Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is an organization of mystery and crime writers, based in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. The organization was founded in 1945 by

Clayton Rawson Clayton Rawson (August 15, 1906 – March 1, 1971) was an American mystery writer, editor, and amateur magician. His four novels frequently invoke his great knowledge of stage magic and feature as their fictional detective The Great Merlini, a ...

Anthony Boucher William Anthony Parker White (August 21, 1911 – April 29, 1968), better known by his pen name Anthony Boucher (), was an American author, critic, and editor who wrote several classic mystery novels, short stories, science fiction, and radio d ...

, Lawrence Treat, and

Brett Halliday Brett Halliday (July 31, 1904 – February 4, 1977) is the primary pen name of Davis Dresser, an American mystery and western writer. Halliday is best known for the long-lived series of Michael Shayne mysteries he wrote, and later commission ...

. It presents the Edgar Award, a small bust of

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...

, to mystery or crime writers every year. It presents the Raven Award to non-writers, who contribute to the mystery genre. The category of Best Juvenile Mystery is also part of the Edgar Award, with such notable recipients as Barbara Brooks Wallace having won the honor twice, for ''The Twin in the Tavern'' in 1994 and ''Sparrows in the Scullery'' in 1998, and Tony Abbott for his novel ''The Postcard,'' which received critical accolades in 2009.

Grand Master Award

The Grand Master Award is the highest honor bestowed by the Mystery Writers of America. It recognizes lifetime achievement and consistent quality. (The award was presented irregularly up to 1978; from 1979 to 2008, it was given to one writer each year. Since 2009, as many as three authors have been honored annually.) In 2018, the Mystery Writers of America announced that it would honor best-selling author and former prosecutor

Linda Fairstein Linda Fairstein (born May 5, 1947) is an American author, attorney, and former New York City prosecutor focusing on crimes of violence against women and children. She was the head of the sex crimes unit of the Manhattan District Attorney's offi ...

with one of its Grand Master Awards for literary achievement. But two days after controversy erupted in connection with her alleged role in the

Central Park jogger The Central Park jogger case (events also referenced as the Central Park Five Case) was a criminal case over the aggravated assault and rape of a white woman in Central Park in Manhattan, New York, on April 19, 1989, occurring at the same time a ...

case, the organization withdrew the honor.

Raven Award

The Raven Awards are recorded in the Edgars Database of the Mystery Writers of America.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Mystery and detective fiction awards American writers' organizations 1945 establishments in the United States Arts organizations established in 1945 Arts organizations based in New York City

Grand Master Award

Raven Award

See also

References

External links