Full Results for the 2015 New England Thunderbolt Prize for Crime Writing

The New England Writers’ Centre is delighted to announce the results of the 2015 New England Thunderbolt Prize for Crime Writing.

The New England Thunderbolt Prize for Crime Writing is a national award for unpublished short-form crime writing.

In its third year in 2015, the Prize attracted a strong field of entries from all over Australia, by writers both published and unpublished. Fiction was once again particularly well-represented, with the winners of not only Fiction but the Emerging Author and the New England Award coming from that category this year, and the Youth Award also going to a young fiction writer who not only won that category but also received a highly commended for another story.

Sisters in Crime member, Sophie Masson, has helped organise the awards and is  interviewing the winners on her blog: http://firebirdfeathers.com/

Poetry: Sponsored by the New England Writers’ Centre and the Armidale Dumaresq Library

Winner: P.S. Cottier (ACT), for Criminals who are no longer criminals

Highly Commended: Jaz Stutley (Vic) for The Waterhole Note: Sisters in Crime member

Highly Commended: Roger Vickery(NSW) for Lower Court 1D, Downing Centre

Fiction: Sponsored by the School of Arts, University of New England

Winner: Susan Bennett, (VIC)for Bittersweet

Highly Commended: Sarah Evans,(WA) for Sharpshooter Note: Sisters in Crime member

Highly Commended: Tony Sevil, (NSW)for The Disappearance of Buck

Highly Commended: Lynne Cook,(NSW) for Change of Plan

Commended: Sarah Evans, (WA) for Composting Gladys Note: Sisters in Crime member

Commended: Maris Morton,(NSW) for The Passionate Gardener Note: Sisters in Crime member

Non-Fiction: Sponsored by The Armidale Express

Winner: Joshua Nash (NSW) for A Nameless Island

No commendeds or highly commendeds awarded in this category.

New England Award: Sponsored by Reader’s Companion Bookshop, Armidale

Winner: Tony Sevil for The Disappearance of Buck (fiction)

Emerging Author Award: sponsored by Friends of Tamworth Libraries

Winner: Lynne Cook (NSW) for Change of Plan (fiction)

Youth Award: Sponsored by Granny Fi’s Toy Cupboard, Armidale

Winner: Madeleine Gome (VIC) for Scrap Metal (fiction) Note: daughter of Sisters in Crime member, Emma Viskic

Highly commended: Megan Galbraith (NSW) for The Butcher (poetry)

Highly commended: Madeleine Gome (VIC) for Lucky I’ve Got Lilian (fiction) Note: daughter of Sisters in Crime member, Emma Viskic

Highly commended: Bradley Lucas (NSW) for Robbed (fiction)