Bloody Scotland has long supported new writers with The Bloody Scotland Debut Prize, sponsored by The Glencairn Glass and innovative initiatives such as Crime in the Spotlight (the equivalent of a support act for the headline authors) sponsored by Open University in Scotland and Pitch Perfect (a quest to find unpublished crime writers). This year Pitch Perfect will be sponsored by Whodunnit, a new bookazine which will be launched by D C Thomson to coincide with the festival.

Susan Watson, Editor of Whodunnit said: “As we launch Whodunnit?, we’re thrilled to partner with Bloody Scotland on Pitch Perfect. Supporting new crime-writing talent feels like a perfect fit for a publication dedicated to celebrating the genre, and we look forward to seeing the creativity, originality and ambition on display from this year’s entrants.”

The full list of authors selected for Pitch Perfect 2026 which will take place in Stirling Central Library at 12 noon on Sunday 20 September are today revealed to be:

• Rebecca Benson from Edinburgh with A Cold Case in Time
• Susan Kemp from East Lothian with Tied
• Angela Dixon from Cambuslang with The Weight of Blood
• Caroline Grebbell from Edinburgh with Songs of Trojan Mothers
• Ellen Jackson from Dumbarton with In Too Deep
• Christopher Kestell from Dublin with His Mortal Agony
• Zuzi Pope from 4 Swanston Muir with Murder at the Grand Hotel Bohemia
• Laura Beckley from Stockton-on-Tees with Lavender Slayer

The winner will be selected by literary agent, Diana Beaumont; crime reviewer and author, Lisa Howells and publisher, Stephen Cameron. They will receive a cash prize of £500 and coverage in the November issue of My Weekly.

Crime in the Spotlight is for published authors at the beginning of their career who get to share the stage with some of the biggest names in crime fiction. Authors selected to be the support acts for the 2026 headliners are:

FRIDAY 18 SEPTEMBER
Pat McTaggart from Clackmannanshire will be appearing with Lin Anderson, Alex Gray and Andrew Raymond
Kevan Christie from Edinburgh will be appearing with Chris Brookmyre and Abir Mukherjee
Colette Lewis from Teddington will be appearing with Lucy Foley
Ryan MacDonald from Dundee will be appearing with Robert Peston
N J Hatton from Worcestershire will be appearing with Lee Child
Victoria West from Sussex will be appearing with Richard Osman

SATURDAY 19 SEPTEMBER
Emilie Castera & Eve Goodfellow originally from France and the US now living in Gloucestershire will be appearing ahead of Janice Hallett, Steve Higgs and Olly Smith
Wes Browne from Kentucky will be appearing with SA Cosby Angela Clegg from Cheshire will be appearing with Liz Nugent, Harriet Tyce and Andrea Mara
Jen L Crow from Edinburgh will be appearing with Jane Harper and Jane Casey
Kelly Mancaruso originally from upstate New York and now in Nottingham will be appearing with Steve Cavanagh & Nadine Matheson
Elspeth Latimer from East Anglia will be appearing with Tana French
Alys Cummings from North East England will be appearing with Jeremy Vine and Matthew Sweet

SUNDAY 20 SEPTEMBER
Chris Lerpiniere from North Berwick will be appearing with Cai Jun & Yrsa Sigurdardottir
Ruth Knafo Setton from Morrocco will be appearing with Gregg Hurwitz and Robert Bryndza
Kathryn Sharman from North Yorkshire will be appearing with Ardal O’Hanlon
Alison Aitchison from Glasgow will be appearing with the cast of Department Q
Sam Dounis from Edinburgh will be appearing with Professor David Wilson
Robert Parker from Edinburgh will be appearing with Val McDermid and Denise Mina

The Bloody Scotland Debut Prize which began in 2019 has launched the careers of numerous Scottish crime writers including Natalie Jayne Clark, Tariq Ashkanani, Allan Gaw, Claire Askew, Kate Foster, Callum McSorley and David Goodman.

For the first time ever, the shortlist for The Bloody Scotland Debut Prize is entirely made up of women, one of whom was a previous finalist in Pitch Perfect, proof that there is a definite pathway at Bloody Scotland from pitch to publication and beyond.

The Debut Prize panel takes place at the new venue of Made in Stirling and the prize winner will be announced at the Opening Reception at The Church of the Holy Rude at 5pm on the opening night. Pitch Perfect takes place at Stirling Central Library on the last day of the festival. Tickets for the Albert Halls events featuring the Crime in the Spotlight authors, as well as online passes, can be purchased at Bloody Scotland.