The Gumshoe Harrison Writing Prize & Two Other Fiction Competitions

The 2018 Gumshoe Harrison Writing Prize 

is now open for submissions.

Gumshoe Harrison

Gumshoe Harrison was a famous Welsh detective created by suspense writer Blake Bradley, a.k.a. Liam O'Toole. When O'Toole died in 2004 half his estate was put in trust for the purpose of carrying on his name with a $5000 annual writing prize that includes a month-long residency on a small island off the coast of New England, accessible only by boat.

When the boat returns at the end of a month, the winner -- a widow from Marietta, Ohio -- has disappeared. Foul play? Or something else? An advertisement is placed inviting professional detectives to solve the riddle. Three throw their hats into the ring. Has there been a crime? If so, who dunnit? If no, where did she go? And why?

Smiley Wilcox is first to arrive on the island. He's already determined that the suspects are two in number, the person who has created the contest and the boat captain.

Detective Lawrence Donovan decides that he might be able to obtain clues by interviewing the previous winners of this contest. He does, in fact, learn something. None of the former winners can be found.

Minnie Minosa, herself an author of crime fiction, poses as a detective in order to study the workings of a real investigation. She finds it a curiosity that the actual police have not yet been called.

* * * *

YOUR TASK, SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT,

IS TO WRITE A 500 WORD SYNOPSIS OF THE REST OF THE STORY

Submission Guidelines
Original work only.
500 word count, maximum
International submissions allowed, English only.
Multiple submissions are allowed, but each story must be accompanied by a $50 reading fee.
Just kidding. NO READING FEE. (This year.)
Submit by email to ennyman3 AT gmail DOT com. (If you can't figure out the emil address, then you should not be writing detective fiction.)
No simultaneous submissions.
All entries will also be considered for publication of Ennyman's Territory.
Deadline for 2018: May 15, 2018
Winners will be announced by the end of June, if not sooner.
EdNote: If you are able to work Bob Dylan into the story you will create warm feelings in the judges' hearts, though it will probably increase your chances of winning.
In the event of a tie, I will call for assistance from an authority from Down Under.
All judges' decisions final, even if the rules change.

PRIZES
Grand Prize: Publication at Ennyman's Territory.
1st Prize: Shout out on Ennyman's Territory.
2nd Prize: ditto
3rd Prize: ditto
4th-10th place winners will be placed in a lottery. Loser will be sent to an island for a month and disappear. All expenses to be paid by next of kin.

RELATED LINKS
OK, you stuck with me this long. Here are links to a pair of real contests. If you enter and win, I want to hear about it. Thanks!
The $2000 Desert Writing Prize
The Lascaux Prize in Flash Fiction