Twisted and Whodunnit Daggers added to Crime Writers' Association awards

Two new categories have been added the the Crime Writers’ Association’s (CWA) awards for crime, mystery and thriller writers. Entries for the new categories will open in early 2024.

The Twisted Dagger award is aimed at psychological thrillers set in any period, as well as suspense thrillers and domestic noir. According to the prize organisers, the prize will celebrate "dark and twisty tales that often feature unreliable narrators, disturbed emotions, a healthy dose of moral ambiguity, and a sting in the tail".

Meanwhile, the Whodunnit Dagger covers cosy crime, including the "modern cosy", traditional crime, and "Golden Age mysteries". The entries in this category will focus on the "intellectual challenge at the heart of a good mystery, and revolve around often quirky characters".

Vaseem Khan, chair of the CWA, said: “Earlier this year, when I took over as chair of the Crime Writers’ Association, I pledged to add two new Daggers to our awards roster. One of my aims as CWA chair is to evolve the CWA’s offering in line with the genre. The Daggers should not be static.”

Khan added: “Psychological thrillers have dominated the crime fiction landscape in recent years and now cosy crime is having its moment, with Golden Age crime also enjoying a resurgence. These Daggers recognise these trends, and I, for one, am excited to see the range of books that publishers – and authors – will submit to these new awards.”

The CWA’s mission is to promote the genre and act as a voice for the interests of its author members, and the Daggers are judged by independent expert panels. The awards recognise a broad range of books, with categories for crime fiction in translation, short stories, and debut authors, alongside the Gold Dagger for the novel of the year and Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for best thriller.

The CWA’s inaugural awards will be presented at the annual Dagger ceremony in 2025.