Brevity Counts

How talented are you at condensing an entire crime novel into a mere half-dozen words? If that’s a challenge you’re ready to accept, then the fifth-annual Six-Word Mystery Contest—sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America—is just the thing for you. As an RMMWA news release explains,

The contest opens September 1, 2021, with instructions posted at www.rmmwa.org. Entries must be received by midnight, Oct. 8, 2021 MST. Six-word “whodunits” can be entered in one or all five of the following categories: Hard-boiled or Noir; Cozy Mystery; Thriller Mystery; Police Procedural Mystery; and/or a mystery with Romance or Lust. The Six-Word Mystery Contest is open to all adults 18 and over. No residency requirements.

Award-winning author and RMMWA Chapter President Margaret Mizushima said, “Follow the tradition set by [Ernest] Hemingway in the 1920s with your own boiled-down intriguing mystery, written in just six words and be judged by professional writers, editors, and agents. Writers from across the nation as well as Europe, Asia and Australia have entered our previous contests. We’re excited to see what big and fun story ideas are revealed this year.” …

The contest entry fee is $6 for one entry (just $1 per word); or $10 to enter six-word mysteries in all five categories. The grand prize winner will receive $100 in cold, hard cash. Winners in all other categories will receive $25 gift certificates, and all winners and finalists will be featured in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, on our RMMWA website, and in our popular monthly newsletter, Deadlines.

Previous Six-Word Mystery Contest winners are here.