2016 Derringer Award Results

The Short Mystery Fiction Society's Derringer Awards, honoring outstanding published stories and people who've contributed greatly to the genre, are determined by a January 1–March 30 process that considers the previous year.

The Awards Coordinator first posts the results to Shortmystery. Then the public announcement appears here.

For each category below, we show the winner first, then the alphabetized finalists:

Best Flash Story (Up to 1,000 words)

• Vy Kava, "Hero" (Red Dawn: Best New England Crime Stories 2016: Level Best Books, November 2015)
• Jack Bates, "The Hard Screw" (Near to the Knuckle, August 6, 2015)
• Craig Faustus Buck, "Heavy Debt" (Mondays are Murder: Akashic Books, August 10, 2015)
• Barb Goffman, "The Wrong Girl" (Flash and Bang: A Short Mystery Fiction Society Anthology: Untreed Reads, October 2015)
• John Weagly, "Trash Pick-Up" (Near to the Knuckle, September 24, 2015)

Best Short Story (1,001–4,000 words)

• Meg Opperman, "Twilight Ladies" (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, March/April 2015)
• Shelly Dickson Carr, "Words Can Kill" (Red Dawn: Best New England Crime Stories 2016: Level Best Books, November 2015)
• Nikki Dolson, "Joe Park's Little Girl" (Mystery Weekly, September 7, 2015)
• Chris Knopf, "Kill Switch" (Red Dawn: Best New England Crime Stories 2016: Level Best Books, November 2015)
• William Burton McCormick, "Pompo's Disguise" (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, March/April 2015)

Best Long Story (4,001–8,000 words)

• John M. Floyd, "Dentonville" (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, November 2015)
• Ron Collins, "The White Game" (Fiction River: Hidden in Crime: WMG Publishing, November 2015)
• Katia Lief, "The Orchid Grower" (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, November 2015)
• Robert Lopresti, "Shooting at Firemen" (Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, July/August 2015)
• Elizabeth Zelvin, "The Man in the Dick Tracy Hat" (Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, June 2015)

Best Novelette (8,001–20,000 words)

• John M. Floyd, "Driver" (The Strand Magazine, February-May 2015)
• Jane Haddam, "Crazy Cat Ladies" (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, February 2015)
• Richard Helms, "Shooting Stars" (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, September/October 2015)
• Gordon Hopkins, "Jack Daniels and Associates: The Whiplash Brokers" (Kindle Worlds, March 2015)
• Travis Richardson, "Quack and Dwight" (Jewish Noir: Contemporary Tales of Crime and Other Dark Deeds: PM Press, November 2015)

And a committee of the SMFS Officers, Awards Coordinator, and two members-at-large awarded the Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer (Lifetime Achievement) to:

• Michael Bracken

Winners can obtain certificate images for Web display and printout and submit acceptance videos by emailing Gerald So (G_SO at YAHOO dot COM).

The 2016 Derringer medal presentation, by 2009 Best Novelette winner and two-time previous finalist O'Neil De Noux, will be during Bouchercon 2016 opening ceremonies, Thursday, September 15 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Vy Kava, Meg Opperman, John M. Floyd, and Michael Bracken are scheduled to be on hand to accept.

UPDATE: Our Bouchercon 2016 recap includes coverage of the Derringer presentation, featuring video of Michael Bracken's acceptance speech.