For the first time in its history, the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize has announced an all-women shortlist, organisers have confirmed. Five authors are competing for the 2026 award, with the winner to be revealed during the Bloody Scotland crime writing festival in Stirling this September.
The Shortlisted Authors
The shortlist includes Frances Crawford for A Bad, Bad Place. Crawford graduated from the University of Glasgow's creative writing course at the age of 60, having been mentored by bestselling crime writer Louise Welsh. Also in the running are Linda Duncan McLaughlin for Original Sins, a playwright and screenwriter for BBC Scotland's River City, and Kirsty Lockwood, a Scottish journalist, for We Know What You Did.
Zoe Rankin, who grew up in Scotland but now resides in New Zealand, is nominated for The Vanishing Place, while May Rinaldi, based in Dumfries and Galloway, is shortlisted for Liar Thief.
Industry Reactions
Crime writer Denise Mina, serving as guest programmer for the festival, praised the shortlisted authors. She remarked: "As a former judge for the Women's Prize for Fiction, I am thrilled to see the 2026 Bloody Scotland Debut shortlist composed entirely of women. Decades ago, shortlists rarely included women, let alone exclusively. A debut is always a cry into an indifferent void; sometimes the void listens and thinks you are brilliant. Congratulations!"
The judging panel is chaired by Bloody Scotland co-founder Alex Gray, alongside broadcaster Bryan Burnett and crime writer Vaseem Khan. Gray stated: "Lin Anderson and I established Bloody Scotland with the aim of nurturing tomorrow's crime writers while highlighting the best of Scotland and beyond. As chair of the judging panel for the Debut Prize, I am delighted to read the shortlist and help select the winner each year."
Prize Details
The winner will be announced on the festival's opening night at the Church of the Holy Rude on September 18. The prize is sponsored by The Glencairn Glass. Kirsty Nicholson, marketing director at Glencairn, expressed enthusiasm: "We are always eager to see the shortlist, and this year it is particularly encouraging to witness so many talented women represented. We are also delighted to see Frances Crawford included after her success in winning our 2023 Glencairn Glass Crime Short Story Competition; it is wonderful to see her career flourishing. We congratulate all the shortlisted authors and wish them the best of luck."
