Harrogate International Festivals announces new award dedicated to world icon of crime novels

Inspired by bestselling author Val McDermid, The McDermid Debut Award will be presented in Harrogate on the opening night of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, the world’s largest and most prestigious celebration of crime and thriller fiction.

McDermid has a long association with the festival which takes place each July in the Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate, in particular, through her legendary New Blood panels highlighting new talent.

Val McDermid said: “Curating the New Blood panel over 20 years has 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.”

The new award seeks to celebrate the best debut crime writers in the UK and Ireland and is open to full-length debut crime novels published for the first time in hardback or paperback original between May 1, 2023 and April 30, 2024.

A shortlist of six titles, selected by an academy of established crime and thriller authors, will be announced on Thursday, June 13 with the winner determined by a judging panel of industry experts, including literary, broadcasting and media figures.

Chief Executive of Harrogate International Festivals, Sharon Canavar, said: “We are delighted to announce this new award honouring Val McDermid, one of the icons of the genre, and we can’t wait to discover the stars of the future, be they writers of psychological thrillers or murder mysteries."

The winning debut book will be announced at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Awards event on Thursday, July 18, the opening night of the festival, when a cash prize of £500 will be presented.

Running from July 18-21, this year’s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Awards are curated by bestselling crime writer and 2024 Festival Programming Chair Ruth Ware.

Special guests include global bestsellers and fan favourites Richard Osman, Chris Carter, Jane Casey, Elly Griffiths, Erin Kelly, Vaseem Khan, Liz Nugent and more.

More information: https://harrogatetheakstoncrimeaward.com/