Derringer Award Presentation 2019

During Bouchercon 2019 held at the Hyatt Hotel in Dallas, SMFS President Kevin R. Tipple presented the Derringer Medals to the winners present at the ceremony.

Derringer Award Winners Alan Orloff and Gigi Pandian

Accepting the 2019 Golden Derringer Award on behalf of Doug Allyn was Mr. Brendan Dubois.

Alan Orloff was present to accept his award for Best Short Story (1,001-4000 words) for his tale, “Dying in Dokesville” published in Malice Domestic 13: Mystery Most Geographical released by Wildside Press.

Gigi Pandian accepted her award for Best Novelette (8,001-20,000 words) for her tale, The Cambodian Curse released by Henery Press.

Unfortunately, James Blakey and Leslie Budewitz  were unable to be present to receive their medals at the ceremony.

SMFS President Kevin R. Tipple and Derringer Award Winner Gigi Pandian

2019 Derringer Award Winners Announced

Photo by Melodie Campbell

Relayed to the SMFS Yahoo! Group from Awards Coordinator Anthony Rudzki:

The 2019 Derringer Awards have been voted upon and the winners are:

Best Flash Story (ranges up to 1,000 words): James Blakey, "The Bicycle Thief", The Norwegian American, September 21, 2018

Best Short Story (ranges 1,001–4,000 words): Alan Orloff, "Dying in Dokesville", Malice Domestic 13: Mystery Most Geographical, Wildside Press, April 2018

Best Long Story (ranges 4,001–8,000 words): Leslie Budewitz, "With My Eyes", Suspense Magazine, January/February 2018

Best Novelette (ranges 8,001–20,000 words): Gigi Pandian, "The Cambodian Curse", Henery Press, October 2018


The results from the final vote:

FLASH
Listen Up 12.77%
Don't Text and Drive 10.64%
The Bicycle Thief 31.91%
A Misunderstanding 27.66%
Sonny The Wonder Beast 17.02%

SHORT
If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Murder 18.00%
The Cabin In The Woods 16.00%
The Crucial Game 22.00%
The Belle Hope 20.00
Dying In Dokesville 24.00%

LONG
With My Eyes 31.11%
The Case Of The Missing Pot Roast 17.78%
Mercy Find Me 24.44%
The Vanishing Volume 15.56%
Till Murder Do Us Part 11.11%

NOVELETTE
Three-Star Sushi 4.88%
The Cambodian Curse 46.34%
Oil Down 14.63%
The Adventure Of The Manhunting Marshal 21.95%
I've Got To Get Me A Gun 12.20%


Congratulations to all the winners, as well as all of the finalists for being selected. Keep up the good work authors, and hopefully your work will be on this list next year! —Tony Rudzki

The Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement is annually awarded to an outstanding living writer of short mysteries, selected by a five-member panel of the SMFS President, Vice President, and Awards Coordinator, and two regular members. This year's recipient:

Doug Allyn


The Derringer medal presentation may be during Bouchercon in Dallas, Texas this Fall. Scheduling remains very fluid. Winners unable to attend can receive their medals by mail.

SMFS Official Announcement: 2019 Derringer Award Finalists

Since 1998, the Short Mystery Fiction Society has awarded the annual Derringers—after the popular pocket pistol—to outstanding published stories. The awards recognize outstanding stories published during 2018. Results of membership voting are scheduled to be posted on May 1, 2019.

As posted by 2019 Derringer Awards Coordinator Tony Rudzki to Shortmystery earlier this week, these are the official 2019 Derringer Award Finalists:

For Best Flash Story (ranges up to 1,000 words)

• "The Bicycle Thief" by James Blakey, The Norwegian American, Sept. 21, 2018
• "Listen Up" by Peter DiChellis, Flash Bang Mysteries, (Winter 2018)
• "Sonny the Wonder Beast" by Nick Kolakowski, The Flash Fiction Offensive, Sept. 16, 2018
• "Don't Text and Drive" by Robert Petyo, Flash Bang Mysteries, (Spring 2018)
• "A Misunderstanding" by Travis Richardson, The Flash Fiction Offensive, May 27, 2018

For Best Short Story (ranges from 1,001 to 4,000 words)

• "The Belle Hope" by Peter DiChellis, Malice Domestic 13: Mystery Most Geographical, Wildside Press, April 2018
• "The Crucial Game" by Janice Law, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine (January-February 2018)
• "Dying in Dokesville" by Alan Orloff, Malice Domestic 13: Mystery Most Geographical, Wildside Press, April 2018
• "If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Murder" by Josh Pachter, Malice Domestic 13: Mystery Most Geographical, Wildside Press, April 2018
• "The Cabin in the Woods" by Sylvia Maultash Warsh, Malice Domestic 13: Mystery Most Geographical, Wildside Press, April 2018

For Best Long Story (ranges from 4,001 to 8,000 words)

• "With My Eyes" by Leslie Budewitz, Suspense Magazine, January/February 2018
• "Mercy Find Me" by Diana Deverell, Fiction River: Justice ed. Kristine Kathryn Rusch, WMG Publishing Inc., January 2018
• "The Case of the Missing Pot Roast" by Barb Goffman, Florida Happens ed. Greg Herren, Three Rooms Press, September 2018
• "Till Murder Do Us Part" by Barb Goffman, Chesapeake Crimes: Fur, Feathers, and Felonies ed. Donna Andrews, Barb Goffman, and Marcia Talley, Wildside Press, March 2018
• "The Vanishing Volume" by Janet Raye Stevens, Shhhh...Murder! Cozy Crimes in Libraries, ed. Andrew MacRae, Darkhouse Books, September 2018

For Best Novelette (ranges from 8,001 to 20,000 words)

• "The Adventure of the Manhunting Marshal" by Peter Basile (pseud. of Jim Doherty), Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective, Volume 11, Airship 27, March 2018
• "Three-Star Sushi" by Barry Lancet, Down & Out The Magazine, Vol. 3, Issue 3, Down & Out Books, March 2018
• "The Cambodian Curse" by Gigi Pandian, Henery Press, October 2018
• "Oil Down" by Brian Silverman, Mystery Tribune (Winter 2018)
• "I’ve Got to Get Me a Gun" by Vincent Zandri, The Black Car Business: Vol. 1 ed. Lawrence Kelter, Down & Out Books, January 2018

A vote of the SMFS membership will determine the winner in each category. Results will be announced in May 2019.

4/5/19--- A big thank you to Gerald So who added the publishing info on each finalist.