The Crime Writers’ Association

What Happened When I Won the Debut Dagger by Shelley Burr

When I entered the Debut Dagger, my wild dream was to make the longlist so I would have something to put in my almost bare author bio.The day I won was surreal. Despite the CWA’s urging I didn’t fly from Australia to London for the ceremony, as I...


Short Story Dagger

Short Story Dagger This award is for any crime short story first published in the UK in English during the Judging Period, whether on its own or within an anthology or collection. Upon publication it must have been for sale to the public, either in ...


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About the CWA The CWA promotes, supports and celebrates crime writing, and writers of all crime fiction and non-fiction from across the globe. We’re proud to be a growing, thriving community with membership encompassing authors of all ages and at ...


Margery Allingham Short Story Readings

Join the Margery Allingham Society online for a reading of several of Allingham's stories, including The Rescue of Rainclouds, The Wisdom of Edras, The Sexton's Wife, The Wind Glass, and The Barbarian. This event is free and open to the public. If...


CWA Debut Dagger Writing Competition 2021 Now Open for Entries

Aspiring authors are invited to submit the opening of their novel to the coveted Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Debut Dagger competition 2021. The international writing competition opened for entries on October 1. Entrants must send in their firs...


Pauline Rowson at Totton Library

Adventure, mystery, heroes and the sea have always held a fascination for Pauline Rowson so it wasn’t surprising that she turned to crime – writing that is – and created an exciting series of marine based crime novels set against the atmospher...


Corporate and Associate Members

Corporate and Associate Members Associate membership is open to those who, in their profession or occupation, are associated with the crime genre – including publishers, editors, literary agents, crime reviewers, booksellers and those connected wi...


Member benefits

Member benefits CWA members enjoy a wide range of benefits and support, including promotion of their work and events to a large, engaged audience of readers; meeting and networking with other writers; inclusion in newsletters and social media posts;...


CWA Margery Allingham Short Mystery Competition

The Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) is on the hunt to find the best unpublished short mystery story. Entries are being invited for the 2021 CWA Margery Allingham Short Story competition, with just weeks before deadline closes on 26 February for th...


Short Story Dagger

Short Story Dagger This award is for any crime short story first published in the UK in English during the Judging Period, whether on its own or within an anthology or collection. Upon publication it must have been for sale to the public, either in ...


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