Brilliant detective work has fascinated, educated and entertained people for ages. How complex mysteries are solved has been the staple of countless movies, books, television shows and podcasts — yet the people who perform this amazing detective work on a daily basis are rarely recognized outside their locality.

Law&Crime intends to change that with the second annual America’s Greatest Detective Award, a title to be awarded annually to recognize the most brilliant investigative work done by teams or individuals working in or adjacent to law enforcement.

ABOUT THE AWARD

Millions of men and women go to work every day keeping us safe and solving crimes. To find America’s Greatest Detective, we will seek out stories of the most fascinating and successful investigations from across a wide range of law enforcement doing crime-solving work.

Every group or individual whose job it is to solve crimes is eligible to receive this accolade for their most impressive investigation, including official law enforcement, private investigators, forensic examiners, nonprofit organizations and all those who make the above jobs possible. A factual story submission provides entry into our contest to be named America’s Greatest Detective. You can nominate yourself, or a top-notch investigator in your community. As investigative work is lengthy, both recent investigations and past ones are welcome!

PICKING THE NOMINEES

From the submissions, Law&Crime’s team will carefully select three nominees across a wide range of law enforcement professions. All top nominees will be featured prominently on our social media, digital site and podcasts for a period of several weeks. After having the opportunity to hear each nominee’s story, our audience members will be invited to vote on who they believe best deserves the top title of America’s Greatest Detective.

Law&Crime has also been offered the exciting opportunity to feature America’s Greatest Detective at this year’s CrimeCon — the world’s largest event for true crime consumers, crime experts and professionals — from May 31 to June 2 in Nashville, Tennessee. All top nominees will be honored at and invited to attend the conference’s CLUE Awards, and their work will also be featured prominently throughout this year’s CrimeCon event.

Additional promotion on our network and podcasts will be awarded to the grand prize winner.

NOMINATION FORM

We are currently seeking submissions for the most compelling and detailed crime-solving stories from departments and investigative units across the country. If you believe that an investigation of which you or someone you know has been a part could win the title of America’s Greatest Detective, submit your story here.

Read here to learn more about last year’s winner, Special Fields Bureau Chief of the Dallas County Conviction Integrity Unit Cynthia Garza.

Cynthia Garza, America’s Greatest Detective (2023)

SUBMISSIONS CLOSE APRIL 3, 2024