The McDermid Debut Award for new crime writers has been launched by Harrogate Festival, named after ‘Queen of Crime’, Val McDermid. The new prize will be open to authors from the UK and Ireland whose debut novels have been published for the first time between 1st May 2023 and 30th April 2024, with the first winner to be announced at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in June 2024.

The organisers of the McDermid Debut Award said: “Named in recognition of world-famous crime writer Val McDermid, who co-founded the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in 2003 and whose dedication to fostering new voices in crime fiction through the New Blood panel is legendary, this new award seeks to continue her legacy, celebrating and platforming the best debut crime writers in the UK.”

Val said: “Curating the New Blood panel over 20 years exposed me to an extraordinary range of crime fiction I might otherwise have missed. I’m hoping that this new award will do the same for the army of avid readers out there looking for new talent.”

We are delighted to see Val’s achievements and dedication to amplifying the voices of new crime writers honoured through the Prize. Read more about it here.