The Macavity Awards are a literary award for mystery writers. Nominated and voted upon annually by the members of the
Mystery Readers International Mystery Readers International is a fan/reader organization open to all readers, fans, critics, editors, publishers, and writers of Mystery fiction. It was founded by Janet A. Rudolph in Berkeley, California.
It publishes the ''Mystery Readers Jo ...
, the award is named for the "
mystery cat" of
T. S. Eliot's ''
Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats
''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'' (1939) is a collection of whimsical light poems by T. S. Eliot about feline psychology and sociology, published by Faber and Faber. It serves as the basis for Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1981 musical '' Cats ...
''.
The award is given in four categories—best
novel
A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...
, best first novel, best
nonfiction
Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with be ...
, and best
short story
A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...
. In recent years a new award, the Sue Feder Historical Mystery, has been given in conjunction with the Macavity Awards.
Awards
Best Mystery Novel
1987-1999
2000s
2010s
2020s
Best First Mystery (Novel)
1987-1999
2000s
2010s
2020s
Best Mystery Nonfiction/Critical
Until 2004, this category was named "Best Critical/Biographical Mystery Work."
1987-1999
2000s
2010s
2020s
Best Mystery Short Story
1987-1999
2000s
2010s
2020s
Sue Feder Memorial Award for Best Historical Mystery
2000s
2010s
2020s
References
{{Reflist
External links
Home page of the Macavity award
Mystery and detective fiction awards