This award is for any crime short story first published in the UK in English during the Judging Period, whether on its own or within an anthology or collection. Upon publication it must have been for sale to the public, either in print or e-book, through established channels or platforms.
The term short story refers to a work of fiction no shorter than 1,000 and no longer than 15,000 words.
You are able to nominate a full anthology where we consider every story, or an individual story.
Publishers or authors can nominate.
A brave and enterprising twelve-year-old boy uses his wits and his criminal connections to get the better of his violent, drunken father in a superbly atmospheric coming-of-age mystery set in nineteenth-century Edinburgh.
SA Cosby
From: Birds, Strangers and Psychos
Short Story Dagger
2026 | Shortlisted
Bedford Square Publishers – No Exit Press
Denise Mina
From: Birds, Strangers and Psychos
Short Story Dagger
2026 | Shortlisted
Bedford Square Publishers – No Exit Press
Abir Mukherjee
From: Playing Dead: Short Stories by Members of the Detection Club
Short Story Dagger
2026 | Shortlisted
Joffe Books – SEVERN HOUSE
Ambrose Parry
Short Story Dagger
2026 | Winner
Canongate
Peter Swanson
From: Birds, Strangers and Psychos
Short Story Dagger
2026 | Shortlisted
Bedford Square Publishers – No Exit Press
Michael Wood
From: Criminal Pursuits: This Is Me
Short Story Dagger
2026 | Shortlisted
Telos Publishing
| Author | Title | From | Editor | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Boyle | Arlene | Birds, Strangers and Psychos | Maxim Jakubowski | Bedford Square Publishers |
| SA Cosby | Split Your Silver Tongue | Birds, Strangers and Psychos | Maxim Jakubowski | Bedford Square Publishers |
| Ragnar Jónasson | Chest | Birds, Strangers and Psychos | Maxim Jakubowski | Bedford Square Publishers |
| Denise Mina | The Karpman Drama Triangle | Birds, Strangers and Psychos | Maxim Jakubowski | Bedford Square Publishers |
| Abir Mukherjee | Full Circle | Playing Dead: Short Stories by Members of the Detection Club | Martin Edwards | Joffe Books |
| Ambrose Parry | The Apple Falls Not Far | Canongate | ||
| Sharp, Zoë and John Lawton | Once Upon a Time in New Jersey | CrimeFest: Leaving the Scene Celebrating 16 Years | Adrian Muller | Bedford Square Publishers |
| Peter Swanson | Strangers on a School Bus | Birds, Strangers and Psychos | Maxim Jakubowski | Bedford Square Publishers |
| Michael Wood | Waiting | Criminal Pursuits: This Is Me | Telos Publishing |
Chris Simmons (Chair)
Chris Simmons is the online editor of his brainchild, Crimesquad.com – a crime review website, running since March 2005. Chris is a past judge for the John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger, which has highlighted the debuts of authors such as Louise Penny (John Creasey Dagger winner), S J Watson, Sarah Hilary, James Oswald and two-time Dagger winner, Wiley Cash.
Harriet Tyce
Harriet Tyce was born and grew up in Edinburgh. She graduated in 1994 with a degree in English Literature before working as a criminal barrister for nearly a decade. Having escaped law and early motherhood, she started writing, and completed the MA in Creative Writing – Crime Fiction at the University of East Anglia. She has written three novels to date, the Sunday Times bestsellers Blood Orange and The Lies You Told. It Ends At Midnight was published in April 2022 to critical acclaim.
Tony White
Tony White’s latest novel is Phantom at the Feast (No Exit Press). Previous novels include Foxy-T and The Fountain in the Forest. A former writer in residence at the Science Museum, he has reviewed for The Guardian, The Idler and Irish Times. He is currently a Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund attached to Royal Holloway University of London, and an Associate Lecturer on the Creative Writing MA at Birkbeck. His short fiction has been widely published in journals and anthologies since 1995, and he has published short stories by authors including Michael Moorcock, Nicholas Blincoe, Stella Duffy, Catherine Johnson, and Victor Headley. His recent short story and Flann O’Brien tribute ‘Plain Speaking’ is included in Nicholas Royle’s Best British Short Stories 2022 (Salt) and is currently taught in German high schools. He lives in London and is a member of the Crime Writers’ Association.
Laura Wilson
Laura Wilson’s psychological crime novels have been critically acclaimed. Stratton’s War won the CWA Ellis Peters Award for Historical Crime Fiction and both The Lover – which won the Prix du Polar Europeen – and A Thousand Lies were shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger. She also writes for young adults as Jamie Costello. She has taught on the Crime/Thriller MA course at London’s City University, written a series of Crime Fiction Masterclass columns for Mslexia magazine, judged both the CWA John Creasey Dagger and the Debut Dagger, programmed the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival, and co-organised the Killer Women Festival. She is also the Guardian’s crime and thriller fiction reviewer.
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