For all entrants to the Debut Dagger 2022.

The longlist will be announced by Chair of the Judges Leigh Russell at an event by our sponsors ProWritingAid on Weds 20 April at 5pm. For details of how to register for this free online event, please see the Debut Dagger page here.

Longlisted entrants will have just a few days to submit a further 3,000 words which should come from later in the novel. Everyone longlisted will be contacted on the evening of 20 April, so please keep an eye on your emails. The 3,000 words will need to be submitted to secretary@thecwa.co.uk by Monday 9 May, so please have yours ready, or nearly.

Advice is to use a passage from much deeper in the novel where the style or voice is different from the opening, and where characters are strong and the plot progresses.