Crime Writers' Association
Encyclopedia
The Crime Writers Association is a writers' association in the United Kingdom
. Founded by John Creasey
in 1953, it is currently chaired by Peter James
and claims 450+ members.
Membership is open to any author who has had one crime novel produced by a bona fide publisher (or at the discretion of the committee). It enables writers to contact each other, promotes crime writing with annual awards, and organises social events. It also supports writing groups, festivals and literary events with authors.
From 1955 to 1959 it awarded the Crossed Red Herring Award for the best crime novel of the year, after which the award was renamed the Gold Dagger
. From 1969 to 2005, the CWA also awarded a Silver Dagger to the runner-up.
In 2006, Duncan Lawrie Bank sponsored the top award and dropped the Silver Dagger. It was called the Duncan Lawrie Gold Dagger and carried a prize of £20,000, the largest award for crime fiction in the world. In 2008 Duncan Lawrie withdrew from sponsorship and the value of the top prize was reduced.
Other Daggers have included:
. In 2003 he edited a special collection, Mysterious Pleasures, to celebrate the CWA's Golden Jubilee. Original Sins is the 2010 anthology of crime from a distinguished selection of British writers published by Severn House.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Founded by John Creasey
John Creasey
John Creasey MBE was an English crime and science fiction writer. The author of more than 600 novels, he published them using 28 different pseudonyms, including Anthony Morton, Michael Halliday, Kyle Hunt, J.J. Marric, Jeremy York, Richard Martin, Peter Manton, Norman Deane, Gordon Ashe, Henry St...
in 1953, it is currently chaired by Peter James
Peter James (writer)
Peter James is a British writer of crime fiction and film producer.-Life:James is the son of Cornelia James, the former glovemaker to Queen Elizabeth II. He was educated at Charterhouse School and went on to Ravensbourne Film School. Subsequently he spent several years in North America, working as...
and claims 450+ members.
Membership is open to any author who has had one crime novel produced by a bona fide publisher (or at the discretion of the committee). It enables writers to contact each other, promotes crime writing with annual awards, and organises social events. It also supports writing groups, festivals and literary events with authors.
Daggers
It is probably best-known for the prestigious prizes which it awards (known as Daggers).From 1955 to 1959 it awarded the Crossed Red Herring Award for the best crime novel of the year, after which the award was renamed the Gold Dagger
Gold Dagger
The Gold Dagger Award was an award given annually by the Crime Writers' Association for the best crime novel of the year.For its first five years, the organization's top honor was known as the Crossed Red Herring Award....
. From 1969 to 2005, the CWA also awarded a Silver Dagger to the runner-up.
In 2006, Duncan Lawrie Bank sponsored the top award and dropped the Silver Dagger. It was called the Duncan Lawrie Gold Dagger and carried a prize of £20,000, the largest award for crime fiction in the world. In 2008 Duncan Lawrie withdrew from sponsorship and the value of the top prize was reduced.
Other Daggers have included:
- International DaggerDuncan Lawrie International DaggerThe Duncan Lawrie International Dagger is an award given by the Crime Writers' Association for best translated crime novel of the year. The winning author receives an ornamental dagger and £5,000. The translator of the novel is awarded £1,000....
, for the best crime novel translated into English, with £5000 going to the author and £1000 to the translator. (Briefly known as the Duncan Lawrie International Dagger (2006-2008).)
- The CWA Ian Fleming Steel DaggerCWA Ian Fleming Steel DaggerThe CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger is an annual award given by the British Crime Writers' Association for best thriller of the year. The award is sponsored by the estate of Ian Fleming and is given to "best adventure/thriller novel in the vein of James Bond"....
: The dagger and £2000 prize are awarded for the best adventure/thriller novel in the vein of James BondJames BondJames Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
. Sponsored by Ian FlemingIan FlemingIan Lancaster Fleming was a British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence Officer.Fleming is best known for creating the fictional British spy James Bond and for a series of twelve novels and nine short stories about the character, one of the biggest-selling series of fictional books of...
Publications Ltd.
- The CWA Gold Dagger for Non-FictionCWA Gold Dagger for Non-FictionThe CWA Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction is a British literary award established in 1978 by the Crime Writers' Association, who have awarded the Gold Dagger fiction award since 1955....
: The dagger and prize of £2000 are awarded every even-numbered year.
- The CWA New Blood DaggerCWA New Blood DaggerThe CWA New Blood Dagger is an annual award given by the British Crime Writers' Association for first books by previously unpublished writers. It is given in memory of CWA founder John Creasey and was previously known as The John Creasey Memorial Award. The award is voted on by past winners and...
: Awarded in memory of CWA founder John CreaseyJohn CreaseyJohn Creasey MBE was an English crime and science fiction writer. The author of more than 600 novels, he published them using 28 different pseudonyms, including Anthony Morton, Michael Halliday, Kyle Hunt, J.J. Marric, Jeremy York, Richard Martin, Peter Manton, Norman Deane, Gordon Ashe, Henry St...
, this dagger for first books by previously unpublished writers is sponsored by BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Audiobooks and carries a prize of £1000. This award was previously known as the John Creasy Memorial Dagger.
- The CWA Dagger in the LibraryDagger in the LibraryThe Dagger in the Library is an annual award given by the British Crime Writers' Association to a particular author. The award is given to a "living author who has given the most pleasure to readers". Yearly shortlists are drawn up from submissions by libraries across United Kingdom, and the final...
: This Dagger, sponsored by Random House and worth £1500, is awarded to "the author of crime fiction whose work is currently giving the greatest enjoyment to readers"; authors are nominated by UK libraries and Readers' Groups and judged by a panel of librarianLibrarianA librarian is an information professional trained in library and information science, which is the organization and management of information services or materials for those with information needs...
s.
- The Debut Dagger: sponsored by Orion, and open to anyone who has not yet had a novel published commercially. The winner will receive a £500 cash prize plus a night for two at the Waldorf Hilton, London for the prize-giving at the Dagger Awards Dinner on 29 June. All these shortlisted entrants will receive a generous selection of crime novels and professional assessments of their entries, and will also be invited to the Dagger Awards Dinner. This year the chair of the judging panel is crime novelist Margaret MurphyMargaret Murphy- Biography :Murphy was born and brought up in Liverpool where she gained a degree in Environmental Biology at the University of Liverpool and later an MA with Distinction in Writing at Liverpool JMU, a course on which she now lectures...
.
- Cartier Diamond DaggerCartier Diamond DaggerThe Cartier Diamond Dagger is an award given by the Crime Writers' Association of Great Britain to authors who have made an outstanding lifetime's contribution to the genre. The 2011 winner is Lindsey Davis.-Winners:* 1986 - Eric Ambler* 1987 - P. D...
: an award for lifetime achievement.
Other awards
- The Ellis Peters Historical Award: sponsored by the estate of Ellis Peters and her publishers, Headline and the Time WarnerTime WarnerTime Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
Book Group, carries a prize of £3000. The winner in 2010 was Philip Kerr for If The Dead Rise Not Published by Quercus. - The CWA Short Story Award: this prize of £500, is sponsored by the membership of the CWA. This competition is open to any crime short story first published in the UK in English in a publication that pays for contributions, or broadcast in the UK in return for payment. The winner in 2010 was Can You Help Me Out Here by Robert Ferrigno published by MIRA UK.
Anthologies
The CWA has produced many collections of crime writing (mainly fiction, but occasionally including true crime). The editor of the CWA anthology since 1996 has been Martin EdwardsMartin Edwards (author)
Kenneth Martin Edwards, commonly known as Martin Edwards is a British crime novelist, critic and solicitor.- Biography :...
. In 2003 he edited a special collection, Mysterious Pleasures, to celebrate the CWA's Golden Jubilee. Original Sins is the 2010 anthology of crime from a distinguished selection of British writers published by Severn House.
See also
- Crime Thriller Awards
- The Top 100 Crime Novels of All TimeThe Top 100 Crime Novels of All TimeThe Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time is a list published in book form in 1990 by the British-based Crime Writers' Association. Five years later, the Mystery Writers of America published a similar list entitled The Top 100 Mystery Novels of All Time...
(a 1990 CWA publication) - Mystery Writers of AmericaMystery Writers of AmericaMystery Writers of America is an organization for mystery writers, based in New York.The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday....
- Crime Writers of CanadaCrime Writers of CanadaCrime Writers of Canada is a national organization for Canadian crime writers, founded by Howard Engel.-Arthur Ellis Awards:Its annual awards are the Arthur Ellis Awards. The award statue itself is wooden model of a hanging man. The arms and legs move when the statue's string is pulled.The award is...
- Swedish Crime Writers' AcademySwedish Crime Writers' AcademyThe Swedish Crime Writers' Academy , is a Swedish organization set up in 1971 to promote the writing of detective fiction and crime fiction...
- Mystery Writers of JapanMystery Writers of Japanis an organization for mystery writers in Japan.The organization was founded on 21 June 1947 by EDOGAWA Rampo. It is currently chaired by Keigo HIGASHINO and claims about 600 members.It presents the Mystery Writers of Japan Award to writers every year...