The CWA Debut Dagger 2010

Fancy a stab at crime writing?

The Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger Competition launched the careers of all these crime writers.

Could you be next?

The 2010 Debut Dagger Competition opened on 31^st October, and will close at midnight UK time on 6^th February. Go on, take a stab at it, send us the opening chapter(s) – up to 3000 words – and a short synopsis of your proposed crime novel, and you could be a published crime writer.

Winning the Debut Dagger doesn’t guarantee you’ll get published. But it does mean your work will be seen by leading agents and top editors, who have signed up over a dozen winners as well as shortlisted Debut Dagger competitors.

The Debut Dagger is open to anyone who has not yet had a novel published commercially. First prize is £500 plus two free tickets to the prestigious CWA Dagger Awards and night’s stay for two in a top London hotel. All 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.

Building on success

Inaugural winner Joolz Denby was short-listed in 2005 for the Orange Prize for Fiction, while 2001 winner Ed Wright was awarded the 2005 Shamus award for best P.I. novel by the Private Eye Writers of America. Allan Guthrie won the 2007 Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year for Two Way Split, developed from his entry shortlisted in 2001. Barbara Cleverly, shortlisted in 1999, won the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger award in 2004. Louise Penny, highly commended by the judges of the 2004 Debut Dagger, was awarded the 2006 New Blood Dagger. And 2007 winner Alan Bradley has just seen Orion publish The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, the first in a three-book deal.

Follow this link to find out how to enter the competition. To receive regular reminders of the competition deadline, as well as useful hints and tips, sign up for our free mailing list. There's a form at the foot of this page. More help and guidance can be found on our What to Write and Style Guide pages. If you have any questions, please first check the frequently asked questions page to see if your query is answered there.

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