Shamus Award

The Shamus Award is awarded by the Private Eye Writers of America (PWA) for the best detective fiction (private investigator – P. I.) genre novels and short stories of the year. The prize is given annually to recognize outstanding achievement in private eye fiction. The Shamus Awards are sometimes (2003, 2007–2009, 2011–2016) announced during the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention, at the convention's PWA Awards Banquet.

From the Wikipedia article “Shamus Award”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Check the official rules of the Shamus Award for the current eligibility window, accepted formats, residency or language requirements and any entry fee. For most established prizes the publisher submits on the author's behalf, often with a limit on entries per imprint.

If you are self-published, look for an explicit statement that independently published books are accepted, and budget for entry fees and copies for judges.