The Crime Writers’ Association

The CWA Daggers

Announcements Nominations for the 2025 Daggers are now open! The submission period for the 2024 Debut Dagger, is now closed. The longlists for all Daggers, except possibly for the Debut Dagger, will be announced at the CWA Conference in Brig...


Bryan Mason on Writing about Serial Killers in Hotwells, Bristol

Bryan Mason will be in conversation with Prof. Leroy White from the University of Exeter about Bryan's debut novel Shaking Hands with the Devil. Bryan will cover areas including the long genesis between drafting and getting published, characterisatio...


After 20 years, would-be crime novelists find it more rewarding than ever to enter the CWA Debut Dagger Competition

Amended 8.12.17 The CWA Debut Dagger for the opening of a crime novel, established in 1998, is renowned within the crime writing world as a way for unpublished authors to get known, with former winners and shortlisted entrants going on to win publish...


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CWA Announces new Debut Dagger Sponsor

The Crime Writers’ Association has announced a new sponsor for its annual international writing competition for unpublished writers. The CWA Debut Dagger is to be sponsored by ProWritingAid, a platform that operates as a grammar checker, style edi...


Debut Dagger

Emerging Author Dagger The Emerging Author Dagger (formerly the Debut Dagger) 2024 is now closed. The Emerging Author Dagger 2025 will open 1 October 2024. Announcements for the Emerging Author Dagger Longlist: This will be announced in mid...


Murder at The Word – Writers’ Day

We will be joined by the amazing Murder Squad, a collective of six crime writers from the North of England, for a jam-packed weekend of workshops, author talks & insider tips on writing and information about the world of publishing The Murder Sq...


An Introduction to Crime Fiction – Writing workshop

Best-selling crime novelist John Dean is to run an Introduction to Crime Fiction creative writing workshop. John, author of 17 novels, including the recently-published Death List, is published by London-based The Book Folks and is the creator of DCI ...


Diamond Crime Zoom Masterclass in Editing

Some writers claim to hate them. Others won’t make a move without one firmly secured to their writing arm. Who are we talking about? BOOK COPY DEVELOPMENTAL LINE EDITORS Whether you love them or loathe them, editors they are a vital part of t...


Dagger Shortlists Announced

A debut novel is up against one of Britain’s biggest and most celebrated authors for the crime novel of the year. The 2021 shortlists for the prestigious CWA Dagger awards, which honour the very best in the crime writing genre, have been announced....


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