The CWA Historical Dagger (currently called the CWA Endeavor Historical Dagger) is an annual award given by the British Crime Writers' Association to the author of the best historical crime novel of the year. Established in 1999, it is presented to a novel "with a crime theme and a historical background of any period up to 35 years before the current year."
From 1999 to 2005 the award was called the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger and from 2006 to 2012 known as the Ellis Peters Historical Award, to commemorate the life and work of historical crime writer Ellis Peters, whose Cadfael Chronicles (1977-1994) are generally credited with popularizing the genre that would become known as the historical mystery.
Starting in 2014 the award became known as the CWA Endeavour Historical Dagger through sponsorship by Endeavor Press.
Winners
2016: Stasi Child - David Young
2015: The Seeker (Quercus) - S G MacLean
2014: The Devil in the Marshalsea (Hodder & Stoughton) - Antonia Hodgson
2013: The Scent of Death (HarperCollins) - Andrew Taylor
2012: Icelight (John Murray) - Aly Monroe
2011: The Somme Stations (Faber and Faber) - Andrew Martin
2010: Revenger (John Murray) - Rory Clements
2009: If The Dead Rise Not (Quercus) - Philip Kerr
2008: Stratton’s War (Orion) - Laura Wilson
2007: Mistress of the Art of Death (Bantam Press) - Ariana Franklin
2006: Red Sky Lament (Orion) - Edward Wright
2005: Dark Fire (Macmillan) - CJ Sansom
2004: The Damascened Blade (Constable & Robinson) - Barbara Cleverly
2003: The American Boy (Flamingo) - Andrew Taylor
2002: Fingersmith (Virago) - Sarah Waters
2001: The Office Of The Dead (HarperCollins) - Andrew Taylor
2000: Absent Friends (Virago) - Gillian Linscott
1999: Two for the Lions (Century) - Lindsey Davis