Despite its early controversy, this unique international prize is welcomed by readers all over the world, many of whom had given up on thrillers because of the increasingly graphic violence towards women in the genre. It’s now widely recognised that violence against women – especially rape, domestic violence and murder, are at an all-time high. So we’re taking a stand in celebrating all the brilliant thrillers out there – published or unpublished – by authors who have found something worthwhile to write about that doesn’t normalise brutalised women as a form of entertainment.
Welcome to the international award for thrillers in which no woman is beaten, stalked, sexually exploited, raped or murdered.
Staunch Book Prize is 5!
All three prizes open on 14th February and close on 31st July 2022.
Entries can be traditionally published, self-published or unpublished.
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Thriller Novel (entry first 5000 words) £1000 prize.
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Thriller Short Story (500-3,500 words) £100 prize.
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Thriller Flash Fiction (Max 300 words) £100 prize.
STAUNCH BOOK PRIZE is the original thriller novel prize. This award took a break for 2021 while we launched The Staunch Test – rating film and TV thrillers for violence to women.
The SHORT STORY and FLASH FICTION prizes follow the same criteria as the novel prize – no violence to women.
Go to WINNERS in the menu to see previous shortlists and winners in all categories.
Introducing
The Staunch Test
Challenging violence against women on screen!
Every day, films and TV shows serve up stories of violence against women and call it entertainment.
How did normalising violence to women become a something popular culture sells?
Why have we let audiences become desensitised to seeing women brutalised?
It’s time to make the link between what the entertainment industry dishes up for fun, and what men dish out to women for real.
Head over to The Staunch Test website to learn more, download a free ebook and to rate a film or TV thriller as a
Staunch Test Pass
Staunch Test Fail or
Staunch Test Debate!