Reader voted
Agatha Awards
Malice Domestic Ltd
In short
The Agatha Awards are given at Malice Domestic, an annual convention for traditional and cozy mysteries, run by Malice Domestic Ltd. Mystery booksellers and libraries follow the nomination list, which is drawn up by readers who register for the convention. Nobody submits a book and authors cannot enter their own, so the work is making sure the book is listed under the right mystery categories before the January ballot, and deciding whether to register.
Next cycle not announcedChecked September 13, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Every label is a fact from the official rules, never a judgment about whether the award is worth entering. How we describe awards.
This program has not published a verified deadline for its next cycle. Use the official link before making plans.
Sign in to be emailed when entries open again.
The Agatha Awards are presented at Malice Domestic, an annual convention devoted to the traditional mystery. Malice defines the form as mysteries that contain no explicit sex, excessive gore, or gratuitous violence and would not be classified as hard-boiled. Categories currently include Best Contemporary Novel, Best Historical Novel, Best First Novel, Best Short Story, Best Non-Fiction, and Best Children's/YA Mystery.
There is no submission process. Everyone registered for the convention, or signed up as a Friend of Malice, by December 31 receives a nomination ballot in early January. Attendees then vote at the convention and the winners are announced at the Agatha Awards banquet on Saturday night.
Authors cannot enter their own books. The route to a nomination runs through readers who attend Malice, which is why authors of traditional mysteries often attend the convention themselves.
Why it may matter
For cozy and traditional mystery authors, the Agatha is one of the few awards judged entirely by the readers who buy and recommend those books, and the nomination list circulates among libraries and mystery booksellers. Because nominations come from convention registrants rather than a submission form, the only preparation an author can do is make sure the book is findable and correctly categorized before the January ballot goes out.
2027 cycle: Malice Domestic 39 (MD 39)
- Deadline note
- Site states only a recurring rule, not a cycle-specific deadline date: registration/Friend-of-Malice status by December 31 of a given year triggers an early-January nomination ballot; voting ballots are due by 1:00 on the Saturday of the convention.
- Entry fee
- Not confirmed. No entry fee is stated, and there is nothing to enter: registrants nominate and convention attendees vote.Checked September 13, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Results
- Announced at the Agatha Awards Banquet on Saturday night during Malice (convention scheduled April 9-11, 2027)
Worth knowing
Our reading, not a rule the organization published. We judge an award on the rubric in how we describe awards.
Eligibility year and exact ballot dates are not spelled out on the process page beyond the December 31 registration cutoff and the early-January ballot, so check the Malice Domestic site for the current convention's timeline. Publicists sometimes note the convention date in the launch plan for a traditional mystery so the author can decide whether to attend.
Rules and deadlines change. We last checked this information on September 13, 2026. If you see something that needs updating, please tell us.
Run this award? Confirm or correct this record.
Use your work email. If it is on the domain the record already links to, we send you a link that opens the record for you to confirm or correct. Otherwise a person reads it and gets back to you.