Comedian Susan Calman to judge McIlvanney Prize

Scottish comedian Susan Calman is to judge the 2017 McIlvanney Prize for Scottish crime writing, to be presented at Bloody Scotland festival in September.

Calman called herself "an avid fan of Scottish crime fiction", adding: "This is less a chore and more a dream come true. I can’t wait to get stuck in, reading the wonderful books produced this year."

She joins Craig Sisterson, founder of New Zealand’s Ngaio Marsh Awards, who said: "William McIlvanney raised the crime writing bar for Scottish writers and those further afield. It's an absolute honour to be a judge for this year's McIlvanney Prize, which celebrates his outstanding legacy - as evidenced by the strength and quality of modern Scottish crime writing. I'm looking forward to some excellent reading and vigorous debate with my fellow judges."

Writer and journalist Lee Randall will be chairing the panel. "I was honoured to be asked to chair the judging panel for this year’s McIlvanney Prize", she said. "I’ve always known — and it was reinforced when I programmed this year's first Granite Noir festival, for Aberdeen — that crime writers and their readers are a special breed. I relish the opportunity to dive into a longlist created by these same readers. I suspect that this year’s panel will have tough choices to make, given the abundance of talent out there, but look forward to the challenge."

Entries for the prize should be submitted by 5pm on Friday 28th April 2017. Elligible books must have been first published in the UK between 1st August 2016 and 31st July 2017 and must be written by an author who is born or domiciled in Scotland, or the book must be set in Scotland.

The longlist is expected to comprise 10 books which will be announced after the organisers meeting in July 2017. The winner will be presented at the opening reception of Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival in Stirling on Friday 8th September.