MWA Announces the 2025 Barbara Neely Scholarship Winners
Mystery Writers of America is proud to announce the 2025 recipients of the Barbara Neely Grants Aime Austin and Grace Wynter.
Barbara Neely was the author of the “Blanche” series, one of the first crime fiction series to feature a Black woman as the protagonist. In just four books, Ms. Neely became both a role model and a major influence for an entire new generation of Black women. Mystery Writers of America named her a Grand Master in November of 2019 to recognize her enormous contributions to the genre as well as her impact on the crime fiction community. Sadly, Ms. Neely passed away before she could accept the honor in person in April 2020 at the Edgars presentation and in 2021, MWA created a scholarship program for Black crime fiction writers in her name; one for an already published author, and another for one just getting started in publishing.
“We’re delighted to be able to recognize Ms. Austin and Ms. Wynter ,” said MWA’s Executive Vice President James L’Etoile. “And we’re hoping they can use the grant to help grow their careers. We had a lot of fantastic applicants this year, which made choosing only two scholarship recipients a difficult job for the jury. But what a wonderful problem to have. The spirit of Barbara Neely shines through the work of this year’s participants, many of whom were inspired to write their own stories after reading her books. These are writers we’re sure to hear a lot from in the years ahead, and MWA is honored to support strong, diverse voices in the world of crime fiction.”
The grant comes with a $2000 award to assist each recipient with any aspect of their career as they see fit. “There are a lot of financial challenges for writers at every stage of their career,” L’Etoile said. “Whether you need some software, a new computer, maybe a weekend away from the kids. We hope this cash award will help give the recipients’ career a needed boost, however they see fit.”
Aime Austin is the author of the Casey Cort and Nicole Long Series of legal thrillers. She is also the host of the podcast, A Time to Thrill. When she’s not writing crime fiction or interviewing brilliant creators for her podcast, she’s in a yoga pose, knitting, or reading. Aime splits her time between Los Angeles and Budapest. Before turning to writing, Aime practiced family and criminal law in Cleveland, Ohio. You can learn more about Aime by visiting her website: https://aimeaustin.com/
Grace Wynter is a writer and freelance editor with an MBA from Georgia State University and a Professional Certificate in Editing from the University of Chicago. Her manuscript The Code was a finalist in the 2024 Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award. No matter what she’s writing, Grace strives to create unique characters who share her culture and commitment to championing women’s issues and social equity. When she’s not alternating between the Marvel and DC universes, Grace resides in Atlanta, Georgia. You can learn more about Grace by visiting her website: https://gracewynter.com/
The grants will reopen for applications in the summer of 2025.
