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No-fee mystery and crime writing contests, 2026–2027

Contests, grants and awards for mystery, crime and thriller writers that charge no entry fee, sorted by deadline.

Updated Nov 3, 2026. Every entry below was checked by hand against the organizer’s own page on the date shown. Deadlines, fees and terms change, so always confirm on the official page before you submit or pay anything.

Short story and flash contests

• Al Blanchard Award 2027 (official page) (New England Crime Bake): deadline Apr 30, 2027 — Annual window Jan 1 – Apr 30 (per the award page); no entry fee; $100 + publication in Best New England Crime Stories + Crime Bake admission; length: Up to 5,000. Unpublished crime story by a New England author, or set in New England. Mystery, thriller, suspense, caper or horror; no torture/killing of children or animals. Two entries max; email contest@crimebake.org. Checked Oct 27, 2026.
• AHMM Mysterious Photograph Contest (official page) (Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine): open anytime; no entry fee; $25 prize + publication; length: 250 or fewer. Flash mystery inspired by the photo in each issue; runs every issue. Checked Oct 28, 2026.

Novel and manuscript competitions

• Minotaur Books / Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Novel (official page) (Minotaur Books & Malice Domestic): deadline Nov 30, 2026; no entry fee; $10,000 advance + Minotaur publishing contract; length: ~65,000+, complete. Traditional mystery in the Malice tradition. Any nationality, 18+. Never published a mystery novel, self-published included. One entry. Checked Oct 28, 2026.
• Minotaur Books / MWA First Crime Novel Competition (official page) (Minotaur Books & Mystery Writers of America): deadline Dec 14, 2026; no entry fee; $10,000 advance + Minotaur publishing contract; length: 60,000+ (220+ pages), complete. Unpublished first crime novel; murder or serious crime at the heart of the story. Writers with a previously published novel aren't eligible (self-published works don't count). One entry per writer. Checked Oct 28, 2026.

Grants and awards for emerging crime writers

• SinC Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award 2027 (official page) (Sisters in Crime): deadline Mar 31, 2027 — Annual window Feb 1 – Mar 31 (per SinC's award page); no entry fee; $2,000 grant; length: 2,500–5,000 (story or opening chapters). Emerging crime writers of color with no more than two published novels or ten short pieces. SinC membership not required (free guest login). Unpublished work; no AI. Checked Oct 27, 2026.
• SinC Pride Award for Emerging LGBTQIA+ Crime Writers 2027 (official page) (Sisters in Crime): deadline Jul 31, 2027 — 2027 submissions open Jun 1, 2027; no entry fee; Award (amount not stated on the award page); length: 2,500–5,000 (story or opening chapters). Emerging LGBTQIA+ crime writers with no more than two novels or ten short pieces published. SinC membership not required. Unpublished work; no generative AI at any stage. Checked Oct 27, 2026.

Awards for published work with no entry fee

• Edgar Awards 2027 (works published in 2026) (official page) (Mystery Writers of America): deadline Dec 7, 2026 — Hard final date for Oct–Dec 2026 releases; earlier months had earlier suggested dates; fee: See MWA; Edgar Award (no cash); length: Short story category: 1,000–22,000. First US publication in 2026 by an MWA-approved publisher; publishers usually submit. Includes the Robert L. Fish Award for a debut short story. Checked Oct 28, 2026.
• Derringer Awards 2027 (Short Mystery Fiction Society) (official page) (Short Mystery Fiction Society): deadline Jan 30, 2027 — Submissions Jan 1–30, 2027; midnight Eastern; no entry fee (SMFS membership is free); Derringer award (no cash stated); length: Up to 20,000. Mystery/crime short stories first published in English in 2026. SMFS members who joined by Dec 31, 2026 may submit two stories (anyone's); editors may submit from their venues. Categories: flash, short, long, novelette, anthology. Checked Oct 27, 2026.

Want contests with an entry fee too? See the contests page. For how to judge whether a fee is worth paying, read how to pick a crime writing contest.

Questions writers ask

Are there mystery writing contests with no entry fee in 2026–2027?

Yes. This page lists 8 no-fee contests, grants and awards for mystery, crime and thriller writers with deadlines from late 2026 into 2027, including the Minotaur Books / MWA First Crime Novel Competition, the Malice Domestic first-novel competition, the Al Blanchard Award, the Derringer Awards and grants from Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America.

Is there a no-fee contest for an unpublished first crime novel?

Yes. Minotaur Books runs two no-fee first-novel competitions: one with Mystery Writers of America for crime novels and one with Malice Domestic for traditional mysteries. Both offer a publishing contract. Check each listing for word counts and eligibility.

Do I have to be a member to enter?

Not usually. Several entries on this page say membership is not required (for example the Sisters in Crime awards and the MWA Barbara Neely Awards). The Derringer Awards require Short Mystery Fiction Society membership, which costs nothing, by December 31 of the year before.

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