Bloody Scotland

{{Short description|Scottish international crime writing festival}}

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| genre = Scottish international crime writing festival

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| begins = 2012

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| frequency = Annually

| venue = Stirling

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| country = Scotland

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| last = 13-15 September 2024

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| next = 12-14 September 2025

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| website = {{URL|https://bloodyscotland.com/}}

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Bloody Scotland is a Scottish international crime writing festival, held annually in Stirling, Scotland. It was founded in 2012 by Tartan Noir writers Lin Anderson and Alex 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".{{cite web |title=About Bloody Scotland |url=https://bloodyscotland.com/about-us/about-bloody-scotland/ |publisher=Bloody Scotland |access-date=29 September 2022}} Its sponsors include the University of Stirling and Stirling Council.{{cite web |title=Stirling shines as it stages the biggest ever Bloody Scotland festival |url=https://www.stirling.gov.uk/news/stirling-shines-as-it-stages-the-biggest-ever-bloody-scotland-festival/ |website=Stirling Council |access-date=28 September 2022 |language=en |date=27 September 2022}}{{cite news |title=Bloody Scotland festival to go ahead as hybrid event |url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/news/bloody-scotland-festival-go-ahead-hybrid-1275789 |access-date=28 September 2022 |work=The Bookseller |date=11 August 2021 |language=En}}{{cite web |title=Bloody Scotland |url=https://www.publishingscotland.org/event/bloody-scotland/ |website=Publishing Scotland |access-date=28 September 2022}} In 2022 most events were held at the Albert Halls or the Tolbooth.{{cite web |title=2022 Brochure |url=https://bloodyscotland.com/2022-brochure/ |publisher=Bloody Scotland |access-date=29 September 2022}}

The festival awards The McIlvanney Prize for "the best Scottish Crime book of the year" (so named in 2016 for writer William McIlvanney (1936-2015), who has been called "the Godfather of Tartan Noir"),{{cite web |title=The McIlvanney Prize |url=https://bloodyscotland.com/take-part/the-mcilvanney-prize/ |publisher=Bloody Scotland |access-date=28 September 2022}} and, since 2019, the Bloody Scotland Scottish Crime Debut of the Year.{{cite web |title=Bloody Scotland Scottish Crime Debut of the Year |url=https://bloodyscotland.com/bloody-scotland-scottish-debut-of-the-year/ |publisher=Bloody Scotland |access-date=28 September 2022}}

Since 2012, the festival has also run an annual Pitch Perfect event, giving emerging crime writers the opportunity to pitch work in progress novels to a panel of publishing industry experts.{{cite web |title=Pitch Perfect Seeks Aspiring Crime Writers |date=22 July 2022 |url=https://bloodyscotland.com/bloody-scotland-pitch-perfect-session-seeks-aspiring-crime-writers/ |publisher=Bloody Scotland |access-date=26 June 2024}} Several winners have gone on to publication and acclaim, such as 2021 Pitch Perfect winner Kate Foster whose novel The Maiden went on to win Scottish Crime Debut of the Year in 2023 and longlisted for the 2024 Women's Prize for Fiction.{{Cite web | url=https://womensprize.com/announcing-the-2024-womens-prize-for-fiction-longlist/ |title = Announcing the 2024 Women's Prize for Fiction longlist |website=Women's Prize for Fiction| date=26 June 2024 }}{{Cite web | url=https://womensprize.com/book-author/kate-foster/ |title = Kate Foster|website=Women's Prize for Fiction| date=26 June 2024 }}