The Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence, formerly known as the Arthur Ellis Awards, are a group of

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

literary awards, presented annually by the

Crime Writers of Canada {{primary sources, date=January 2015 Crime Writers of Canada (CWC) is a national, non-profit organization, founded in 1982 by Derrick Murdock and other professional crime writers. Its mandate is to promote crime writing in Canada and to raise the p ...

for the best Canadian crime and

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

writing published in the previous year. The award is presented at a gala dinner in the year following publication. The awards were named for Arthur Ellis, the pseudonym of Canada's official hangman. In 2021 the Crime Writers of Canada announced that they were retiring Arthur Ellis's name from the awards, renaming them to their current name.Vicky Qiao
"Will Ferguson among the winners of 2021 Crime Writers of Canada Awards"

CBC Books CBC Arts (french: Radio-Canada Arts) is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that creates and curates written articles, short documentaries, non-fiction series and interactive projects that represent the excellence of Canada's div ...

, May 28, 2021.

Best Novel

* 1984 - Eric Wright, ''The Night the Gods Smiled''"Crime Writers of Canada honors Murdoch, Wright". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', May 25, 1984. * 1985 -

Howard Engel Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probabl ...

, ''Murder Sees the Light'' * 1986 - Eric Wright, ''Death in the Old Country''"Crime writers honor two authors". ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'', May 7, 1986. * 1987 - Edward O. Phillips, ''Buried on Sunday''"Montreal novelist Phillips wins crime writers' prize". ''

Montreal Gazette The ''Montreal Gazette'', formerly titled ''The Gazette'', is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Three other daily English-language newspapers shuttered at various times during the second half of th ...

'', May 26, 1987. * 1988 -

Carol Shields Carol Ann Shields, (née Warner; June 2, 1935 – July 16, 2003) was an American-born Canadian novelist and short story writer. She is best known for her 1993 novel '' The Stone Diaries'', which won the U.S. Pulitzer Prize for Fiction as well a ...

, '' Swann''"Crime writers honor their own". ''

'', May 20, 1988. * 1989 -

Chris Scott Christopher or Chris Scott may refer to: Sports *Chris Scott (Australian footballer) (born 1976), Australian rules footballer and coach *Chris Scott (cricketer, born 1964), English cricketer for Nottinghamshire and Durham *Chris Scott (cricketer, b ...

, ''Jack''"Crime writer's prize slips from his grasp". ''

'', May 19, 1989. * 1990 -

Laurence Gough Laurence is an English and French given name (usually female in French and usually male in English). The English masculine name is a variant of Lawrence and it originates from a French form of the Latin ''Laurentius'', a name meaning "man from L ...

, ''Hot Shots''"B.C. author wins prize for best crime novel". ''

Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. Published s ...

'', May 25, 1990. * 1991 - L. R. Wright, ''A Chill Rain in January''"'Chilling' novel captures top crime writers award". ''

Waterloo Region Record The ''Waterloo Region Record'' (formerly ''The Record'') is the daily newspaper covering Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada, including the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge, as well as the surrounding area. Since December 1998, the ''Re ...

'', May 27, 1991. * 1992 - Peter Robinson, ''

Past Reason Hated ''Past Reason Hated'' is the fifth novel by Canadian detective fiction writer Peter Robinson in the Inspector Banks series of novels. It was published in 1991, and won the 1992 Arthur Ellis Award The Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excelle ...

''"Crime writers get just deserts". ''

'', June 4, 1992. * 1993 -

Carsten Stroud Karsten or Carsten is a both a given name and a surname. It is believed to be either derived from a Low German form of Christian, or "man from karst". Notable persons with the name include: Given name ;Carsten: * Carsten Charles Sabathia (born 1 ...

, ''Lizardskin''"Sometimes, crime pays". ''

'', May 20, 1993. * 1994 -

John Lawrence Reynolds John Lawrence Reynolds is a Canadian author. He has published more than 30 fiction and non-fiction books. Three of his novels won the Arthur Ellis Award—''The Man Who Murdered God'' (1990), ''Gypsy Sins'' (1994) and ''Murder Among the Pines'' (2 ...

, ''Gypsy Sins''New, William H. (ed.) ''Encyclopedia of Literature in Canada''.

University of Toronto Press The University of Toronto Press is a Canadian university press founded in 1901. Although it was founded in 1901, the press did not actually publish any books until 1911. The press originally printed only examination books and the university calen ...

, 2002. . p. 65. * 1995 -

Gail Bowen Gail Dianne Bowen ( Bartholomew; born September 22, 1942) is a Canadian playwright, writer of Mystery fiction, mystery novels and educator. Biography Born in Toronto, Ontario, Bowen was educated at the University of Toronto, where she earned a ...

, ''A Colder Kind of Death''"Bowen wins Ellis prize for latest novel: Fourth in Kilbourn mystery series brings Prairie crime writer $500 and trophy". ''

'', June 1, 1995. * 1996 - L.R. Wright, ''Mother Love''"Wright wins book award". ''

'', May 30, 1996. * 1997 - Peter Robinson, ''

Innocent Graves '' Innocent Graves '' is the eighth novel by Canadian detective fiction writer Peter Robinson in the Inspector Banks series of novels. The novel was first printed in 1996, but has been reprinted a number of times since. The novel was selected ...

'' * 1998 -

William Deverell William Herbert Deverell (born March 4, 1937) is a Canadian novelist, activist, and criminal lawyer. He is one of Canada's best-known novelists, whose first book, ''Needles'', which drew on his experiences as a criminal lawyer, won the McCle ...

, ''Trial of Passion''"Deverell wins top crime-writing prize for Trial of Passion". ''

'', May 22, 1998. * 1999 - Nora Kelly, ''Old Wounds''"Crime does pay for novelists". ''

Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the '' ...

'', May 28, 1999. * 2000 -

Rosemary Aubert Rosemary Aubert (born May 4, 1946) is a Canadian-American author, poet, and critic, most known for her Ellis Portal series of crime novels. She won the Arthur Ellis Award for best crime novel in 1999 for her book ''The Feast of Stephen''. Auber ...

, ''The Feast of Stephen''Egle Procuta, "Novel about former judge wins crime prize". ''

'', May 25, 2000. * 2001 - Peter Robinson, ''

Cold is the Grave '' Cold Is the Grave '' is the 11th novel by Anglo-Canadian detective fiction writer Peter Robinson in the Inspector Banks series, published in 2000. It won the 2001 Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel, and the Danish Palle Rosenkrantz Aw ...

''"Arthur Ellis Awards to Robinson, Wright". ''

'', May 25, 2001. * 2002 -

Michelle Spring Michelle Stanworth (born 1947) is a Canadian sociologist and writer of mystery fiction, who has published both academic work under her own name and mystery fiction under the pen name Michelle Spring.Guelph Mercury The ''Guelph Mercury'' was an English language daily newspaper published in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It published a mix of community, national and international news and is owned by the Torstar Corporation. The newspaper, in many incarnations, w ...

'', June 14, 2002. * 2003 -

Rick Mofina Rick Mofina is a Canadian author of crime fiction and thriller novels. He grew up in Belleville, Ontario and began writing short stories in school. He sold his first short story at the age of fifteen. As a member of the Mystery Writers of Americ ...

, ''Blood of Others''"James Nichol wins Arthur Ellis award for first crime novel: 20th anniversary of awards for crime novels". ''

Moose Jaw Times-Herald The ''Moose Jaw Times-Herald'' was a daily newspaper serving the city of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada, and the surrounding area. It was printed Tuesdays through Saturdays (Monday editions ended in 2016). J.N. McDonald founded the ''Times'' as ...

'', June 5, 2003. * 2004 -

Giles Blunt Giles Blunt (born 1952) is a Canadian novelist, poet, and screenwriter. His first novel, ''Cold Eye'', was a psychological thriller set in the New York art world, which was made into the French movie ''Les Couleurs du diable'' (Allain Jessua, 199 ...

, ''The Delicate Storm''"Book on Hells Angels takes prize". ''

Brantford Expositor The ''Brantford Expositor'' is an English language newspaper based in Brantford, Ontario and owned by Postmedia. It provides the readers with coverage of local news, sports and events to the community as well as coverage of provincial, national a ...

'', June 12, 2004. * 2005 - Barbara Fradkin, ''Fifth Son''"Ottawa psychologist wins award for best Canadian crime novel". ''

Alberni Valley Times The ''Alberni Valley Times'' was a Canadian daily newspaper published weekdays in Port Alberni, on Vancouver Island in British Columbia until it was closed in 2015 by the Black Press. The paper is owned by Black Press, which also published the ''N ...

'', June 10, 2005. * 2006 -

, ''April Fool''Vanessa Farquharson, "Author William Deverell's April Fool wins prize for best Canadian crime novel". ''

National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper available in several cities in central and western Canada. The paper is the flagship publication of Postmedia Network and is published Mondays through Saturdays, with ...

'', June 9, 2006. * 2007 - Barbara Fradkin, ''Honour Among Men''Brianna Goldberg, "Cheesy mystery wins novel prize. ''

Calgary Herald The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network. History ''The ...

'', June 8, 2007. * 2008 - Jon Redfern, ''Trumpets Sound No More''"Jon Redfern wins second Arthur Ellis Award for historical crime novel". ''

Prince George Citizen The ''Prince George Citizen'' is a weekly newspaper located in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. It is owned by Glacier Media. In addition to Prince George, the ''Citizen'' also covers the outlying communities of Fort St. James, Fraser ...

'', June 7, 2008. * 2009 -

Linwood Barclay Linwood Barclay (born 1955) is an American-born Canadian author, noted as a novelist, humorist, and (former) columnist. His popular detective novels are bestsellers in Canada and internationally, beginning with ''No Time for Goodbye'' in 2007. B ...

, '' Too Close to Home''"Canada's crime writers announce winners of 2009 Arthur Ellis Awards".

Canadian Press The Canadian Press (CP; french: La Presse canadienne, ) is a Canadian national news agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1917 as a vehicle for the time's Canadian newspapers to exchange news and information, The Canadian Pre ...

, June 5, 2009 * 2010 - Howard Shrier, ''High Chicago''"Shrier wins Ellis Award for crime, mystery writing". ''

'', May 28, 2010. * 2011 -

Louise Penny Louise Penny is a Canadian author of mystery novels set in the Canadian province of Quebec centred on the work of francophone Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec. Penny's first career was as a radio broadcaster for the Can ...

, ''Bury Your Dead''"Penny, Cameron win Arthur Ellis Awards". ''

'', June 4, 2011. * 2012 - Peter Robinson, ''Before the Poison''Mark Medley, "Arthur Ellis Awards practically criminal". ''

'', June 1, 2012. * 2013 -

, ''Until the Night''"Giles Blunt, Steve Lillebuen take home Arthur Ellis Awards for crime writing".

, May 31, 2013. * 2014 - Seán Haldane, ''The Devil's Making''"Bronte author wins crime writing award". ''

Hamilton Spectator ''The Hamilton Spectator'', founded in 1846, is a newspaper published weekdays and Saturdays in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. One of the largest Canadian newspapers by circulation,''The Hamilton Spectator'' is owned by Torstar. History ''The Hami ...

'', June 14, 2014. * 2015 - C. C. Humphreys, ''Plague: Murder Has a New Friend''Becky Robertson
"Margaret Atwood, C.C. Humphreys among 2015 Arthur Ellis Award winners"
''

Quill & Quire ''Quill & Quire'' is a Canadian magazine about the book and publishing industry. The magazine was launched in 1935 and has an average circulation of 5,000 copies per issue, with a publisher-claimed readership of 25,000. ''Quill & Quire'' reviews ...

'', May 29, 2015. * 2016 - Peter Kirby, ''Open Season''Erin Knoll
"Peter Kirby, Ausma Zehanat Khan win Arthur Ellis Awards for crime writing"

, July 17, 2016. * 2017 -

Donna Morrissey Donna Morrissey (born in The Beaches, Newfoundland) is a Canadian author. At age 16, Morrissey left her birthplace of The Beaches, a small outport on the west coast of Newfoundland. She lived in various places in Canada before returning to St. J ...

, ''The Fortunate Brother''"Elle Wild, Donna Morrissey and Gordon Korman highlight 2017 Arthur Ellis Awards winners"
''

'', May 29, 2017. * 2018 - Peter Robinson, ''Sleeping in the Ground''Deborah Dundas, "Robinson and Barclay snag coveted crime-writing awards: The Arthur Ellis Awards include bragging rights and a macabre statue". ''

'', May 27, 2018. * 2019 - Anne Emery, ''Though the Heavens Fall'' * 2020 - Michael Christie, ''Greenwood''Debra Yeo
"Climate change novel ‘Greenwood’ wins Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel"
''

'', May 25, 2020. * 2021 -

Will Ferguson William Stener Ferguson (born October 12, 1964) is a Canadian travel writer and novelist who won the Scotiabank Giller Prize for his novel ''419''. Ferguson was born fourth of six children in the former fur trading post of Fort Vermilion, Albert ...

, ''The Finder''

Best First Novel

* 1987 - Medora Sale, ''Murder on the Run'' * 1988 - Laurence Gough, ''The Goldfish Bowl'' * 1989 - John Brady, ''A Stone of the Heart'' * 1990 -

, ''The Man Who Murdered God'' * 1991 - Carsten Stroud, ''Sniper's Moon'' * 1992 - Paul Grescoe, ''Flesh Wound'' * 1993 -

Sean Stewart Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as ''Shaun/Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; angliciz ...

, ''Passion Play'' * 1994 - Gavin Scott, ''Memory Trace''Val Ross, "Atwood, Findley win literary awards". ''

'', June 2, 1994. * 1995 - Sparkle Hayter, ''What's A Girl Gotta Do?'' * 1996 - (tie) John Spencer Hill, ''The Last Castrato'' and D.H. Toole, ''Moonlit Days and Nights'' * 1997 - C. C. Benison, ''Death At Buckingham Palace'' * 1998 -

Kathy Reichs Kathleen Joan Reichs (née Toelle, born 1950) is an American crime writer, forensic anthropologist and academic. She is an adjunct professor of anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Early life and education Kathleen J ...

, ''Déja Dead'' * 1999 - Liz Brady, ''Sudden Blow'' * 2000 -

Andrew Pyper Andrew Pyper (born March 29, 1968) is an award-winning Canadian author. Early life: childhood and education Pyper's parents emigrated from Northern Ireland to Stratford, Ontario. His father was an ophthalmologist, his mother trained as a nurse. P ...

, ''Lost Girls'' * 2001 - Mark Zuehlke, ''Hands Like Clouds'' * 2002 - Jon Redfern, ''The Boy Must Die'' * 2003 - James W. Nichol, ''Midnight Cab'' * 2004 - Jan Rehner, ''Just Murder'' * 2005 -

Jon Evans Jon Evans (born April 11, 1973) is a Canadian novelist, journalist, adventure traveler, and software engineer. Early life Born to an expatriate Rhodesian father and Canadian mother, Evans grew up in Waterloo, Ontario and graduated from the Uni ...

, ''Dark Places'' * 2006 -

, ''Still Life'' * 2007 - Anne Emery, ''Sign of the Cross'' * 2008 - Liam Durcan, ''Garcia's Heart'' * 2009 - Howard Shrier, ''Buffalo Jump'' * 2010 - Alan Bradley, ''

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie ''The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie '' is a 2009 mystery by Alan Bradley. Set in the English countryside in 1950, it features Flavia de Luce, an 11-year-old amateur sleuth who pulls herself away from her beloved chemistry lab in order to c ...

'' * 2011 - Avner Mandelman, ''The Debba'' * 2012 - Ian Hamilton, ''The Water Rat of Wanchai'' * 2013 - Simone St. James, ''The Haunting of Maddy Clare'' * 2014 - J. Kent Messum, ''Bait'' * 2015 - Steve Burrows, ''A Siege of Bitterns'' * 2016 - Ausma Zehanat Khan, ''The Unquiet Dead'' * 2017 - Elle Wild, ''Strange Things Done'' * 2018 - Dave Butler, ''Full Curl'' * 2019 - A.J. Devlin, ''Cobra Clutch'' * 2020 - Philip Elliott, ''Nobody Move'' * 2021 - Guglielmo D'Izzia, ''The Transaction''

Best Novella

* 2013 - Lou Allin, ''Contingency Plan'' * 2014 - Melodie Campbell, ''The Goddaughter's Revenge'' * 2015 - Jas R. Petrin, ''A Knock on the Door'' * 2016 - Jeremy Bates, ''Black Canyon'' * 2017 - Rick Blechta, ''Rundown'' * 2018 - Mike Culpepper, ''How Lon Pruitt Was Found Murdered in an Open Field with No Footprints Around'' * 2019 - John Lawrence Reynolds, ''Murder Among the Pines'' * 2020 - Wayne Arthurson, '' The Red Chesterfield'' * 2021 - Sam Wiebe, ''Never Going Back''

Best Crime Book in French

* 2000 - Lionel Noël, * 2001 - Norbert Spehner, * 2002 - Anne-Michèle Lévesque, * 2003 - Jacques Côté, * 2004 - Jean Lemieux, * 2005 - Ann Lamontagne, * 2006 - Gérard Galarneau, * 2007 - No award given * 2008 - Mario Bolduc, * 2009 - Jacques Côté, * 2010 - Jean Lemieux, * 2011 - Jacques Côté, * 2012 - Martin Michaud, * 2013 - Mario Bolduc, * 2014 - Maureen Martineau, * 2015 - Andrée A. Michaud, * 2016 - Luc Chartrand, * 2017 - Marie-Ève Bourassa, * 2018 - Marie Saur, * 2019 - Hervé Gagnon, * 2020 - Andrée A. Michaud, * 2021 - Roxanne Bouchard,

Best Juvenile or Young Adult Crime Book

*1994 - John Dowd, ''Abalone Summer'' *1995 -

James Heneghan James Heneghan (7 October 1930 – 23 April 2021) was a British–Canadian author of children's and young adult novels. Heneghan grew up Liverpool, England, and emigrated to Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1957, where he lived until his death on ...

, ''Torn Away'' *1996 -

Norah McClintock Norah McClintock (March 11, 1952 – February 6, 2017) was a Canadian writer of young adult fiction who published more than 60 books. She won five Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence. Biography McClintock was born March 11, 1952 in P ...

, ''Mistaken Identity'' *1997 - Linda Bailey, ''How Can a Frozen Detective Stay Hot on the Trail?'' *1998 -

, ''The Body in the Basement'' *1999 -

, ''Sins of the Father'' *2000 - Linda Bailey, ''How Can a Brilliant Detective Shine in the Dark?'' *2001 -

Tim Wynne-Jones Tim Wynne-Jones, (born 12 August 1948) is an English–Canadian author of children's literature, including picture books and novels for children and young adults, novels for adults, radio dramas, songs for the CBC/Jim Henson production ''Fraggl ...

, ''

The Boy in the Burning House ''The Boy in the Burning House'' is a young adult mystery novel by English-Canadian author Tim Wynne-Jones. It was first published in Canada in 2000 by Groundwood Books; the first American edition was published in 2001 by Farrar, Straus and Girou ...

'' *2002 -

, ''Scared to Death'' *2003 -

, ''Break and Enter'' *2004 - Graham McNamee, ''Acceleration'' *2005 -

Carrie Mac Carrie Mac (born February 25, 1975) is a Canadian author of more than a dozen novels for Young Adults, both contemporary and speculative. Her latest work is the literary novel, LAST WINTER, due out from Random House Canada in early 2023. She also w ...

, ''The Beckoners'' *2006 - Vicki Grant, ''Quid Pro Quo'' *2007 -

Sean Cullen Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as ''Shaun/ Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; anglici ...

, ''Hamish X and the Cheese Pirates'' *2008 -

Shane Peacock Shane Peacock may refer to: * Shane Peacock (writer) (born 1957), Canadian novelist * Shane Peacock (ice hockey) (born 1973), Canadian ice hockey player * Shane Peacock (fashion designer), Indian fashion designer and judge of the Femina Miss India ...

, ''Eye of the Crow'' *2009 -

Sharon E. McKay Sharon E. McKay (born 1954) is a Canadian author of novels and graphic novels for children and young adults, that often focus on children going through hardships throughout the world. She was born in 1954 in Montreal, Quebec, and earned a B.A. f ...

, ''War Brothers'' *2010 -

Barbara Haworth-Attard Barbara Haworth-Attard (born July 25, 1953) is a Canadian children's writer who lives in London, Ontario, Canada. Works *''The Three Wishbells'' - 1995 *''Dark of the Moon'' - 1995 *''Home Child'' - 1996 *''TruthSinger'' - 1996 *''Buried Trea ...

, ''Haunted'' *2011 - Alice Kuipers, ''The Worst Thing She Ever Did'' *2012 -

, ''Blink & Caution'' *2013 -

, ''Becoming Holmes'' *2014 - Elizabeth MacLeod, ''Bones Never Lie'' *2015 -

Sigmund Brouwer Sigmund Brouwer (born 1959) is a prolific Canadian author of children's, young adult, and adult books. He has over 100 titles and four million books in print. Brouwer's novel, ''Dead Man's Switch'', won the Arthur Ellis Award in 2015 for Canada ...

, ''Dead Man's Switch'' *2016 - Stephanie Tromly, ''Trouble Is a Friend of Mine'' *2017 -

Gordon Korman Gordon Korman (born October 23, 1963) is a Canadian American author. Korman has written 100 children's books, children's and young adult fiction books. Korman's books have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide over a career spanning four dec ...

, ''Masterminds'' *2018 -

, ''Chase: Get Ready to Run'' *2019 -

, ''Escape'' *2020 - Tom Ryan, ''Keep This to Yourself'' *2021 - Frances Greenslade, ''Red Fox Road''

Best Crime Nonfiction

* 1985 -

Martin Friedland Martin Lawrence Friedland, (born September 21, 1932) is a Canadian lawyer, academic and author. He received a Bachelor of Commerce, BComm. (1955), Bachelor of Commerce, LL.B. (1958), and honorary LL.D. from the University of Toronto, and a PhD ...

, ''The Trials of Israel Lipsky'' * 1986 -

Maggie Siggins Marjorie May "Maggie" Siggins (born 28 May 1942) is a Canadian journalist and writer. She was a recipient of the 1992 Governor General's Award for Literary Merit for her non-fiction work ''Revenge of the Land: A Century of Greed, Tragedy and Murd ...

, ''A Canadian Tragedy'' * 1987 -

Elliott Leyton Elliott Leyton (August 21, 1939 – February 14, 2022) was a Canadian social-anthropologist, educator and author who, according to the CTV television news network, was amongst the most widely consulted experts on serial homicide worldwide. Bio ...

, ''Hunting Humans'' * 1988 -

Gary Ross Gary Ross (born November 3, 1956) is an American film director, writer, and producer. He is best known for writing and directing the fantasy comedy-drama film '' Pleasantville'' (1998), the sports drama film ''Seabiscuit'' (2003), the sci-fi acti ...

, ''Stung'' * 1989 -

Mick Lowe Mick (Michael) Ellenwood Lowe (23 September 1947 – 17 April 2021) was an author, journalist, and writer based in Sudbury, Ontario, whose work appeared in a diverse range of Canadian publications including Maclean's, Canadian Business, Canadian ...

, ''Conspiracy of Brothers'' * 1990 - Lisa Priest, ''Conspiracy of Silence'' * 1991 -

Susan Mayse ''Ginger: The Life and Death of Albert Goodwin'' is a non-fiction book written by Canadian writer Susan Mayse; first published in January 1990, by Harbour Publishing. In the book, the author gives a narrative account of the life and "untimely" de ...

, '' Ginger: The Life and Death of Albert Goodwin'' * 1992 - William Lowther, ''Arms and the Man'' * 1993 - Kirk Makin, ''Redrum the Innocent'' * 1994 - David R. Williams, ''With Malice Aforethought'' * 1995 - Michael Harris, ''The Prodigal Husband'' * 1996 - Lois Simmie, ''The Secret Lives of Sgt. John Wilson'' * 1997 - Jean Monet, ''The Cassock and the Crown'' * 1998 -

Patricia Pearson Patricia Pearson (born April 7, 1964) is a Canadian writer and journalist. She has published two novels and several works of nonfiction. Life and work Born in Mexico City, Pearson is one of five children of Canadian diplomat Geoffrey Pearson and ...

, ''When She Was Bad'' * 1999 - Derek Finkle, ''No Claim to Mercy'' * 2000 - Gordon Sinclair, Jr., ''Cowboys and Indians'' * 2001 - A.B. McKillop, ''The Spinster and the Prophet'' * 2002 - {tie)

Stevie Cameron Stevie Cameron, , (, Stephanie Graham Dahl; born 11 October 1943) is a Canadian investigative journalist and author. Early life and work Stephanie "Stevie" Graham Dahl was born in Belleville, Ontario, to Harold Edward Dahl, a mercenary Americ ...

and Harvey Cashore, ''The Last Amigo'' and

Andrew Nikiforuk Andrew Nikiforuk (born 1955) is a Canadian journalist and author. His writing has appeared in many outlets, including '' Saturday Night'', ''Maclean's'', ''Alberta Views'', ''Alternatives Journal'', and national newspapers. He has won multiple Nati ...

, ''Saboteurs'' * 2003 - Andrew Mitrovica, ''Covert Entry'' * 2004 -

Julian Sher Julian Sher is a Canadian investigative journalist, filmmaker, author and newsroom trainer based in Montreal, Quebec. He was an investigative producer for ten years then a senior producer for five years with the CBC's '' The Fifth Estate''. He has ...

and William Marsden, ''The Road to Hell'' * 2005 - Matthew Hart, ''The Irish Game'' * 2006 -

Rebecca Godfrey Rebecca Margot Godfrey (December 2, 1967 – October 3, 2022) was a Canadian novelist and non-fiction writer. Life and career Godfrey was born in Toronto, Ontario, to writers Dave Godfrey and Ellen Godfrey. As a child she relocated with her fam ...

, ''Under the Bridge'' * 2007 -

Brian O'Dea Brian O'Dea (born September 1, 1948) is a Canadian businessman, author, television personality, and former drug smuggler. He is best-known for a large marijuana smuggling enterprise he masterminded in the mid-1980s. Set up to move marijuana in b ...

, ''High'' * 2008 -

, ''One Child at a Time'' * 2009 - Michael Calce and Craig Silverman, ''Mafiaboy'' * 2010 -

Terry Gould Terry Gould is an author and investigative journalist. Early life Gould was born in Brooklyn, New York, U.S. Gould's grandfather was a Jewish mobster in New York. Career Gould is an author of several books and articles on organized crime and ...

, ''Murder Without Borders'' * 2011 -

, ''On the Farm'' * 2012 - Joshua Knelman, '' Hot Art'' * 2013 -

Steve Lillebuen Steve Lillebuen is a Canadian author and journalist. He divides his time between Australia and Canada. Background Born in Edmonton, Alberta, Lillebuen graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Arts degree And later Monash ...

, '' The Devil's Cinema'' * 2014 - ''no award presented'' * 2015 - Charlotte Gray, ''The Massey Murder'' * 2016 - Dean Jobb, ''Empire of Deception: The Incredible Story of a Master Swindler Who Seduced a City and Captivated the Nation'' * 2017 - Jeremy Grimaldi, '' A Daughter's Deadly Deception: The Jennifer Pan Story'' * 2018 - Trevor Cole, ''The Whisky King: The remarkable true story of Canada's most infamous bootlegger and the undercover Mountie on his trail'' * 2019 - Sarah Weinman, ''The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel that Scandalized the World'' * 2020 - Charlotte Gray, ''Murdered Midas: A Millionaire, His Gold Mine, and a Strange Death on an Island Paradise'' * 2021 - Justin Ling, ''Missing from the Village''

Best Crime Short Story

*1988 - Eric Wright, "Looking for an Honest Man", in ''Cold Blood: Murder in Canada'' *1989 - Jas. R. Petrin, "Killer in the House", in ''Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine'', December 1988 *1990 -

Josef Skvorecky Josef may refer to *Josef (given name) *Josef (surname) * ''Josef'' (film), a 2011 Croatian war film *Musik Josef Musik Josef is a Japanese manufacturer of musical instruments. It was founded by Yukio Nakamura, and is the only company in Japan spe ...

, "Humbug", in ''The End of Lieutenant Boruvka'' *1991 - Peter Robinson, "Innocence", in ''Cold Blood III'' *1992 - Eric Wright, "Two in the Bush", in ''Christmas Stalkings'' *1993 -

Nancy Kilpatrick Nancy Kilpatrick is a Canadian author who has written stories in the genres of dark fantasy, horror, mystery, erotic horror, and gothic subculture. She is most known for her vampire themed works. Awards She is the recipient of the Arthur ...

, "Mantrap", in ''Murder, Mayhem, and the Macabre'' *1994 -

Robert J. Sawyer Robert James Sawyer (born April 29, 1960) is a Canadian science fiction writer. He has had 24 novels published and his short fiction has appeared in ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'', ''Amazing Stories'', '' On Spec'', ''Nature'', and numerou ...

, "Just Like Old Times", in ''On Spec'', Summer 1993 *1995 -

, "The Midnight Boat to Palermo", in ''Cold Blood IV'' *1996 -

Mary Jane Maffini Mary Jane Maffini is a Canadian mystery writer. She has created three mystery series and written 12 novels. Ladies Killing Circle & RendezVous Crime anthologies as well as Chatelaine magazine, Storyteller Magazine, and Ellery Queen's Mystery Mag ...

, "Cotton Armour", in ''Ladies Killing Circle'' *1997 - Richard K. Bercuson, "Dead Run", in ''Storyteller'', Winter 1996-97 *1998 - Sue Pike, "Widow's Weeds", in ''Cottage Country Killers'' *1999 - Scott Mackay, "Last Inning", in ''Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine'', February 1998 *2000 - Matt Hughes, "One More Kill", in ''Blue Murder Magazine, December 1999 *2001 - Peter Robinson, "Murder in Utopia", in ''Crime Through Time III'' *2002 -

, "Sign of the Times", in ''Fit to Die'' *2003 - James Powell, "Bottom Walker", in ''Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine'', May 2002 *2004 - Gregory Ward, "Dead Wood", in ''Hard Boiled Love'' *2005 - Leslie Watts, "Crocodile Tears", in ''Revenge: A Noir Anthology'' *2006 -

, "Lightning Rider", in ''Murder in Vegas'' *2007 - Dennis Richard Murphy, "Fuzzy Wuzzy", in ''Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine'', August 2006 *2008 - Leslie Watts, "Turners", in ''Kingston Whig-Standard'', July 7, 2007 *2009 -

Pasha Malla Pasha Malla is a Canadian author. He was born in St. John's, Newfoundland and raised in London, Ontario. He attended Concordia University in Montreal as a graduate student. During his days in London, Ont. Pasha attended Sir Frederick Banting S ...

, "Filmsong", in ''Toronto Noir'' *2010 - Dennis Richard Murphy, "Prisoner in Paradise", in ''Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine'' *2011 -

, "So Much in Common", in ''Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine'' *2012 - Catherine Astolfo, "What Kelly Did" *2013 - Yasuko Thanh, "Spring-blade Knife" in ''Floating Like The Dead'' *2014 - Twist Phelan, "Footprints in Water" *2015 -

Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of non-fiction, nin ...

, "Stone Mattress" *2016 - Jeremy Bates, "Black Canyon" *2017 - Susan Daly, "A Death at the Parsonage" *2018 - Catherine Astolfo, "The Outlier" *2019 - Linda L. Richards, "Terminal City" *2020 - Peter Sellers, "Closing Doors" *2021 - Marcelle Dubé, "Cold Wave, Sisters in Crime"

Best Unpublished First Novel - "Unhanged Arthur"

First awarded in 2007 as part of the CWC mandate to recognize and promote the careers of promising new crime writers. *2007 - Phyllis Smallman, "Margarita Nights" *2008 - D.J. McIntosh, "The Witch of Babylon" *2009 - Douglas A. Moles, "Louder" *2010 - Gloria Ferris, "The Corpse Flower" *2011 - John Jeneroux, "Better Off Dead" *2012 - Sam Wiebe, "Last of the Independents" *2013 - Coleen Steele, "Sins Revisited" *2014 - Rachel Greenaway, "Cold Girl" *2015 - Elle Wilde, "Strange Things Done" *2016 - Jayne Barnard, "When the Flood Falls" *2017 - S. J. Jennings, "The Golkonda Project" *2018 - Dianne Scott, "Destruction in Paradise" *2019 - Liv McFarlane, "The Scarlet Cross" *2020 - Liz Rachel Walker, "The Dieppe Letters" *2021 - Raymond Bazowski, "The Future"

Howard Engel Award

*2021 - Katrina Onstad, ''Stay Where I Can See You''

Derrick Murdoch Award

This is a special achievement award for contributions to the genre of crime and mystery writing, awarded at the discretion of the president of the Crime Writers of Canada. When first presented in 1984, it was known as the Chairman's Award; it was later renamed in honour of its first recipient, Derrick Murdoch. Since 2013, it has only been presented in years when the new biennial Grand Master Award, listed below, is not presented. *1984 - Derrick Murdoch *1985 - Tony AsplerArthur Ellis Award - Derrick Murdoch Award
''Crime Writers of Canada'', (retrieved 11/21/2012) *1986 -

Margaret Millar Margaret Ellis Millar (née Sturm; February 5, 1915 – March 26, 1994) was an American-Canadian mystery and suspense writer. Born in Berlin, Ontario, (the city would change its name to Kitchener in 1916), she was educated at the Kitchener-Wa ...

*1987 - The CBC Drama Department *1988 - J.D. Singh and Jim Reicker *1989 - not presented *1990 - Eric Wilson *1991 - not presented *1992 - William Bankier, James Powell and Peter Sellers *1993 - not presented *1994 - not presented *1995 - Jim and Margaret McBride *1996 - not presented *1997 - not presented *1998 -

and Eric Wright *1999 -

Ted Wood Edward Robert "Ted" Wood (born January 4, 1967) is an American former professional baseball player. An outfielder, Wood played in Major League Baseball for the San Francisco Giants and Montreal Expos from 1991 to 1993. He also played in the Chine ...

*2000 - Eddie Barber, Rick Blechta, John North and David Skene-Melvin *2001 - L.R. Wright *2002 -

James Dubro James "Jim" Dubro (born July 12, 1946) is a crime writer of many books, articles and investigative television shows. Early life Born in 1946 in Boston, Dubro earned an undergraduate degree (Phi Beta Kappa) from Boston University. He received hi ...

and Caro Soles *2003 - Margaret Cannon *2004 - Cheryl Freedman *2005 -

Max Haines Max Haines (January 4, 1931 – September 30, 2017) was a Canadian true crime newspaper columnist and author, widely syndicated internationally. Max Haines was born in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, to Jewish parents, Alexander and Augusta (Rich) Haine ...

*2006 -

*2007 - not presented *2008 -

Edward D. Hoch Edward Dentinger Hoch (February 22, 1930 – January 17, 2008) was an American writer of detective fiction. Although he wrote several novels, he was primarily known for his vast output of over 950 short stories. Biography Hoch (pronounced ...

*2009 -

*2010 - Peter Robinson *2011 - Louise Allin and N.A.T. Grant *2012 - Don Graves and Catherine Astolfo *2013 -

Lyn Hamilton Lyn Elizabeth Hamilton (August 6, 1944 – September 10, 2009) was a Canadian author of archaeological mystery novels. Born to John Hamilton, a lawyer and politician, and Gwen, a librarian, Lyn Hamilton grew up in Etobicoke, Ontario, and was ...

*2014 - not presented *2015 - Sylvia McConnell *2016 - not presented *2017 -

Christina Jennings Shaftesbury Films is a film, Television program, television and Web series, digital media production company founded by Christina Jennings in 1987. It is based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Background Shaftesbury is a creator and producer of orig ...

*2018 - not presented *2019 - Vicki Delany

Grand Master Award

The Grand Master Award is presented every two years as a

lifetime achievement award Lifetime achievement awards are awarded by various organizations, to recognize contributions over the whole of a career, rather than or in addition to single contributions. Such awards, and organizations presenting them, include: A * A.C. ...

, to a crime writer with a distinguished and successful national and international career. *2014 -

*2016 - Eric Wright *2018 -

*2020 - Peter Robinson

Best Genre Criticism/Reference

The award for Best Genre Criticism or Reference has only been presented twice. *1991 - Donald A. Redmond, ''Sherlock Holmes Among the Pirates'' *1992 - Wesley A. Wark, ''Spy Fiction, Spy Films and Real Intelligence''"Best murder mystery". ''

Financial Post The ''Financial Post'' was an English Canadian business newspaper, which published from 1907 to 1998. In 1998, the publication was folded into the new ''National Post'',"Black says Post to merge with new paper". ''The Globe and Mail'', July 23, ...

'', June 8, 1992.

Best Play

The award for Best Play has only been presented once. *1994 -

Timothy Findley Timothy Irving Frederick Findley Timothy Findley's
entry in

The Stillborn Lover ''The Stillborn Lover'' is a theatrical play by Timothy Findley, first staged in 1993."Theatre Review: The Stillborn Lover". ''The Globe and Mail'', March 29, 1993. Based in part on the true stories of Canadian diplomats E. Herbert Norman and John ...

References

{{reflist

External links

Crime Writers of Canada
Awards established in 1984 1984 establishments in Canada First book awards Canadian fiction awards Short story awards Mystery and detective fiction awards