Of the 11 Daggers awarded, seven are nominated by publishers and are judged by professionals from the industry rather than the CWA itself. The four remaining daggers — including the Diamond Dagger, the Debut Dagger, the Publishers’ Dagger, and the Dagger in the Library — are nominated by parties that are not publishers. So, without further ado, check out these 2021 CWA Dagger Award Winners!
2021 CWA Dagger Award Winners
Diamond Dagger
Martina Cole This most esteemed dagger commemorates a writer for a lifetime contribution to crime writing.
Gold Dagger
We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker Highly Commended: Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby House of Correction by Nicci French
Ian Fleming Steel Dagger
When She Was Good by Michael Robotham
John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger
The Creak on the Stairs by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir, translated by Victoria Cribb
Sapere Books Historical Dagger
Midnight at Malabar House by Vaseem Khan
Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger
The Disaster Tourist by Yun Ko-Eun, translated by Lizzie Buehler
Short Story Dagger
“Monsters” by Clare Mackintosh in First Edition: Celebrating 21 Years of Goldsboro Books
ALCS Gold Dagger For Non-Fiction
Written in Bone by Sue Black
Debut Dagger
Deception by Hannah Redding Highly Commended: Underwater by Fiona McPhillips
Dagger in the Library
Peter May
Publishers’ Dagger
Head of Zeus
Margery Allingham Short Story Competition
“Heartbridge Homicides” by Camilla Macpherson
That’s a Wrap!
Interested in more Dagger Award Winners? Check out the award winners archive here. Looking ahead to the 2022 nominees? Titles are being reviewed now! Books with publication dates from January 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021 have a closing nomination date of July 31, and nominations for books published between July 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021 will be accepted through November 15, 2021. For more award winners, check out these 2021 Pulitzer Prize Winners!
