The Edgar Awards are given out every year by the Mystery Writers of America, an organization located in New York City. The awards are named after Edgar Allan Poe, an American writer who lived from 1809 to 1849 and helped start the mystery genre. These awards recognize the best works in mystery fiction, non-fiction, television, film, and theater from the past year.
Active author categories
The Robert L. Fish Memorial Award was created in 1984 to recognize the best first mystery short story written by an American author. The winners are listed below.
The Lilian Jackson Braun Award was created in 2022 to honor Lilian Jackson Braun. It is given for the "best full-length, contemporary cozy mystery."
The G. P. Putnam's Sons Sue Grafton Memorial Award was created in 2019 to honor Sue Grafton. It is awarded to "the best novel in a series featuring a female protagonist."
The Edgar Allan Poe Grand Master Award was created in 1955. The award "recognizes important contributions to the mystery genre and a body of work that is both meaningful and consistently high quality."
The Grand Master Award winners follow:
The Raven Award was created in 1953 to honor "outstanding achievement in the mystery field that is not related to writing stories."
The Ellery Queen Award was created in 1983 "to recognize outstanding writing teams and individuals in the mystery book industry." The winners are listed below.
The Simon & Schuster Mary Higgins Clark Award was created in 2001.
Active story categories
The Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Fact Crime was created in 1948.
The Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Critical/Biographical Work was created in 1977.
The Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel was created in 1954.
The Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Paperback Original was created in 1970.
The Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel was created in 1946.
The Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Young Adult Novel was created in 1989.
The Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Juvenile was created in 1961.
The Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Short Story was created in 1951.
The Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Episode in a TV Series was created in 1952.
Discontinued categories
The Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Book Jacket was created in 1955 and stopped in 1975.
The Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Foreign Film was created in 1949 and stopped in 1966.
The Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay was created in 1946 and stopped in 2009.
The Edgar Allan Poe Award for Outstanding Mystery Criticism was created in 1946 and stopped in 1967.
The Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Play was created in 1950 and is not given every year.
The Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Radio Drama was created in 1946 and stopped in 1960.
The Edgar Allan Poe Special Award was created in 1949 and is not given every year.
The Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Television Feature or Miniseries was created in 1972 and stopped in 2007.