Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Short Story

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The Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Short Story, established in 1951, is an annual American literary award, presented alongside other Edgar Awards.

The award is presented to stories between 1,000 and 22,000 words that have been published in a magazine, periodical, e-zine, or book-length anthology.[1] Stories shorter than 1,000 words (i.e., mini- or flash fiction) or longer than 22,000 words are ineligible.[1] Although the Edgar Awards do not have a flash fiction category, works considered too long for the Short Story Award may be eligible for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel, Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel, or Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Paperback Original.[1]

The Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Short Story winners are listed below.

Winners[edit]

1950s[edit]

1950s Best Short Story winners
Year Author Story Result
1951 Lawrence Blochman "Diagnosis: Homicide" Winner
1952 John Collier "Fancies and Goodnights" Winner
1953 Philip MacDonald "Something to Hide" Winner
1954 Roald Dahl "Someone Like You" Winner
1955 Stanley Ellin "The House Party" Winner
1956 Philip MacDonald "Dream No More" Winner
1957 Stanley Ellin "The Blessington Method" Winner
1958 Gerald Kersh "The Secret of the Bottle" Winner
1959 William O'Farrell "Over There, Darkness" Winner

1960s[edit]

1960s Best Short Story winners
Year Author Story Result
1960 Roald Dahl "The Landlady" Winner
1961 John Durham "Tiger" Winner
1962 Avram Davidson "Affair at Lahore Cantonment" Winner
1963 David Ely "The Sailing Club" Winner
1964 Leslie Ann Brownrigg "Man Gehorcht" Winner
1965 Lawrence Treat "H as in Homicide" Winner
1966 Shirley Jackson "The Possibility of Evil" Winner
1967 Rhys Davies "The Chosen One" Winner
1968 Edward D. Hoch "The Oblong Room" Winner
1969 Warner Law "The Man Who Fooled the World" Winner

1970s[edit]

1970s Best Short Story winners
Year Author Story Result
1970 Joe Gores "Goodbye, Pops" Winner
1971 Margery Finn Brown "In The Forests of Riga the Beasts Are Very Wild Indeed" Winner
1972 Robert L. Fish "Moonlight Gardener" Winner
1973 Joyce Harrington "The Purple Shroud" Winner
1974 Harlan Ellison "The Whimper of Whipped Dogs" Winner
1975 Ruth Rendell "The Fallen Curtain" Winner
1976 Jesse Hill Ford "The Jail" Winner
1977 Etta Revesz "Like a Terrible Scream" Winner
1978 Thomas Walsh "Chance After Chance" Winner
1979 Barbara Owens "The Cloud Beneath The Eaves" Winner

1980s[edit]

1980s Best Short Story winners
Year Author Story Result
1980 Geoffrey Norman "Armed and Dangerous" Winner
1981 Clark Howard "Horn Man" Winner
1982 Jack Ritchie "The Absence of Emily" Winner
1983 Frederick Forsyth "There Are No Snakes in Ireland" Winner
1984 Ruth Rendell "The New Girlfriend" Winner
1985 Lawrence Block "By Dawn's Early Light" Winner
1986 John Lutz "Ride the Lightning" Winner
1987 Robert Sampson "Rain in Pinton County" Winner
1988 Harlan Ellison "Soft Monkey" Winner
1989 Bill Crenshaw "Flicks" Winner

1990s[edit]

1990s Best Short Story winners and shortlists[2]
Year Author Story Publication Result Ref.
1990 Donald E. Westlake "Too Many Crooks" Playboy, 1989 Winner
Ruth Graviros "Ted Bundy’s Father" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, November 1989 Shortlist
Robert Halsted "The Girl and the Gator" Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, December 1989 Shortlist
Nancy Pickard "Afraid All the Time" Sisters in Crime Shortlist
Stephen Wasylyk "For Loyal Service" Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, August 1989 Shortlist
1991 Lynne Barrett "Elvis Lives" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, September 1990 Winner
Lawrence Block "Answers to Soldiers" Playboy, 1990 Shortlist
Ed Gorman "Prisoners" New Crimes Shortlist
Sue Grafton "A Poison That Leaves No Trace" Sisters in Crime 2 Shortlist
Clark Howard "Challenge the Widow-Maker" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, August 1990 Shortlist
1992 Wendy Hornsby "Nine Sons" Sisters in Crime 4 Winner
Doug Allyn "Sleeper" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, May 1991 Shortlist
Lawrence Block "A Blow for Freedom" Playboy, October 1991 Shortlist
Liza Cody "Spasmo"  A Classic English Crime Shortlist
Susan Schwartz "Dreaming in Black and White" Psycho-Paths Shortlist
1993 Benjamin M. Schutz "Mary, Mary, Shut the Door" Deadly Allies Winner
Doug Allyn "Candles in the Rain" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, November 1992 Shortlist
Jo Bannister "Howler" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, October 1992 Shortlist
Max Allan Collins "Louise" Deadly Allies Shortlist
Gabrielle Kraft "One Hit Wonder" Sisters in Crime 5 Shortlist
1994 Lawrence Block "Keller's Therapy" Playboy, May 1993 Winner
Doug Allyn "The Ghost Show" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, December 1993 Shortlist
Harlan Ellison "Mefisto in Onyx" Omni, October 1993 Shortlist
Joseph Hansen "McIntyre’s Donald" Bohannon’s Country Shortlist
Bruce Holland Rogers "Enduring as Dust" Danger in DC Shortlist
1995 Doug Allyn "The Dancing Bear" Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, March 1994 Winner
Robert Barnard "The Gentleman in the Lake" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, July 1994 Shortlist
Brenda Melton Burnham "The Tennis Court" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, July 1994 Shortlist
Brendan DuBois "The Necessary Brother" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, May 1994 Shortlist
Justin Scott "An Eye for a Tooth" Justice in Manhattan Shortlist
1996 Jean B. Cooper "The Judge's Boy" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, August 1995 Winner
K. K. Beck "Rule of Law" Malice Domestic 4 Shortlist
Larry Beinhart "Death in a Small Town" New Mystery, Spring 1995 Shortlist
Kathleen Dougherty "When Your Breath Freezes" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, September 1995 Shortlist
Bill Pomidor "A Plain and Honest Death" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, September 1995 Shortlist
1997 Michael Malone "Red Clay" Murder for Love Winner
Brendan DuBois "The Dark Snow" Playboy, November 1996 Shortlist
David Corn "My Murder" Unusual Suspects Shortlist
James Grady "Kiss The Sky" Unusual Suspects Shortlist
S. J. Rozan "Hoops" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, January 1996 Shortlist
1998 Lawrence Block "Keller on the Spot" Playboy, November 1997 Winner
Simon Brett "Ways to Kill a Cat" Malice Domestic 6 Shortlist
Jeffery Deaver "The Kneeling Soldier" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, March 1997 Shortlist
Stuart M. Kaminsky "Find Miriam" New Mystery, Summer 1997 Shortlist
Stuart M. Kaminsky "The Man Who Beat the System" Funny Bones Shortlist
1999 Tom Franklin "Poachers" Texas Review, Fall-Winter 1998 Winner
Lawrence Block "Looking for David" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, February 1998 Shortlist
Clark Howard "The Halfway Woman" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, February 1998 Shortlist
Perry Michael Smith "For Jeff" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, February 1998 Shortlist
L. L. Thrasher "Sacrifice" Murderous Intent Mystery Magazine, Summer/Fall 1998 Shortlist

2000s[edit]

2000s Best Short Story winners and shortlists[2]
Year Author Story Publication Result Ref.
2000 Anne Perry "Heroes" Murder and Obsession Winner
Jeffery Deaver "Triangle" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Shortlist
James W. Hall "Crack" Murder and Obsession Shortlist
Stuart M. Kaminsky "Snow" First Cases Shortlist
Laurie R. King "Paleta Man" Irreconcilable Differences Shortlist
2001 Peter Robinson "Missing in Action" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Winner
Noreen Ayres "Delta Double-Deal" The Night Awakens Shortlist
Mat Coward "Twelve Little Buggers" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Shortlist
Reginald Hill "A Candle for Christmas" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Shortlist
Kristine Kathryn Rusch "Spinning" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Shortlist
2002 S.J. Rozan "Double-Crossing Delancey" Mystery Street Winner
Jan Burke "The Abbey Ghosts" Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine Shortlist
Michael Collins "The Horrible Senseless Murders of Two Elderly Women" Fedora: Private Eyes & Tough Guys Shortlist
Michael Lewin "If the Glove Fits" Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine Shortlist
Margaret Maron "Virgo in Sapphires" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Shortlist
2003 Raymond Steiber "Mexican Gatsby" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Winner
Doug Allyn "The Murder Ballads" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Shortlist
Clark Howard "To Live and Die in Midland, Texas" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Shortlist
John Mortimer "Rumpole and the Primrose Path" The Strand Magazine Shortlist
Joyce Carol Oates "Angel of Wrath" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Shortlist
2004 G. Miki Hayden "The Maids" Blood On Their Hands Winner
Jeff Abbott "Bet on Red" High Stakes Shortlist
Shelley Costa "Black Heart & Cabin Girl" Blood On Their Hands Shortlist
David Edgerley Gates "Aces and Eights" Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine Shortlist
Kristine Kathryn Rusch "Cowboy Grace" The Silver Gryphon Shortlist
2005 Laurie Lynn Drummond "Something About a Scar" Anything You Say Can and Will Be Used Against You Winner
Terence Faherty "The Widow of Slane" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Shortlist
Pete Hamill "The Book Signing" Brooklyn Noir Shortlist
Gary Lovisi "Adventure of the Missing Detective" Sherlock Holmes: The Hidden Years Shortlist
Luke Sholer "Imitate the Sun" by Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Shortlist
2006 James W. Hall "The Catch" Greatest Hits Winner
Jeffery Deaver "Born Bad" Dangerous Women Shortlist
Andrew Klavan "Her Lord and Master" Dangerous Women Shortlist
Barbara Seranella "Misdirection" Greatest Hits Shortlist
Daniel Walker "Welcome to Monroe" A Kudzu Christmas Shortlist
2007 Charles Ardai "The Home Front" Death Do Us Part Winner
Thomas H. Cook "Rain" Manhattan Noir Shortlist
Bill Crider "Cranked" Damn Near Dead Shortlist
S. J. Rozan "Building" Manhattan Noir Shortlist
2008 Susan Straight "The Golden Gopher" Los Angeles Noir Winner [3]
Mark Ammons "The Catch" Still Waters Shortlist
Stuart M. Kaminsky "Blue Note" Chicago Blues Shortlist
Laura Lippman "Hardly Knew Her" Dead Man’s Hand Shortlist
Daniel Woodrell "Uncle" A Hell of a Woman Shortlist
2009 T. Jefferson Parker "Skinhead Central" Mystery Writers of America Presents: The Blue Religion Winner [4]
Sean Chercover "A Sleep Not Unlike Death" Hardcore Hardboiled Shortlist
David Edgerley Gates "Skin and Bones" Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine Shortlist
Laura Lippman "Scratch a Woman" Hardly Knew Her Shortlist
Dominique Mainard "La Vie en Rose" Paris Noir Shortlist

2010s[edit]

2010s Best Short Story winners and shortlists[2]
Year Author Story Publication Result Ref.
2010 Luis Alberto Urrea "Amapola" Phoenix Noir Winner
Ace Atkins "Last Fair Deal Gone Down" Crossroad Blues Shortlist
Dana Cameron "Femme Sole" Boston Noir Shortlist
Jim Fusilli "Digby, Attorney at Law" Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine Shortlist
Dennis Lehane "Animal Rescue" Boston Noir Shortlist
2011 Doug Allyn "The Scent of Lilacs" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Winner
Jeffery Deaver “The Plot" First Thrills Shortlist
Judith Green “A Good Safe Place" Thin Ice Shortlist
Stephen Ross "Monsieur Alice is Absent" Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine Shortlist
Edmund White “The Creative Writing Murders" Dark End of the Street Shortlist
2012 Peter Turnbull "The Man Who Took His Hat Off to the Driver of the Train" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Winner [5][6]
John C. Boland "Marley’s Revolution" Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine Shortlist [6]
David Dean "Tomorrow’s Dead" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Shortlist [6]
Bradley Denton "The Adakian Eagle" Down These Strange Streets Shortlist [6]
Diana Gabaldon "Lord John and the Plague of Zombies" Down These Strange Streets Shortlist [6]
Neil Gaiman "The Case of Death and Honey" A Study in Sherlock Shortlist [6]
2013 Karin Slaughter "The Unremarkable Heart" Mystery Writers of America Presents: Vengeance Winner [7]
Mike Carey "Iphigenia in Aulis" An Apple for the Creature Shortlist
Steve Liskow "Hot Sugar Blues" Mystery Writers of America Presents: Vengeance Shortlist
Tom Piccirilli "The Void it Often Brings With It" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Shortlist
Teresa Solana "Still Life No. 41" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Shortlist
2014 John Connolly "The Caxton Private Lending Library & Book Depository" Bibliomysteries Winner [8]
Reed Farrel Coleman "The Terminal" Kwik Krimes, edited by Otto Penzler Shortlist [9]
Max Allan Collins and Mickey Spillane "So Long, Chief" The Strand Magazine Shortlist [9]
Trina Corey "There are Roads in the Water" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Shortlist [9]
Tim L. Williams "Where That Morning Sun Does Down" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Shortlist [9]
2015 Gillian Flynn "What Do You Do?" Rogues Winner [10][11]
Doug Allyn "The Snow Angel" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Shortlist [12]
John Floyd "200 Feet" Strand Magazine Shortlist [12]
Dennis Lehane vs. Michael Connelly "Red Eye" FaceOff  Shortlist [12]
Brian Tobin "Teddy" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Shortlist [12]
2016 Stephen King "Obits" The Bazaar of Bad Dreams Winner [13][14]
Megan Abbott "The Little Men" Mysterious Bookshop Shortlist
Mat Coward "On Borrowed Time" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Shortlist
Peter Farrelly "The Saturday Night Before Easter Sunday" Providence Noir Shortlist
Shirley Jackson "Family Treasures" Let Me Tell You: New Stories, Essays, and Other Writings Shortlist
Denise Mina "Every Seven Years" Mysterious Bookshop Shortlist
2017 Lawrence Block "Autumn at the Automat" In Sunlight or in Shadow Winner [15]
Megan Abbott "Oxford Girl" Mississippi Noir Shortlist
Laura Benedict "A Paler Shade of Death" St. Louis Noir Shortlist
Stephen King “The Music Room" In Sunlight or in Shadow Shortlist
Joyce Carol Oates “The Crawl Space" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Shortlist
2018 John Crowley "Spring Break" New Haven Noir Winner [16]
Jeffery Deaver "Hard to Get" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Shortlist
Eric Heidle "Ace in the Hole" Montana Noir Shortlist
Kenji Jasper “A Moment of Clarity at the Waffle House" Atlanta Noir Shortlist
S. J. Rozan "Chin Yong-Yun Stays at Home" Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine Shortlist
2019 Art Taylor "English 398: Fiction Workshop" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Winner [17]
Paul Doiron "Rabid – A Mike Bowditch Short Story" Shortlist
John Lutz "Paranoid Enough for Two" Shortlist
Val McDermid "Ancient and Modern" Bloody Scotland Shortlist
Lisa Unger "The Sleep Tight Motel" The Sleep Tight Motel Shortlist

2020s[edit]

2020s Best Short Story winners and shortlists[2]
Year Author Story Publication Result Ref.
2020 Livia Llewellyn "One of These Nights" Cutting Edge: New Stories of Mystery and Crime by Women Writers Winner
Hector Acosta "Turistas" Pa’Que Tu Lo Sepas Shortlist
Kirsten Tranter "The Passenger” Sydney Noir Shortlist
Sam Wiebe "Home at Last" Die Behind the Wheel: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Music of Steely Dan Shortlist
Dave Zeltserman "Brother’s Keeper" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Shortlist
2021 Maaza Mengiste "Dust, Ash, Flight" Addis Ababa Noir Winner [18][19]
Leslie Elman "The Summer Uncle Cat Came to Stay" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Shortlist [19]
Joseph S. Walker  "Etta at the End of the World" Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine Shortlist [19]
James W. Ziskin "The Twenty-Five Year Engagement" In League with Sherlock Holmes Shortlist [19]
2022 R.T. Lawton "The Road to Hana" Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine Winner [20]
Michael Bracken and James A. Hearn "Blindsided" Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine Shortlist
V. M. Burns "The Vermeer Conspiracy” Midnight Hour Shortlist
Tracy Clark "Lucky Thirteen" Midnight Hour Shortlist
Gigi Pandian "The Locked Room Library” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Shortlist
Cornell Woolrich "The Dark Oblivion” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Shortlist
2023 Gregory Fallis "Red Flag" Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine Winner [21]
Charles John Harper "Backstory" Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine Shortlist
William Burton McCormick "Locked-In" Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine Shortlist
Tim McLoughlin "The Amnesty Box” Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Shortlist
Donna Moore "First You Dream, Then You Die" Black is the Night Shortlist
2024 Linda Castillo "Hallowed Ground" Macmillan Publishers/ Minotaur Books Winner [22][23]
Heather Graham "Thriller" Thriller Shortlist [23]
Rob Osler "Miss Direction" Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine Shortlist [23]
Ian Rankin "The Rise" Amazon Original Stories Shortlist [23]
Lisa Scottoline "Pigeon Tony’s Last Stand" Amazon Original Stories Shortlist [23]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Edgar Award Category Information". Mystery Writers of America. Archived from the original on 2022-12-14. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  2. ^ a b c d "Edgar Awards". Stop, You're Killing Me. Archived from the original on June 30, 2023. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  3. ^ "Awards: The Edgars; Arthur C. Clarke Prize". Shelf Awareness. May 2, 2008. Archived from the original on 2022-09-20. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
  4. ^ "Awards: Edgars; Arthur C. Clarke". Shelf Awareness. May 1, 2009. Archived from the original on 2023-06-03. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
  5. ^ "2012 Nominees and Winners". Edgar Awards. Archived from the original on 2012-11-03.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Cogdill, Oline. "2012 Edgar Award Winners". Mystery Scene Magazine. Archived from the original on 2022-07-12. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
  7. ^ "2013 Nominees and Winners". Edgar Awards. Archived from the original on 2013-11-02.
  8. ^ "2014 Nominees and Winners". Edgar Awards. Archived from the original on 2014-11-10.
  9. ^ a b c d "The 2014 Edgar Award Nominations and Winners". Heights Libraries. Archived from the original on 2022-12-10. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  10. ^ "2015 Nominees and Winners". Edgar Awards. Archived from the original on 2015-11-08.
  11. ^ "Awards: Edgar Winners; Ridenhour Book". Shelf Awareness. May 1, 2015. Archived from the original on 2022-09-21. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
  12. ^ a b c d "2015 Edgar Award Winners". Mystery Scene Magazine. Archived from the original on 2024-05-06. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  13. ^ "2016 Nominees and Winners". Edgar Awards. Archived from the original on 2016-11-05.
  14. ^ "Awards: Edgar Winners". Shelf Awareness. May 2, 2016. Archived from the original on 2022-09-15. Retrieved 2022-12-11.
  15. ^ "2017 Nominees and Winners". Edgar Awards. Archived from the original on 2017-11-07.
  16. ^ "2018 Nominees and Winners". Edgar Awards. Archived from the original on 2018-11-10.
  17. ^ "2019 Nominees and Winners". Edgar Awards. Archived from the original on 2019-08-18.
  18. ^ "2021 Edgar Allan Poe Award Winners". Mystery Writers of America. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
  19. ^ a b c d "Congratulations to the Winners of the 2021 Edgar Awards". CrimeReads. 2021-04-29. Archived from the original on 2021-06-21. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  20. ^ "2022 Edgar Allan Poe Award Winners". Mystery Writers of America. Archived from the original on 2024-05-06. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
  21. ^ Schaub, Michael (2023-04-28). "Edgar Award Winners Are Revealed". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on 2023-04-30. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  22. ^ Schaub, Michael (2024-05-02). "Winners of the 2024 Edgar Awards Are Revealed". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on 2024-05-02. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  23. ^ a b c d e "2024 Edgar Winners" (PDF). Edgar Awards. May 4, 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 2, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.

External links[edit]