The Glencairn Glass has announced Kathy Schilbach as the winner of its annual Crime Short Story Competition, held in partnership with the Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival. Ross Alexander was named runner-up, with both results revealed ahead of the festival’s September edition.
Schilbach, who also writes under the name Kate Finnemore, won for her story Making Friends, described as a dark tale about a mysterious and anxious woman with a secret to keep.
Alexander took the runner-up spot for Life Wasted, a confession from a vigilante who frees a woman from her abusive, alcoholic husband.
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READ THE STORYSchilbach receives the £1,000 first prize and a guest appearance at the Bloody Scotland Festival in September. Alexander receives £500. Both stories will be published on the Bloody Scotland and Glencairn Glass websites.
“I’m absolutely thrilled that my story has been chosen as the winner of the Glencairn Glass Crime Story Competition,” said Schilbach. “Winning this prize in what is nowadays a difficult, crowded market has given me an amazing feeling of achievement.”
She added: “I had a certain real-life murderer in mind when I started to write. She was just a name from history though, a starting point in the process of writing.”
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Alexander said: “To be recognized by a panel of judges made up of crime fiction enthusiasts is very humbling. The Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival is close to my heart, which makes this award so very special.”
The Glencairn Glass is produced by Scottish family glassware company Glencairn Crystal. The firm has supported Bloody Scotland since 2020, sponsoring both the McIlvanney Prize and the Bloody Scotland Debut Crime Novel of the Year awards.
This year’s entries were judged for the first time by a panel of six UK crime book influencers alongside Kirsty Nicholson, marketing director at Glencairn Crystal. The criteria required that the protagonist be from Scotland.
“Each year we are amazed by the quality and originality of the entries we receive, and 2026 was no exception,” Nicholson said.
The competition launched in 2021 and has attracted hundreds of global entries. Past winner Frances Crawford has since signed a two-book deal with Penguin, while 2022/23 runner-up Allan Gaw secured a four-book deal with Polygon.
The winning stories can be read at whiskyglass.com.
