The Crime Writers' Association, founded in 1953 by John Creasey, is turning 70 this year. Marking this amazing milestone, the CWA are set to host a series of events, including an exhibition of memorabilia from its archives. 

The CWA aims to support, promote and celebrate the crime genre, whether fiction or non-fiction. This adaptable, durable and successful genre always has us sat at the edge of our seats and the CWA Daggar Awards are reknowned for celebrating the best in crime writing.

The association was first created in 1953 with the founding aims to provide a social network while helping crime writers with business matters. The first CWA Daggar Awards took place in 1956 making it the the oldest awards in the genre and considered to be the highest honour in crime writing. 

The CWA's central mission today is still to promote the grenre, demonstrated by the success of more recent initiatives such as the Debut Daggar open to uncontracted writers and National Crime Reading Month, which is held annually in June. Both of these are examples of ways that the CWA help to connect crime writers and their readers while also working to support libraries and bookshops. 

The current Chair of the CWA is Maxin Jakubowski, who reflects: "As my two-year term as Chair of the CWA winds down to an end, I feel I can't leave the scene of the crime on a better occasion than the celebration of an impressive 70 years of so many activities indefatigably supporting the crime writing community and promoting our beloved genre. We have achieved so much and it makes me very proud that we are toasting such a jubilee in 2023. I raise the tip of my fictional fedora to another brilliant 70 years, which I'm sure my successors will make as memorable."

The Vice-Chair of the CWA, Vaseem Khan, said: "Longevity in any organisation is a sign that something is going right. The CWA's star has shone over British crime writing for seven decades, never more brightly than now. Over the years, the CWA has welcomed, championed, and recognised the greatest writers of the genre, whilst nurturing future stars. Today, the CWA continues to evolve, just as the genre has evolved to become the most popular and most inclusive in publishing. Next stop…the CWA centenary!”

Martin Edwards, official archivist of the CWA has said that this anniversary is a "cause for celebration, not just among its members, but among crime genre fans everywhere". We wholeheartedly agree and can't wait to see what events are in store to celebrate 70 years of thrills and kills.