Mystery Writers of America is an organization for mystery writers, based in New York.

The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday.

It presents the Edgar Award, a small bust of Edgar Allan Poe, to writers every year. It also presents the Raven Award to non-writers who contribute to the mystery genre.

Grand Master Award

The Grand Master Award is the highest honor bestowed by the Mystery Writers of America. It recognizes lifetime achievement and consistent quality. (The award was presented irregularly through 1978; with the exception of 2009, it has been given to one writer annually since then.)

Year	Winner	Year	Winner	Year	Winner
1955	Agatha Christie	1978	Daphne du Maurier	1994	Lawrence Block
1958	Vincent Starrett		Dorothy B. Hughes	1995	Mickey Spillane
1959	Rex Stout		Ngaio Marsh	1996	Dick Francis
1961	Ellery Queen	1979	Aaron Marc Stein	1997	Ruth Rendell
1962	Erle Stanley Gardner	1980	W. R. Burnett	1998	Barbara Mertz
1963	John Dickson Carr	1981	Stanley Ellin	1999	P.D. James
1964	George Harmon Coxe	1982	Julian Symons	2000	Mary Higgins Clark
1966	Georges Simenon	1983	Margaret Millar	2001	Edward D. Hoch
1967	Baynard Kendrick	1984	John le Carré	2002	Robert B. Parker
1969	John Creasey	1985	Dorothy Salisbury Davis	2003	Ira Levin
1970	James M. Cain	1986	Ed McBain	2004	Joseph Wambaugh
1971	Mignon G. Eberhart	1987	Michael Gilbert	2005	Marcia Muller
1972	John D. MacDonald	1988	Phyllis A. Whitney	2006	Stuart M. Kaminsky
1973	Judson Philips	1989	Hillary Waugh	2007	Stephen King
	Alfred Hitchcock	1990	Helen McCloy	2008	Bill Pronzini
1974	Ross Macdonald	1991	Tony Hillerman	2009	James Lee Burke
1975	Eric Ambler	1992	Elmore Leonard		Sue Grafton
1976	Graham Greene	1993	Donald E. Westlake

See also

• The Top 100 Mystery Novels of All Time, selected by active MWA members in 1995
• Crime Writers' Association
• Edgar Award

External links

• Mystery Writers of America