Murder By the Book
Crime fiction is the UK's most read, bought and borrowed genre. Cambridge University Library draws on its world-leading collections of British crime fiction to stage a murderously good exhibition! Bringing together literature, culture and heritag...
Awards & competitions
Awards & Competitions The CWA hosts a number of awards and competitions. Many of these are for books nominated by publishers and selected by independent judging panels, while others are awards made by the CWA or other bodies, such as libraries. ...
Dagger in the Library 2017 Winner Announced
The winner of the CWA 2017 Dagger in the Library has been revealed: Mari Hannah. Mari said: ‘Membership of the Crime Writers’ Association links me to those who write and read crime fiction, essential for any author working in the genre. To re...
CWA Daggers Announced
Chris Whitaker, Clare Mackintosh, Michael Robotham, Vaseem Khan and Peter May win 2021 CWA Daggers. The winners of the 2021 CWA Daggers, which honour the very best in the crime writing genre, have been announced. The prestigious Crime Write...
Emerging Author Dagger
Emerging Author Dagger The Emerging Author Dagger (formerly the Debut Dagger), sponsored by Fiction Feedback, is an international competition, open to anyone in the world writing in English, for a crime novel opening (max. 3,000 words) and synopsis ...
Private: Joffe Books New Publication Prize for Crime Writers of Colour
Joffe Books, in conjunction with bestselling crime writer Dorothy Koomson and literary agent Susan Yearwood, is seeking to discover a new crime fiction writer to join our bestselling list. We are launching a new writing prize for unagented crime fict...
2023 Debut Dagger Competition Opens for Entries
The most hotly contended competition for would-be crime novelists is now open for entries. Aspiring crime novelists have until the end of February 2023 to enter the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Debut Dagger, renowned for opening doors for as...
Tickets Now On Sale for CWA Daggers Dinner on 25 October
All ten winners of this year’s CWA Daggers will be presented at a glittering black-tie occasion at the Grange City Hotel in Cooper’s Row, London at 6.30pm for 7pm on October 25. Everyone is welcome and many of the crime writing world’s most no...
The Entry Process
The Entry Process There are four kinds of Dagger, differentiated by how they are nominated. See below for an explanation of the different entry processes, and who may nominate for each Dagger. Please do not hesitate to contact the Dagger Liaison Or...
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...
Join the CWA
Become part of a thriving community of successful crime writers with invaluable support, expertise and marketing opportunities for all our members.
