The Crime Writers’ Association

Debut Dagger Rules

Rules and Submission Guidelines CWA Debut Dagger 2024 The Debut Dagger, an international competition for the opening of an adult/YA crime novel and synopsis, is aimed at debut writers. The CWA defines a debut writer for the purposes of this com...


UK’s biggest prize fund to celebrate literature in 2018 – Society of Authors awards open for entries

The Society of Authors starts the search for next year’s recipients of the UK’s biggest literary prize fund. The Society of Authors is inviting entries for its 2018 Authors’ Awards. Run by authors for authors, the prizes make up the UK’s bigg...


Discounts for Members

Discounts for Members Your membership of the CWA brings many benefits, including discounts on selected festival tickets, memberships with sister organisations, editing services, and more. Discounts available to CWA members include:The CWA Daggers E...


CWA Debut Dagger Competition Now Open

The Crime Writers’ Association have opened their popular Debut Dagger competition for 2018. The competition is for the opening of a crime novel and any writer who has never had a traditional publishing contract for a full-length novel can enter, ev...


How to win £1,000

Enter the CWA’s Margery Allingham short story competition! This is open to published authors as well as unpublished ones. The maximum word count is generous too at 3,500. The deadline is still attainable even if it is a little bit close: March ...


After 20 years, would-be crime novelists find it more rewarding than ever to enter the CWA Debut Dagger Competition

Amended 8.12.17 The CWA Debut Dagger for the opening of a crime novel, established in 1998, is renowned within the crime writing world as a way for unpublished authors to get known, with former winners and shortlisted entrants going on to win publish...


Diamond Sponsorship Package

Diamond Sponsorship Package - Diamond DaggerSponsoring the Diamond Dagger provides the following benefits: 1. The sponsor’s name and logo appears on all official Daggers literature and communications, as well as relevant website promotions and so...


Social media guide

Social media guide Between Twitter and Facebook the CWA has close to 30,000 social media followers, and also runs a Facebook group with more than 2,000 members. We encourage all members to take advantage of this reach! Twitter The CWA accoun...


Criminal Critiques

What are Criminal Critiques? Criminal Critiques is the CWA’s critique service for aspiring crime fiction writers, to help you polish your writing and prepare your manuscript for submission to agents and publishers, or for competitions such as the ...


Margery Allingham Short Mystery Competition – Rules

Margery Allingham Short Mystery Competition - The rules Please read all terms carefully before submitting your entry. Please pay attention to the Margery Allingham’s definition of a mystery and the chronology it outlines. Submission of an entry...


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