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The 2020 Sisters in Crime 27th annual Scarlet Stiletto Awards Announced!

Scarlet Stiletto 2020—The Twelfth Cut

Scarlet Stiletto—The Twelfth Cut is here!

A World War II crime story has won the Swinburne University of Technology $1500 First Prize in 2020's Scarlet Stiletto Awards.

A story set during the COVID pandemic has won the Clan Destine Press Cross-Genre Prize, and two Clan Destine Press authors featured on the shortlist.

The awards were presented online by Australian actor Nadine Garner and host Jane Clifton.

Twenty-five-year-old Bermagui writer, Jessica Southern-Reid, won both First Prize and the coveted trophy for her story ‘Death in The Skies’. Her story women pilots during WWII also took out the History with Mystery Award sponsored by Every Cloud Productions.

The $500 Clan Destine Press Cross-Genre Award was awarded to Jane E Lee (Kensington. NSW) for her story “Viral,” set during the pandemic.

CDP author Fin J Ross won the $750 runner-up Body in the Library Award sponsored by the Melbourne Athenaeum Library for her story, ‘Murder by the Book’ – in which a murder at a writers’ retreat is perpetrated with a volume of the Complete Sherlock Holmes. Fin has several Scarlet Stiletto category awards under her belt; and her historical novel-with-a-mystery, Billings Better Bookstore and Brasserie, was released in June.

CDP’s Natalie Conyer – winner of this year’s Ned Kelly Award for debut crime for her novel Present Tense – scored a Highly Commended certificate for her short story, ‘The Black Curse’.

To celebrate the announcement of the Scarlet Stiletto Awards
Clan Destine Press has released – as we do every year – the eBook
of the category-winning short stories.

Scarlet Stiletto: The Twelfth Cut features the 12 winning stories
from the 27th annual awards.

This year a record 241 short stories competed for a record $10,460 in prize money and benefits. The stories were whittled to a long list of 62 stories and a final short list of 27.

Fifteen writers won Highly Commended certificates; and 12 writers shared the 15 prizes on offer.

All prizes:

Swinburne University of Technology First Prize: Jessica Southern-Reid – ‘Death in The Skies’

Simon & Schuster Second Prize: Cheryl Rogers – ‘Monitor’

The Sun Bookshop & Wild Dingo Press Third Prize: Veronica Lando – ‘A View for Tea and Biscuits’

The Melbourne Athenaeum Library Body-in-the-Library Library Award: Kristin Murdock – ‘The Irony of Silence’

The Melbourne Athenaeum Library Body-in-the-Library Award runner-up: Fin J Ross – ‘Murder by the Book’

Every Cloud Productions History with Mystery Award: Jessica Southern-Reid – ‘Death in The Skies’

Writers Victoria Crime and Punishment Award: Cheryl Rogers – ‘Monitor’

Monash University New Writer Award: (for writers 19-25): Ellen Vickerman – ‘Leash’

Affirm Press Young Writer’s Award: (for writers U19): Natasha Nette – ‘Signs of Life’

The International Association of Forensic Linguists Forensic Linguistic Award: Dr L. J. M. Owen – ‘The Wrong Verdict’

Queensland Chapter of Sisters in Crime’s Liz Navratil Award Best story with a Disabled Protagonist: Dr L. J. M. Owen – ‘The Wrong Verdict’

The Kerry Greenwood Malice Domestic Award: Nicola Wardley – ‘The Garden Fork Murder’

Clan Destine Press Cross-Genre Award; Jane E Lee – ‘Viral’

The HQ Fiction Best Thriller Award: Hayley Barry-Smith – ‘Mrs. Betty Jones: Lady Vigilante’

ScriptWorks Great Film Idea: Dr L. J. M. Owen – ‘House of War’

Highly commended framed certificates went to:

Natalie Conyer – ‘The Black Curse’
Judith Bridge – ‘Hair of the Dog’
Sherryl Clark – ‘Delicious Leavings’
Caroline de Costa – ‘Combustible’
Caroline de Costa – ‘Love in the Time of Coronavirus’
Liz Filleul – ‘CATastrophe’
Christine Gregory – ‘Red Blouse in a Vintage Shop’
Rebecca Howden – ‘Nights Like Velvet’
Sara Hutchinson – ‘Sugar and Spice’
Clare Knock – ‘Whiskey Dog’
Wendy Lewis – ‘Forgive Ted’
Anna Lord – ‘The Drover's Widow’
Ann Penhallurick – ‘The Woman in the Red Dress’
Janice Shaw – ‘Eye for an Eye’
Samantha Wilson – ‘Cat Scratch Fever’

For more information about Sisters in Crime Australia and the annual Scarlet Stiletto Award visit: www.sistersincrime.org.au.



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