The Crime Writers’ Association

In Memory of Helen Cadbury – by Marnie Riches

The world of crime fiction mourns one of its brightest and best this month. Those in the crime-writing community who were lucky enough to call Helen Cadbury a friend knew that she had secondary cancer. But we didn’t expect her to depart this world ...


CWA Daggers – Shortlists Announced

The Crime Writers’ Association announced the shortlists for this year’s Dagger awards for crime writing at an at an evening drinks reception held at Waterstones Piccadilly on Wednesday 26 July. The CWA Daggers, which are the probably the awards c...


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 ...


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 ...


Twisted Dagger

Twisted Dagger The Twisted Dagger celebrates psychological thrillers, dark and twisty tales that often feature unreliable narrators, disturbed emotions, a healthy dose of moral ambiguity, and a sting in the tail. Books in this category include psych...


Emerging Author Dagger

Emerging Author Dagger The Emerging Author Dagger (formerly the Debut Dagger) is an international competition, open to anyone in the world writing in English, for a crime novel opening (max. 3,000 words) and synopsis (max. 1,500 words). The crime no...


CWA Opens Membership to Self-Published Authors

For the first time in its 68-year history, the prestigious Crime Writers’ Association will allow self-published authors to join its ranks. The move comes after the CWA consulted its members, who voted with an 84% majority in favour to accept self-p...


Walter Mosley Awarded CWA Diamond Dagger 2023

Walter Mosley is the 2023 recipient of the highest honour in crime writing, the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Diamond Dagger. The CWA Daggers are now regarded by the publishing world as the foremost awards hosted in Britain for crime writing....


Robert Richardson R.I.P.

The CWA announces with great sadness the death of author Robert Richardson, one of the most popular and respected figures in the CWA over recent decades. Uniquely, Robert served two distinct terms as Chair of the CWA; in 1993-1994 and 2006-2007, and ...


2022 winning story

Locked In - Scott Hunter There’s something singularly evil about a crime carried out in secret, don’t you think? Especially if it is repeated on a regular basis. And especially if the victim is powerless to prevent it. Let me explain my cir...


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