Timbre de las Puerta (My Heart, Sans Postman, Sans Doorbell)” by Dixon Hill

“Resuscitation” by Ann Kellett

“Cahoots” by C.C. Guthrie

“The Texas Justice Project” by James L’Etoile

“Lambs and Wolves” by Robert Lopresti

“Death and Texas” by Lissa Marie Redmond

“Dead Armadillos Don’t Dance” by Kari Wainwright

“The Last Man in Lafarge” by Joseph S. Walker

“Armadillo by Morning” by Stacy Woodson

And, the top four prizes were awarded to:

·         First Place:      Joseph S. Walker

·         Second Place:  Jaap Boekestein

·         Third Place:     Douglas Dorow

·         Bill Crider Memorial Scholarship:      Dixon Hill

We were delighted to have three of the four prize winners (Joseph S. Walker, Douglas Dorow, and Dixon Hill) at the ceremony hosted by Hank Phillippi Ryan. In addition, a number of the participants and judges attended and we took a “class” photo.

Although publication was not part of the prize for this contest, I firmly believe you’ll be seeing these stories and their authors’ names in print. So, be watching for them.

Following Bouchercon, Joseph S. Walker attended New England Crime Bake, where he was honored with the Al Blanchard award. Way to go, Joe!

Many thanks to all who participated as entrants, judges, and planners of this contest. I hope it might be a tradition that continues to other Bouchercons.

Calling All Short Story Writers: Check Out Bouchercon's New Bill Crider Prize!

by Paula Gail Benson

I’m incredibly proud that Carol Puckett and Kendel Lynn of the Bouchercon Dallas committee asked me to help with the inaugural Bill Crider Prize for Short Fiction that will be awarded by Hank Phillippi Ryan at Bouchercon in Dallas this October. This contest will recognize excellence for short story writing with significant monetary and scholarship prizes. And, the final round will be judged by Janet Hutchings (editor of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine) and Linda Landrigan (editor of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine)!

Please see the information below and consider entering. It’s a great way to remember a respected member of the mystery community while giving a marvelous opportunity to talented short story writers.

Bill Crider Prize for Short Fiction

Debuting at the 50th Anniversary of Bouchercon, Carol Puckett and the 2019 Bouchercon Dallas committee launched the Bill Crider Prize for Short Fiction to celebrate this treasured literary form, both the short story and the widely-admired mystery author and reviewer, Bill Crider. Designed to encourage writers from all over the world, these distinguished prizes award stories with fascinating characters and twisty plots, all in the mystery genre.

Prizes

• First Prize: $1000
• Second Prize: $750
• Third Prize: $500
• Bill Crider Memorial Scholarship: Registration to Bouchercon 2020

Judging

• Longlist Finalists
• An anonymous judging panel of published authors will select an initial round of finalists (no public announcements will be made).
• Shortlist Finalists
• A second anonymous judging panel of published authors will select the shortlist finalists (no public announcements will be made).
• Winners
• Janet Hutchings, editor of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, and Linda Landrigan, editor of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, will choose the winners from the shortlisted writers.
• Please note that no automatic publication in either EQMM or AHMM is attached to winning or being a finalist in this contest. All contestants (whether they make judges cuts or not) are welcome to submit to either magazine—but not both at the same time.
• Once the final four writers have been chosen, all shortlisted authors will be notified on or near October 1.
• Bouchercon Dallas Guest of Honor, Hank Phillippi Ryan, will recognize the shortlisted authors and award the top prizes during Bouchercon 2019 in Dallas, Texas.

All decisions are final and may not be contested.

Submissions

• Deadline: Mar 1, 2019
• Open to all writers regardless of Bouchercon registration or residency
• Stories must be an original work, not previously published, submitted anonymously (as provided in these rules), and without identifiable series characters
• Theme: Deep in the Heart (relating to Texas, whether locale, characters, history, etc.) with an element of mystery or crime
• One submission per person
• Manuscript Guidelines:
• Word count: 3,500 - 5000 words
• Format: Standard font Times New Roman at 12 pt size; no fancy fonts
• Denote scene breaks with asterisks: ***
• Double-space with one-inch margins on all sides
• Email as an attached Word doc to: subs.deepintheheart@gmail.com
• Subject line: CRIDER CONTEST SUBMISSION
• Contact info (body of email only, not in Word doc):
• Name: Actual
• Pen Name: If applicable
• Mailing address
• Phone number
• Email address
• Story Name
• Word Count
• No identifying information anywhere in the story or document
• Entrants retain full copyright of her/his work with the stipulation it cannot be published until Bouchercon Dallas ends on Nov 3, 2019.
• No automatic publication in either EQMM or AHMM is attached to winning or being a finalist in this contest. All contestants (whether they make judges cuts or not) are welcome to submit to either magazine—but not both at the same time.
• There is no entry fee, nor will any monies be paid for stories other than the four prizes stated.

Questions

• Direct all questions to: subs.deepintheheart@gmail.com
• Question subject line: QUESTION on Crider Contest

Staff

• Bouchercon Dallas LOC Chair: Carol Puckett
• Contest Coordinator: Paula Gail Benson
• Submissions Coordinator: James M. Jackson
• Prize Ceremony Host: Hank Phillippi Ryan