Harrogate International Festivals launches McDermid Debut Award 14th March 2024

Harrogate International Festivals has launched a new prize for authors, the McDermid Debut Award, open to full-length debut crime novels by UK and Irish authors.

Harrogate International Festivals said: Named in recognition of world-famous crime writer Val McDermid, who co-founded the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in 2003 and whose dedication to fostering new voices in crime fiction through the New Blood panel is legendary, this new award seeks to continue her legacy, celebrating and platforming the best debut crime writers in the UK.