The Crime Writers’ Association

Ending Your Extract for the Emerging Author Dagger, by a Shortlisted Author

by Megan Toogood If you’ve entered any kind of writing competition before you’ll know how easy it is to obsess over creating a killer first line. But I think it’s just as important to finish your submission on the right note. Despite writing...


Libraries

Supporting libraries The places where many of us first discovered a love of books, and the places that for many form the centre of their reading experience, libraries are a national treasure. The CWA does not assume a political role – we leave tha...


Dagger in the Library

Dagger in the Library  The Dagger in the Library is a prize for a body of work by an established writer of crime fiction or non-fiction who has long been popular with borrowers from libraries. It also rewards authors who have supported libraries an...


Margery Allingham Short Mystery Competition

The Margery Allingham Short Mystery Competition2025 shortlist2025 longlist Title Author The Human Imperative Michael Bird Desmond Astonishes Stacy Brown Best Served Cold Ajay Chowdury The Treasure Hunter Jane Corry...


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 ...


Terms and conditions for CWA awards and competitions

Terms and conditions, rules and eligibility criteria for CWA awards and competitionsPlease select an award or competition to read the rules.The CWA Daggers Three categories of people can nominate a title for the CWA Daggers. Approved publishers...


Whodunnit Dagger

Whodunnit Dagger The Whodunnit Dagger celebrates books where the sex, swearing, and bloodletting take place offstage--books that focus on the intellectual challenge at the heart of a good mystery, and which revolve around often quirky characters. Bo...


Simon Scarrow in conversation with David Young

On Thursday 8 April, 7pm, the CWA is hosting multi-million bestselling author Simon Scarrow, talking about his new novel, Blackout, with David Young, winner of the CWA Historical Dagger with Stasi Child. Blackout, Simon’s first crime thriller, in...


Whodunnit Dagger

Whodunnit Dagger The Whodunnit Dagger celebrates books where the sex, swearing, and bloodletting take place offstage--books that focus on the intellectual challenge at the heart of a good mystery, and which revolve around often quirky characters. Bo...


An Evening of Cyber-Espionage with Antony Johnston – was 28 February, now 15 March

PLEASE NOTE THAT DUE TO BAD WEATHER THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL THURSDAY 15 MARCH An Evening of Cyber-Espionage with Antony Johnston Presented by Imagined Things & Destination Venus Antony will read from his acclaimed new spy thriller...


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