Sisters in Crime (SinC) announced that the winner of the 2025 PRIDE Award for emerging LGBTQIA+ writers is Lizabeth Engelmeier of Southern Illinois.
Engelmeier’s winning novel-in-progress, Soft Little Monsters, is a work of contemporary crime fiction.
Engelmeier’s story follows Maude, a teenager grappling with poverty, abuse at home, her sexuality, and the unexpected loss of her cousin to suicide. Trying to regain a sense of control, she goes on a tire slashing spree that ends when she discovers the bloody outfit her cousin died in hidden on her neighbor’s property. Determined to understand how the clothes wound up in the possession of a neighbor, Maude embarks on an investigation into her cousin’s death, all while being hunted by cops on a mission to put their tire slasher behind bars.
The winner has received a $2,000 grant intended for a beginning crime writer to support activities related to career development, including workshops, seminars, conferences, retreats, online courses, and research activities required for completion of their work.
“It’s empowering to receive an award that champions queer writers and advocates for queer voices in crime fiction,” Engelmeier says. “As an aro/ace, I hope this award signals to other aro/ace authors that there is a place in this world for your stories. Thank you to the selection committee for your dedication. It’s an honor to be chosen.”
The winner and five runners up were selected from 35 entries by judges (and SinC members) Renee James, Cody Sisco, and last year’s winner Lorrie Potvin.
The fiver runners up were Shelley Kinsman of Toronto, Ontario; Derek Puddester of Vancouver, British Columbia; Bryn and Rebecca Michelson-Ziegler of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; A. Mitchell of Detroit, Michigan; and Taryn Stickrath-Hutt of Chicago, Illinois.
The SinC board is pleased to sponsor past president Sherry Harris’ legacy project, the SinC Pride Award for Emerging LGBTQIA+ Crime Writers.
“Each past president is required to do a legacy project, something that they feel passionate about,” Sherry explains. “When thinking about what I wanted to do, I kept two things in mind. First, why SinC was formed — to equal the disparity in how female crime fiction writers and male crime fiction writers were reviewed and won awards. Second, I love our Eleanor Taylor Bland Award for emerging crime writers of color. With those two thoughts in mind, I realized I wanted to start a similar award for the LGBTQIA+ community.”
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