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.
A shortlist of six titles, selected by an academy of established crime and thriller authors, will be announced on Thursday 5 June 2025, with the winner determined by a judging panel of industry experts, including literary, broadcasting and media figures.
All shortlisted authors will receive a full weekend pass to the Festival and the winner, announced on the opening night of the Festival, will receive a £500 cash prize as well as an engraved oak beer cask, hand-carved by one of Britain’s last coopers from Theakston’s Brewery in Masham.
The Shortlist…
The Shortlist of 6 titles will be announced on Thursday 5 June 2025.
Meet the Judges...
Val McDermid
An icon of crime fiction, Val McDermid has sold over 18.5 million books across the globe and is translated into more than 40 languages. Her multi-award winning series and standalone novels have been adapted for TV and radio, and she has served as a judge for both the Women’s Prize for Fiction and the 2018 Man Booker Prize. Val’s choice of the year’s best debuts at the #TheakstonsCrime New Blood panel has provided a platform for some outstanding new voices in crime fiction.
“Curating the New Blood panel over twenty years exposed me to an extraordinary range of crime fiction I might otherwise have missed. I’m hoping that this new award will do the same for the army of avid readers out there looking for new talent.”
-Val McDermid
Nadine Matheson
Nadine Matheson was born and raised in Deptford and now practises as a criminal defence lawyer. She has an MA in Creative Writing and her first crime novel, The Jigsaw Man, was shortlisted for the Dead Good Reader and the Adult Diverse Book Awards in 2022 and has been translated into fifteen languages. Nadine also hosts the podcast, The Conversation with Nadine Matheson.
“I love being able to say to someone “You need to read this book” and being a judge for the McDermid Debut Award will allow me to indulge in my passion of reading and sharing new talent with the world.”
-Nadine Matheson
Zoe West
Zoe West is the Books Editor of Woman&Home, Woman’s Weekly, Woman and Woman’s Own. When Zoe isn’t reading she is interviewing authors, hosting live events and seeking out exciting new authors to tell her readers about. She also enjoys meeting celebrities and re-telling their stories for various features in the magazines.
“It’s always exciting to discover a new voice - a part of my job I particularly enjoy. So, to celebrate a debut author at such a prestigious event - and in honour of a crime writing legend - is thrilling indeed.”
-Zoe West
Jon Coates
Jon Coates is currently the deputy news editor of the Sunday Express and has reviewed crime fiction and thrillers for the Express and Mirror titles for more than a decade. He is an experienced book prize judge having spent three years helping award the CWA Historical Dagger, two years judging the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize and earlier this year was a judge for the Crime and Thriller prize at the British Book Awards.
“As a judge for the McDermid Debut Award it's exciting to discover and champion new authors who will hopefully go on to have stellar careers for decades.”
-Jon Coates
Matthew Hennessey
Matt has worked for Waterstones for fifteen years and is currently their Fiction & Crime buyer. He also co-host The Hatchards Podcast, a conversation show about books brought to you by England’s oldest bookshop.
“Being a judge for the McDermid Debut Award is the closest I’ll ever get to exerting judgement against criminals!”
-Matthew Hennessey
Previous Winners…
The inaugural McDermid Debut Award, named in recognition of world-famous crime writer Val McDermid, was won by Marie Tierney for her novel Deadly Animals in 2024.
Deadly Animals features road–kill obsessed teenager Ava Bonney, who discovers the mauled body of a schoolmate and embarks on a daring quest to unravel the truth behind the string of chilling deaths plaguing her Birmingham community. Birmingham-born Marie Tierney, who now lives in the Fens, worked in education before becoming a full-time writer. She receives a £500 cash prize, as well as an engraved beer cask handcrafted by one of Britain’s last coopers from Theakston’s Brewery.