The Edgar Awards are presented annually by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe, a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction, television, film, and theater published or produced in the previous year. This year's ceremony took place on April 29, 2026, at the Marriott Marquis Times Square Hotel. Highlighted below are the 80th Annual award winners.
Best Novel: The Big Empty by Robert Crais
Best First Novel: Dead Money by Jakob Kerr
Best Paperback Original: The Backwater by Vikki Wakefield
Best Fact Crime: Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers by Caroline Fraser
Best Critical/Biographical: Edgar Allan Poe: A Life by Richard Kopley
Best Short Story: "Julius Katz Draws a Straight Flush" by Dave Zeltserman (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine)
Best Juvenile: Blood in the Water by Tiffany D. Jackson
Best Young Adult: Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray
Best Television Episode Teleplay: “Pilot” – Paradise, Written by Dan Fogleman
Looking for more? Don't forget about Denver Public Library's standalone mystery core collection!
