On Thursday 21 July, Val McDermid was announced the winner of the seventh Theakston Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction Award.

Sara Paretsky, Lynda La Plante, Ruth Rendell, PD James, Colin Dexter and Reginald Hill are former recipients of the prize.

Val said: “It’s an honour and a thrill to receive this award. The community of writers and readers at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival is unlike any other in its warmth and generosity and so this means a huge amount to me. This year sees the publication my thirtieth novel and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate that.”

Val’s 30th novel, Out of Bounds (Little, Brown), is published next month. Val co-founded the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival with the leading arts organisation, Harrogate International Festivals, and literary agent Jane Gregory, in 2003.

Simon Theakston said: “It gives us enormous delight to celebrate Val McDermid’s remarkable career. Val is very much the heart and soul of our festival. Her generosity to readers and authors alike, her role as a champion of the crime genre, and her support for new talent, are all qualities to be admired. She is unique, not only as the only author to sponsor a football team – her beloved Raith Rovers – but for remaining grounded and inclusive, amidst her enormous success.”

Many congratulations to Val.