The Crime Writers’ Association

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Welcome… To the Members' Area of the CWA website. Here you can download the latest Red Herrings, complete your author profile, read more about membership benefits, find local chapters, get advice on promoting your books, and much more. Use the ...


Red Herring

The Red Herring Award From its earliest years, right up to the present day, the CWA has benefited enormously from the hard and selfless work of a wide range of people. It’s always been a fundamental part of the CWA’s ethos that contributions of ...


Murder One, Ireland’s International Crime Writing Festival

Brought to you online for the past two years, Murder One, Ireland’s International Crime Writing Festival is back with a bang from 4-9 October with a host of in person and online events at a new venue, Dun Laoghaire’s stunning dlr LexIcon Library ...


Escaping to Find Inspiration with Sam Blake

We’re not quite escaping lockdown yet here in Ireland where I live, we can’t travel outside of the country until 19th July and our hotels and restaurants have only opened to outdoor dining this week (2nd June), but I can’t WAIT to travel again....


A Detective’s Take on Crime Fiction

CWA Scotland — A Detective's Take on Crime Writing 27 June 2024 at 7 pm with Iain Souter. Iain is a second-generation copper from a crop of three who followed their father into the service in Northern Constabulary… pre-Police Scotland. He...


Emerging Author Dagger Rules

Rules and Submission Guidelines Emerging Author Dagger The Emerging Author Dagger (formerly 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 de...


Daggers Shortlist has been announced

The 2023 shortlists for the prestigious Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Dagger awards, which honour the very best in the crime-writing genre, have been announced at Crime Fest in Bristol. 2023 marks the CWA’s 70th Platinum Jubilee Year; the Dagg...


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...


The Awards Dinner

The Awards Dinner The 2024 CWA Daggers Awards Dinner was held on 4 July, 2024 at the Leonardo Royal Hotel London City on Cooper's Row....


Politics and Prose with Julie Anderson

In an age in which we are all citizen journalists and political commentators on social media and the political blog has found a place in the mainstream media in a way undreamed of thirty years ago, what place does political fiction have? The power s...


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