The Al Blanchard Award is given at New England Crime Bake, which is held every November in the Boston area. The award is given for a crime story by a New England author or, if you are not from New England, for a crime story with a New England setting. It must be previously unpublished and may not be more than 5,000 words in length. The story may include the following genres: mystery, thriller, suspense, caper, and horror. (No torture/killing of children or animals.)
The prize is $100 in cash, publication in THIN ICE, Level Best Books’ eighth Crime Fiction anthology, plus admission to the Crime Bake Conference. It costs nothing to enter. The deadline for submissions is April 30, 2010. Details can be found at http://crimebake.org/Al.htm