The Mysterious Murders Short Story Competition was created to honour Anja Boersma’s deep love of writing and to help nurture that same passion in others. As one of the co-founders, it was important to me to ensure that Anja’s creative spirit could live on through this competition.

Working with Anja as her creative writing coach was a real joy. She brought such dedication to her craft and always had a knack for surprising me with clever, unexpected twists—often laced with humour and heart.

When I heard about her passing, I knew I wanted to do something meaningful in her memory. Together with her husband Jeroen, we developed the idea for a short story competition—something that would celebrate her favourite genre and inspire others to write.

This is your chance to craft a "locked room" murder mystery story. The theme is intentionally broad to encourage a wide range of voices and creative approaches. To keep it as accessible as possible, there’s no entry fee. All we ask is that you follow the rules and submit an original piece of work that you’re proud of.