Gold Dagger
The CWA Gold Dagger is an award given annually by the Crime Writers' Association of the United Kingdom since 1960 for the best crime novel of the year.
From 1955 to 1959, the organization named their top honor as the Crossed Red Herring Award. From 1995 to 2002 the award acquired sponsorship from Macallan and was known as the Macallan Gold Dagger.
In 2006, because of new sponsorship from the Duncan Lawrie Bank, the award was officially renamed as the Duncan Lawrie Dagger, and gained a prize fund of £20,000. It was the biggest crime-fiction award in the world in monetary terms. In 2008, Duncan Lawrie Bank withdrew its sponsorship of the awards. As a result, the top prize is again called the Gold Dagger without a monetary award.
From 1969 to 2005, a Silver Dagger was awarded to the runner-up. When Duncan Lawrie acquired sponsorship, this award was dropped. After the sponsorship was withdrawn, this award was not reinstated.
Since its inception, the award has been given to 57 writers. Ruth Rendell has won the award a record four times, including two awards for the novels A Fatal Inversion and King Solomon's Carpet, published under the pseudonym Barbara Vine; this makes her the only writer who has won the award under different names. Rendell and James Lee Burke were nominated a record five times, and they were surpassed only by Mick Herron with six. Abir Mukherjee is the most nominated author in this category without a single win.
The Crime Writers' Association also awards the CWA Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction and several other "Dagger" awards.
Winners
Winners and, where known, shortlisted titles for each year:1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
Multiple awards and nominations
Gold Dagger
The following individuals received two or more Gold Dagger awards:| Wins | Author | Nominations |
| 4 | Ruth Rendell | 5 |
| 2 | Eric Ambler | 4 |
| 2 | Colin Dexter | 4 |
| 2 | Minette Walters | 4 |
| 2 | John le Carré | 3 |
| 2 | Lionel Davidson | 2 |
| 2 | Peter Dickinson | 2 |
| 2 | Joan Fleming | 2 |
| 2 | H. R. F. Keating | 2 |
| 2 | Michael Robotham | 2 |
The following individuals received two or more Gold Dagger nominations:
| Nominations | Author |
| 6 | Mick Herron |
| 5 | James Lee Burke |
| 5 | Ruth Rendell |
| 4 | Eric Ambler |
| 4 | Belinda Bauer |
| 4 | Colin Dexter |
| 4 | Frances Fyfield |
| 4 | Peter Lovesey |
| 4 | Val McDermid |
| 4 | Abir Mukherjee |
| 4 | Minette Walters |
| 3 | John le Carré |
| 3 | Michael Dibdin |
| 3 | P. D. James |
| 3 | Sara Paretsky |
| 3 | George Pelecanos |
| 2 | Claire Askew |
| 2 | Margot Bennett |
| 2 | Mark Billingham |
| 2 | Francis Clifford |
| 2 | Liza Cody |
| 2 | Michael Connelly |
| 2 | S. A. Cosby |
| 2 | Denise Danks |
| 2 | Lionel Davidson |
| 2 | Peter Dickinson |
| 2 | Joan Fleming |
| 2 | Dick Francis |
| 2 | Robert Galbraith |
| 2 | M. R. Hall |
| 2 | Steve Hamilton |
| 2 | Reginald Hill |
| 2 | H. R. F. Keating |
| 2 | Emma Lathen |
| 2 | Donna Leon |
| 2 | Gavin Lyall |
| 2 | Ross Macdonald |
| 2 | Ngaio Marsh |
| 2 | James H. McClure |
| 2 | William McIlvanney |
| 2 | Derek B. Miller |
| 2 | Denise Mina |
| 2 | Janet Neel |
| 2 | Anthony Price |
| 2 | Ian Rankin |
| 2 | Michael Robotham |
| 2 | Martin Cruz Smith |
| 2 | Julian Symons |
| 2 | Colin Watson |
| 2 | Laura Wilson |
| 2 | Robert Wilson |
Silver Dagger
The following individuals received two or more Silver Dagger awards:| Wins | Author | Nominations |
| 3 | Peter Lovesey | 4 |
| 3 | P. D. James | 3 |
| 2 | Colin Dexter | 4 |
| 2 | Francis Clifford | 2 |
| 2 | William McIlvanney | 2 |
Gold and Silver Daggers wins
The following individuals received both Gold and Silver Dagger awards:- Colin Dexter
- James H. McClure
- Sara Paretsky
- Anthony Price
- Peter Lovesey
- Ruth Rendell
Records
- Ngaio Marsh was the first writer to receive more than one nomination.
- Ross Macdonald was the first writer to receive two consecutive nominations
- Peter Dickinson is the first writer to receive two Gold Daggers. He and Ruth Rendell are the only ones to win in this category two years in a row.
- Joan Fleming is the first female to win two awards.
- Anthony Price is the first writer to win both the Gold and Silver Daggers.
- P.D. James and Peter Lovesey win a record three Silver Daggers. James also won the most Silver Daggers as the author who never won a Gold Dagger.
- Colin Dexter is the only writer to win both two Silver and two Gold Daggers.
- Ruth Rendell has won the Gold Dagger a record four times. She is also the only one to win the award under different names.
- Mick Herron have the most nominations with 6.
- Mick Herron has the most consecutive nominations.
- Abir Mukherjee has the most nominations without a win.