Mystery Writers of America Name Laura Lippman and John Sandford Grand Masters of 2025 Edgar Awards

Authors Laura Lippman and John Sandford have been announced as the 2025 Grand Masters of this year’s Edgar Awards.

The Mystery Writers of America (MWA) confirmed the two writers as the special awards winners in a news release shared with PEOPLE on Wednesday, Jan. 15. The writers will accept their awards at the 79th Annual Edgar Awards Ceremony on May 1 at the Marriott Marquis Times Square in New York City.

The Grand Master Award celebrates the recipients' achievements in mystery writing, extensive body of work and impactful contributions to the genre.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

“Laura Lippman’s contributions to the mystery genre as a writer, a teacher and a role model for aspiring writers — especially women writers — make her a wonderful choice for Mystery Writers of America’s Grand Master,” said MWA Executive Vice President Donna Andrews. “And as someone who’s been a fan of John Sandford since the first few pages of Rules of Prey, I’m overjoyed to see him getting the well-deserved recognition of being named MWA Grand Master."

Related: From Traveling Singer to Bestselling Author: 'This Wasn't a Simple Pivot; It Was a Moment of Reckoning' (Exclusive)

New York Times bestselling novelist Lippman has been named one of the essential” crime writers of the last century, having been shortlisted for several major awards for her work which includes 25 novels, two short story collections, a book of essays, a children’s book and a 2024 limited series based on her 2019 novel Lady in the Lake, per the release.

The Atlanta-born writer said receiving the honor was “humbling” and a dream come true.”

“Even now that I’ve been given some time to absorb the news — it still feels like a dream come true,” said Lippman, who resides in New Orleans and Baltimore. “I have always been proud to be associated with the crime-writing community and MWA, both of which have given me so much over the past three decades. Truly — obviously — words fail me.”

Journalist and writer Sandford, which is a pseudonym for John Camp, won the Pulitzer Prize in journalism in 1986 and the Distinguished Writing Award of the American Society of Newspaper Editors a year later. He's the pen behind 35 Prey novels, the Kidd series, the Virgil Flowers books and six other standalones, including three YA novels co-authored with his wife Michele Cook.

Related: Agatha Christie Meets Murder, She Wrote in a Delightful New Mystery — Read an Excerpt Here! (Exclusive)

“Believe me when I say I’m extremely flattered to be included in the company of so many great storytellers, people I’ve read and admired for years," said Sandford. "My thanks to the MWA and all its members.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.  

MWA also announced that the 2025 Raven Award recipient is Face in a Book Bookstore & Gifts the and Ellery Queen Award recipient is Peter Wolverton of St. Martin’s Publishing Group.

MWA is an organization established for aspiring crime writers, mystery writers and professionals dedicated to the crime-writing genre and currently has 3,000 members including authors of fiction and nonfiction books, screen and television writers.

Read the original article on People