| Bloody Scotland | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Scottish international crime writing festival |
| Begins | 2012 |
| Frequency | Annually |
| Venue | Stirling |
| Country | Scotland |
| Most recent | 13-15 September 2024 |
| Next event | 12-14 September 2025 |
| Website | bloodyscotland |
Bloody Scotland is a Scottish internationalcrime writing festival, held annually inStirling, Scotland. It was founded in 2012 byTartan Noir writersLin Anderson andAlex Gray and describes itself as "the literary festival where you can let down your hair and enjoy a drink at the bar with your favourite crime writer".[1] Its sponsors include theUniversity of Stirling andStirling Council.[2][3][4] In 2022 most events were held at theAlbert Halls or theTolbooth.[5]
The festival awardsThe McIlvanney Prize for "the best Scottish Crime book of the year" (so named in 2016 for writerWilliam McIlvanney (1936-2015), who has been called "the Godfather ofTartan Noir"),[6] and, since 2019, theBloody Scotland Scottish Crime Debut of the Year.[7]
Since 2012, the festival has also run an annualPitch Perfect event, giving emerging crime writers the opportunity to pitch work in progress novels to a panel of publishing industry experts.[8] Several winners have gone on to publication and acclaim, such as 2021 Pitch Perfect winnerKate Foster whose novelThe Maiden went on to win Scottish Crime Debut of the Year in 2023 and longlisted for the 2024Women's Prize for Fiction.[9][10]