The Crime Writers’ Association

Notes on Word Count for CWA Writing Competitions

Different competitions have different rules – and different levels of rigour in the way they apply them. For the Debut Dagger we are super-strict. We ask for entries not to exceed 3,000 words (1,500 words for the synopsis) by even a word. The ti...


Associate membership

Join the CWA - Associate membership Thank you for your interest in joining the CWA. Membership is subject to meeting the membership criteria and completing the application form does not guarantee membership. Please fill in your details below and a m...


Corporate membership

Join the CWA - Corporate membership Thank you for your interest in joining the CWA. Membership is subject to meeting the membership criteria and completing the application form does not guarantee membership. Please fill in your details below and a m...


Northern Ireland is Set for NCRM 2024

PRESS RELEASE The Crime Writers Association, National Crime Reading Month NI Crime Writers team up with Libraries NI and local bookstores to celebrate National Crime Reading Month with a host of events across the province throughout June. Fo...


CWA Margery Allingham Short Mystery Competition – Winner Announced

The Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) has announced the winner of its Margery Allingham Short Mystery Prize. Camilla Macpherson beat strong competition with her short story, ‘Heartbridge Homicides’. Camilla lives in The Hague in the Nether...


Join the CWA

Join the CWA Who can join? We offer full membership for those in the UK and overseas who have had published a full length work of crime fiction or non-fiction, and provisional membership for those who have a contract from a recognised publishing ho...


Notes on Word Count for CWA Writing Competitions

Different competitions have different rules – and different levels of rigour in the way they apply them. For the Debut Dagger we are super-strict. We ask for entries not to exceed 3,000 words (1,500 words for the synopsis) by even a word. The ti...


Reading Party with Lesley Thomson: The Distant Dead

Reading Party with Lesley Thomson: The Distant Dead Cleaner-turned-detective Stella Darnell connects a murder in Tewkesbury Abbey to a decades-old mystery in wartime London. From the number 1 bestselling author of The Detective’s Daughter. London, ...


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...


St Hilda’s College Crime Fiction Weekend

The Crime Fiction Weekend at St Hilda’s College, Oxford, celebrates its 30th year in 2023 with an all-star line-up of bestselling authors. Centred on this year’s theme, ‘Celebrations: innocent parties, guilty pleasures’, our guest speakers wi...


Join the CWA

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