The Longlist…
Submissions are open to all publishers, and the longlist of 18 titles is selected by the Awards Academy.
The Awards Academy chooses the Longlist, and is made up of over 20 journalists, reviewers, booksellers, bloggers and podcasters and representatives from within the industry.
We are always interested to hear from potential members within the industries listed above to join the Awards Academy. We are particularly keen to hear from those who feel they would bring a different perspective to our existing Academy and who can help us achieve our aim of being truly representative of all sections of society – including those who may be underrepresented in the UK crime writing scene – this includes, but is not limited to, ethnically diverse backgrounds, those with disabilities, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, or individuals from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
Please contact info@harrogate-festival.org.uk for further information.
The Shortlist…
Your vote counts!
The 6 titles on the shortlist will be decided by public votes, alongside votes from the Awards Academy, the Crime Writing Festival Programming Committee, and representatives from T&R Theakston Ltd, The Express, and Waterstones.
The Winner…
Your vote still counts! Who will ultimately take home the most wanted prize in crime fiction will be determined by the results of the public vote and the deliberation of the select judging panel. The public vote constitutes one vote on the panel of judges. The Winner will be announced, live at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award ceremony, on the opening night of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, in Harrogate, on Thursday 17 July 2025.
Voting is cleared between shortlist and winner voting stages, so every person has the opportunity to vote on both the longlist and for their favourite shortlisted title to win the coveted Award.
The Judges…
Simon Theakston…
Chair of Judging Panel & Chairman of T&R Theakston LTD.
Simon Theakston is the Chairman of T&R Theakston Ltd., his family brewing company, founded by his great-great grandfather in Masham, North Yorkshire in 1827. He joined the company in 1981. He was founder sponsor of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in 2004 and has judged every year in the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Awards.
Simon lives in Farnham near Knaresborough with his wife Candy. They have two grown up children and two grandsons.
Why is literature/reading important to you?
Reading broadens the mind, imparts knowledge, provides distraction and escape and can delight in word, phrase and sentence construction.
What is the most exciting thing about being a judge for the TOPCNY?
The opportunity to read the finest crime novels in a genre growing in size and with a world-wide reputation, written by brilliant authors, the best in the business.
Joe Haddow…
Joe Haddow is a radio producer, podcast host, event chair and children’s author. He runs the Radio 2 Book Club, hosts the popular Book Off! podcast and has judged the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year since 2015. Joe is the author of Art Is Everywhere – a non-fiction book for children- which celebrates the joy of creativity and the arts.
Why is literature/reading important to you?
Reading is a purely joyful experience – and one which helps us learn more about the world we live in.
What is the most exciting thing about being a judge for the TOPCNY?
I love discovering exciting new voices and reading some of our great crime writing masters at the top of their game. I also love the range of genres and subjects covered across the novels.
Lisa Howells…
Lisa Howells has been a journalist in consumer media for the past 20 years and has worked on some of the biggest titles in the UK. She is currently Assistant Editor of true-crime magazine Crime Monthly, which takes an in-depth look at modern crimes and cold cases, as well as the biggest investigations globally. In addition, she is the Books Editor for both Heat and Crime Monthly magazines, where she champions crime fiction in all its forms. She also co-hosts the official CrimeCon UK Book Club, as well as regularly chairing industry events and author panels.
Why is literature/reading important to you?
For me, literature is important as it allows readers to explore other cultures and societies, and transports us beyond our everyday experiences. And at its best, it teaches us empathy and rallies us to action.
What is the most exciting thing about being a judge for the TOPCNY?
The most exciting thing about judging TOPCNY is that we are reading the best of the best, and really valuing a form that has been unjustly denigrated or trivialised in the past. We are saying crime fiction stands as great literature, and deservedly so.
Gaby Lee…
Gaby Lee is the genre fiction buyer at Waterstones. Based in the Piccadilly Head Office, they are responsible for buying and promoting new crime and thrillers, as well as science fiction and fantasy, romance, and graphic novels and manga, for the Waterstones shops and website. They joined Waterstones in 2016 as a bookseller at the Piccadilly branch while completing their degree at University College London, and joined the central buying team at Head Office in 2018.
Why is literature/reading important to you?
Reading is important to me as a form of escapism but also as a form of entering the world more deeply.
What is the most exciting thing about being a judge for the TOPCNY?
The most exciting thing about being a judge is getting to share and discuss amazing books with more people.
Steph McGovern…
Award winning broadcaster, Steph McGovern hosted the eponymous ’Steph’s Packed Lunch’ which was broadcasted daily on Channel 4 from 2020 to 2023. Prior to this, Steph worked in financial journalism for over 15 years and spent 8 years as part of the BBC Breakfast family. Steph travelled all over the UK to cover economic and business news for the BBC and broadcast live from over 500 businesses. Whether talking to workers in factories or interviewing FTSE 100 chief executives in the studio, Steph made it her mission to find out what was going on in the real economy. Steph also co-presented BBC One’s ‘Watchdog’, Channel 4’s 2021 Paralympics coverage, her own primetime BBC One programme ‘Shop Well For Less’ and a children’s TV show ‘Pocket Money Pitch’ for CBBC. Her debut crime novel comes out summer 2025.
Why is literature/reading important to you?
Getting stuck into a good book is like being transported into a new world where anything could happen. I love the twists and turns of crime fiction where I get to play detective and watch the drama of the characters’ lives unfold. Before you know it several hours has gone by and yet I can’t tear myself away from finding out what happens next.
What is the most exciting thing about being a judge for the TOPCNY?
I love escaping into the world of crime fiction so getting to be a TOPCNY judge is a joy. It means that I have an excuse to read all of the brilliant novels written by the world’s best authors AND then I get to talk about them with other people who love thrillers too. The only hard thing is choosing between the books.
Matt Nixson…
Born in Manchester and brought up in Cheshire in a family of readers, Matt has been a journalist since 1997 – having been lucky enough to work in local, regional, Sunday and daily papers – the past two decades in Fleet Street. He has held senior positions in news, features and digital on some of the biggest titles in the UK and is currently Head of Features / Assistant Editor at the Express group which he joined after its takeover by the Mirror Group. He was first involved in the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award as the Mail on Sunday’s Books Editor. When that title let its Harrogate partnership lapse, he snapped it up for the Express in 2020 and the Novel of the Year award and wider Festival remain one of the undoubted highlights of his year – his words. He is a father-of-two and, when not reading, enthusiastic skatedad!
Why is literature/reading important to you?
It sounds a bit pious but reading has been a window to another world for me since childhood. Books have let me to travel in time and space, inhabit other worlds and allowed me to empathise with other people I might never have come across in real-life. Crime fiction, especially since the pandemic, has become an old friend, something to turn to when it’s tough out there and I need to escape. I’m sure it’s the same for many people.
What is the most exciting thing about being a judge for the TOPCNY?
Being a judge for the TOPCNY is one of the best gigs going if you’re a fan of crime fiction. Not only do you get to read some of the best books anywhere, but if you’re lucky you meet the amazing people who write them. And picking the winner is the equivalent of pressing your new favourite book into the hands of your friends and family… on a much larger scale. It’s a huge privilege and a great honour.
The Public Vote…
The final judge for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award is you!
As well as helping to determine the six shortlisted titles, the public vote will also count as the 7th judge on the judging panel when deciding who on the shortlist will take home the coveted barrel, so pick your favourite now to decide who will take home the most wanted prize in crime fiction.