The winner receives £500, and every shortlisted entry is sent to agents and publishers who are actively interested in discovering new crime-writing talent. For many entrants, this industry exposure is the competition’s most valuable benefit.

Many shortlisted and longlisted crime writers have gone on to gain representation or publishing contracts after being listed for the Emerging Author Dagger.

Join our Facebook community and read the Criminal Contenders blog for stories from past Emerging Author Dagger entrants. You might also want to explore our Crime Writing Tips.

If you’re interested in professional feedback, take a look at the Crime Writers’ Association Criminal Critiques. The Mini Critique is aimed at competition entrants, and Criminal Editing offers more detailed editorial support.

Before entering, please read the terms and conditions carefully. Most queries we receive are answered there, and checking them now can help you avoid a simple mistake that might disqualify your entry.

You can pay for your entry in advance and apply the voucher token when you submit your entry. Make sure your file is correctly prepared according to the competition rules before you upload it.

If you experience difficulties submitting your entry or payment, or have a query about eligibility that isn’t answered in the rules, contact us at comps@thecwa.co.uk. If you have not received a reply after three working days, contact admin@thecwa.co.uk. Please remember we work office hours.

You must tell us about any difficulties before the 6pm GMT deadline on Friday 29 January 2027. If you have not made a payment or submission before the deadline and only report a problem afterwards, we won’t be able to help. For that reason, it’s in your interests to enter well before the final minutes of the competition.

Click through to the Crime Writers’ Association Shop to pay the £42 entry fee. You can pay in advance of submitting. If you do, you’ll be sent a code to use when you submit your entry – keep it safe.

When you’re ready to submit, go back to Submit an Entry and choose the Emerging Author Dagger product in the shop, not the pre-pay option. When prompted, go to your basket, enter your voucher number and click Apply. This will give you access to the entry form for uploading your submission.

You must have both paid for the entry and submitted it by the deadline of 6pm GMT on Friday 29 January 2027.

• Read the full rules carefully and ensure your entry complies. It is the writer’s responsibility to ensure their entry does not break the rules.
• You must never have had a publishing contract for any work of prose fiction during the period of the competition. If you enter and then get such a publishing contract, you must withdraw from the competition.
• You must never have made any work of prose fiction available to the public to buy. Exception: You may have had up to three short stories published in anthologies alongside other authors’ work.
• You must not self-publish any work of prose fiction before the winner is announced to remain in contention for the competition. Exception: You may have published up to three short stories in anthologies alongside other authors’ work.
• You must not have a contract with a literary agent by the closing date of the competition at the end of January. Afterwards is fine, but please let us know.
  Manuscript submissions must fall within the prescribed word count limit of 4,500 including synopsis, excluding simple chapter headings, and cannot exceed it by even a few words.
• Manuscripts must not include the author’s name or contact details, only the title.
• Both the novel opening and the synopsis must be submitted in the same file; novel opening first, please.
• Manuscripts should be 12pt and double or line-and-a-half spaced, in an easily readable font such as Times, Arial or Helvetica.
• Pages should be numbered in a header or footer.
• You must enter under your own name, even if you also supply a writing name for us to use.
• Enter before 6pm GMT on Friday 29 January 2027.

Enter here.

Announcements for the Emerging Author Dagger Sponsored by Fiction Feedback

Entries open: 1 September 2026
Closing date: 6pm GMT on Friday 29 January 2027
Longlist: April – exact date to be confirmed
Shortlist: May – exact date to be confirmed
Winner: Dagger Awards Dinner 2027, tba (usually early July in London)
All announcements will also appear on this website shortly afterwards.

What is the Emerging Author Dagger?
The Emerging Author Dagger is an international crime writing competition for unpublished authors writing in English. Entrants submit the opening of an adult or YA crime novel and a synopsis.

Who can enter the Emerging Author Dagger 2027?
The competition is open to unpublished writers worldwide who are not represented by a literary agent when the competition closes and who meet the full eligibility rules.

What kind of crime novel can I enter?
You can enter an adult or YA crime novel in any subgenre, including thriller, noir, cosy mystery, suspense, police procedural, historical crime, spy fiction or crossover crime fiction.

Do I need to have finished my novel before I enter?
No. You do not need to have completed the novel to enter. If you are longlisted, you will be asked to provide a further 3,000 words from later in the novel shortly after the longlist announcement.

How many words can I submit?
Your entry should include the opening of your novel, up to 3,000 words, followed by a synopsis of the whole novel, up to 1,500 words. The novel opening and synopsis must be submitted in the same file.

When is the Emerging Author Dagger 2027 deadline?
Entries close at 6pm GMT on Friday 29 January 2027. Late submissions cannot be considered, so we recommend entering well before the final minutes of the competition.

How much does it cost to enter?
The entry fee is £42. You must have both paid for your entry and submitted it by the competition deadline.

Can I enter more than one novel?
Yes. Writers can make multiple entries, but each must be paid for and no individual writer will be allowed more than one entry on the longlist.

Should my name appear on the manuscript?
No. Your name and contact details must not appear anywhere on the manuscript, including the header or footer. Only the title of the work should appear on the entry itself.

Can I use AI to write my submission?
No. You must not have used AI to generate any of the writing in your submitted novel.

What does the winner receive?
The winner receives £500. Shortlisted entries are also sent to agents and publishers, and shortlisted authors receive a brief professional assessment of their entry after the competition is over.

Please address any queries to the Competitions Coordinator: comps@thecwa.co.uk or CWA Admin: admin@thecwa.co.uk