Edgar® 2008 Awards
For Works Published in 2007
last updated 3/21/2007
General Eligibility •
Eligibility for Specific CategoriesEntry Procedure and Forms •
DeadlinesCurrent SubmissionsAll books, short stories, television shows, and films in the mystery, crime, suspense, and intrigue fields are eligible for Edgar® Awards in their respective category if they were published or produced for the first time in the U.S. during this calendar year.
The work must be published for the first time in the United States in 2007. Only a work with a copyright date of 2007 will be eligible for consideration in 2007 (with the following exception; see the note below).
Foreign books may have an earlier copyright but the year of consideration must be the year of its first publication in the United States.
Television episodes, features and miniseries, plays, and motion pictures must have been shown for the first time in the United States in 2007.
In the case of plays, which often have many readings, workshops and showcases in advance of a premiere performance, the determination of whether a production has a "first" or major performance in the judging year is left to the discretion of the best play committee.
A work may be submitted to only one committee except in the case of the Robert L. Fish Award and the Mary Higgins Clark Award.
Note: Copyright date shall prevail over publication date in determining the year of eligibility. However, MWA recognizes that problems beyond the control of the author can cause a work with a copyright of one year to be published in the following year, thereby preventing submission of the work even in galley or page proof form to the Edgar® committee during the copyright year. In such cases, a work may be submitted to the committee in the year of publication provided the work was not submitted in any form to the committee during copyright year.
To prevent confusion or rejection, the author must petition the General Awards Chair and the chair of the appropriate awards committee and send a statement from the publisher stating that the work was not available during the copyright year. No work can be submitted in both the copyright year and the publication year.
PLEASE NOTE: Effective as of the 2006 reading year, all works submitted for consideration must meet the requirements for active membership status as described in the membership guidelines. While the author does not need to be a member of MWA, the work itself must make the author eligible for active status. In addition, all publishers submitting work must be on MWA's approved publisher list or otherwise qualify to be added to that list. See the "
Membership: Active Status" section of our web site for the details.
Eligibility for Specific Categories
Best Novel
Hardbound only.
Best First Novel (that is also a mystery) by an American Author
Hardbound or paperback. Only first-time US-born novelists are eligible for this award. This is the only category in which foreign authors may not compete. If an author publishing his or her first mystery has previously published a fictional novel of any type (except if it is self-published) or even if using a different pen name at the time, then he or she is ineligible for the Best First Edgar®. An author failing the above test can still submit that novel for consideration in the Best Novel category. Similarly, while a non-US born writer publishing a first mystery in America is ineligible for the Best First Edgar®, he or she can still submit that novel in the Best Novel category.
Best Paperback Original
Novels published only in paperback. Paperback first novels are not eligible for this category and must be submitted under Best First Novel.
Best Critical/Biographical
Hardbound or paperback. "Biographical" refers to biographies of mystery writers or other notable practitioners of the genre, not to criminals. Those books should be submitted to the Best Fact Crime committee.
Best Fact Crime
Hardbound or paperbound. Nonfiction.
Best Short Story
From magazines, periodicals, book-length anthologies and web sites. Short stories are identified as work of up to 22,000 words; works above that word count should be submitted to the appropriate novel committee. This committee also selects the winner of the
Robert L. Fish Memorial Award for the best first published mystery short story by a previously unpublished author. When submitting a short story for the Fish Award, please note this in the category section of the entry form.
Best Children's Mystery
Hardbound or paperback. Preschool up to Grade 7, but not including, young adult -- or, the ages 5 - 11.
Best Young Adult Mystery
Hardbound or paperback. Grades 8 - 12. Age 12 -18.
Best Motion Picture Screenplay
Theatrical release through December 31, 2006.
Best Television Feature or Miniseries Teleplay
Submit copy of DVD or VHS tape of made-for-TV productions actually aired.
Best Television Series Episode Teleplay
Submit copy of DVD or VHS tape of episodes actually aired.
Best Play
Eligibility requirements are available upon request.
Mary Higgins Clark Award
The winner will be selected by a Special MWA Committee for the book most closely written in the Mary Higgins Clark Tradition according to
guidelines set forth by Mary Higgins Clark.
Entry Procedure and FormsWith the exception of the Robert L. Fish and Mary Higgins Clark awards, a work can be submitted to only one Edgar® committee. It is the responsibility of the publisher or producer to submit works to the appropriate committee.
One copy of each eligible work must be sent to each member of the proper committee along with a copy of the submission form. In addition, only the submission form is sent to the MWA National Office. Contact the MWA National Headquarters for a list of the judges' names and addresses: use our
interactive response form or call 212-888-8171.
Send the entry form (links to online forms below) to:MWA National Office,17 E. 47th St. 6th Floor,New York NY 10017.A completed entry form is required for submission.
Entry Form for Book •
Entry Form for Short StoryEntry Form for Motion Picture/TelevisionYou may:
Submit the form online
Mail it to the MWA National Office, 17 E. 47th St. 6th Floor, New York NY 10017
Fax it to 212-888-8107
Works should be submitted by the publisher, but may also be submitted by the author or agent. There is no entry fee, and no limit to the number of entries from a publisher or an individual author.
DeadlinesWe suggest that work be submitted on the following schedule to assist the judging committee. Meeting these deadlines is not a requirement for eligibility; however, it will greatly aid the judging process.
For works published/released January 1 - March 31: Submit by March 31.
For works published/released April 1 - June 30: Submit by June 30.
For works published/released July 1 - September 30: Submit by September 30.
For works published/released October 1-December 30: Submit by November 30. Books with a December publication date may be submitted in galleys.
Please Note: No work will be accepted after November 30.(This does not apply to works available only in December, such as television shows. All books must be submitted by November 30.)
Nominations are usually announced the first week in February of the following year and the winners are announced at the annual Edgar® Awards Banquet, which takes place in New York City in late April or early May each year.
