MELBOURNE, VIC. — The 33rd Scarlet Stiletto Awards for best crime short stories by Australian women will be presented by Vikki Petraitis and hosted by Kerryn Mayne. The event will take place on Saturday, November 21, 2026, at the Stamford Plaza, Melbourne.
The awards are run by Sisters in Crime Australia, a national organisation dedicated to promoting women’s crime writing. The competition has generated more than 5000 entries since it began in 1994.
Chair of the judging panel, Emeritus Professor Christina Lee, said the judges were delighted with the quality of stories submitted this year.
“We were particularly happy to see many stories that showed female characters with strong agency, solving crimes or escaping dangerous situations,” she said.
Vikki Petraitis, author of The Unbelieved, which has recently been adapted into the ABC TV series Dustfall, said she was thrilled to present the Awards.
“For years, these awards have championed emerging women writers, with many successful authors tracing the beginnings of their careers back to a Scarlet Stiletto.
“It is a privilege to celebrate the next generation of storytellers and the voices that may one day shape Australia’s crime writing landscape,” said Ms Petraitis.
Kerryn Mayne, author of Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder and Joy Mundy Is Out of Time, will host the awards.
