Deadline: March 1, 2025
Applications are open for the Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award 2025. This grant is intended to support the recipient in crime fiction writing and career development activities. The grantee may choose to use the grant for activities that include workshops, seminars, conferences, retreats, online courses, and research activities required for completion of the work.
The Eleanor Taylor Bland grant is administered by Sisters in Crime, a 4000+ member international organization of mystery authors, readers, publishers, agents, booksellers and librarians. Sisters in Crime was founded by Sara Paretsky and a group of women at the 1986 Bouchercon in Baltimore. In 2014 the group declared its mission to members to “promote the ongoing advancement, recognition and professional development of women crime writers.”
Award
- A grant of $2,000 is awarded to the selected winner.
Eligibility
- If you have published two novels OR ten or more short stories, you are ineligible.
- You do not have to be a member of Sisters in Crime to apply for this grant.
- AI-generated works are not eligible.
Application
Here are the three components of your submission:
- An unpublished work of crime fiction, aimed at readers, from children’s chapter books through adults. This may be a short story or first chapter(s) of a manuscript in-progress of 2,500 to 5,000 words.
- A resume or biographical statement.
- A cover letter that gives a sense of the applicant as an emerging writer in the genre and briefly states how the award money would be used. (How the money might be used is not a deciding factor in the judges’ decision.)
For more information, visit Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award.
