The 2018 CWA Daggers Longlists

The CWA Dagger longlists were announced at Crimefest in Bristol on Friday evening as has become traditional. One Dagger has already been confirmed and the shortlists for the remainder will be announced in July. The winners of all the CWA Daggers will be announced at the Dagger Awards Dinner to be held on 25 October, when Michael Connelly will be awarded the Diamond Dagger.

The Crime Writers Association Daggers have been synonymous with quality crime writing for over fifty years. These prestigious awards started in 1955, less than two years after the Association was founded, with the award of a Crossed Red Herring Award to Winston Graham (now better known for Poldark) for The Little Walls.

Click on the individual Dagger below to view the longlists.

The Gold Dagger is awarded to the best crime novel of the year.
The Ian Fleming Steel Dagger. The broadest definition of the thriller novel is used for eligible books; these can be set in any period and include, but are not limited to, spy fiction and/or action/ adventure stories.
The John Creasey (New Blood)Dagger. This award is for the best crime novel by a first-time author of any nationality first published in the UK in English during the Judging Period.
The CWA International Dagger. This award is for crime novels (defined by the broadest definition including thrillers, suspense novels and spy fiction) as long as the book was not originally written in English and has been translated into English for UK publication during the Judging Period.
The Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction. This award is for any non-fiction work on a crime related theme by an author of any nationality as long as the book was first published in the UK in English during the Judging Period.
The CWA Short Story Dagger. This award is for 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, during the Judging Period.
The Debut Dagger is open to anyone who has not yet had a novel published commercially.
The CWA Historical Dagger. This award is for the best historical crime novel, first published in the UK in English during the Judging Period, set in any period up to 50 years prior to the year in which the award will be made. For novels that involve passages set later than this time period, at least three-quarters of the book should be set in an earlier period.
The CWA Dagger in the Library. The Dagger in the Library is a prize for a body of work by a crime writer that users of libraries particularly admire.