Glencairn Glass, the world’s official whisky glass, has announced the return of its popular annual Crime Short Story Competition.

Launched in partnership with the Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival, the competition invites both established and aspiring writers from around the world to submit an original crime short story of fewer than 2,000 words. This year, entries must feature a main protagonist who is from Scotland.

The overall winner will receive £1,000, have their story published on the Bloody Scotland website, and be offered a guest appearance at the Bloody Scotland Festival in September 2026. The runner-up will receive £500, with both winning stories also published on the Glencairn Glass website.

Glencairn Glass is no stranger to the world of Scottish crime fiction. Produced by the award-winning Scottish family glassware business Glencairn Crystal, the company has supported and celebrated the Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Festival since 2020 through its sponsorship of both the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year and the Bloody Scotland Debut Crime Novel of the Year awards.

Recognised as the world’s official whisky glass, Glencairn Glass celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. The company now sells more than five million glasses annually across international markets, with over 50 million sold worldwide to date.

Bloody Scotland which is Scotland’s international crime writing festival, showcasing the very best crime writing from Scotland and beyond, was founded in 2012 by Scottish crime writers Lin Anderson, Alex Gray, Craig Robertson and Gordon Brown.

Commenting on the news, Bob McDevitt, Festival Director, said: “We are excited to read a new crop of stories and hope the competition provides a stepping stone in developing the careers of some talented new voices.”

All short story entries must be submitted via whiskyglass.com. The competition closes at midnight on Tuesday March 31st 2026, with the winner and runner-up to be announced in the summer.