A jury composed of 10 readers will reward the French-language crime novel of the year from a selection of six titles chosen by the festival’s partner bookshops:

• Personne ne meurt à Longyearbyen, Morgan Audic – Éditions Albin Michel
• Feux dans la plaine, Olivier Ciechelski – Éditions du Rouergue
• Gouine City confidential, Laurène Duclaud – La Manufacture de livres
• Free Queens, Marin Ledun – Éditions Gallimard
• Sans collier, Michèle Pedinielli – Éditions de l’Aube
• Femme portant un fusil, Sophie Pointurier – HarperCollins

In previous editions, the prize was awarded to DOA, Les Fous d’Avril (2005), Franck Thilliez, La Chambre des morts (2006), François Boulay, Traces (2007), Marcus Malte, Garden of Love (2008), Caryl Férey, Zulu (2009), Antoine Chainas, Anaisthêsia (2010), Serge Quadruppani, Saturne (2011), Antonin Varenne, Le Mur, le Kabyle et le marin (2012), Olivier Truc , Le Dernier Lapon (2013), Ian Manook, Yeruldelgger (2014), Jérôme Leroy, L’ange gardien (2015), Colin Niel, Obia (2016), Andrée A. Michaud, Bondrée (2017) et Gilda Piersanti, Illusions tragiques (2018), Frédéric Paulin, La guerre est une ruse (2019). Thomas Cantaloube, Requiem pour une République (2020), Patrice Gain, Le Sourire du scorpion (2021), Hervé le Corre, Traverser la nuit (2022) and Roxanne Bouchard, Nous étions le sel de la mer (2023).

Over 200 students from 8 Lyon-based CM1/CM2 classes, accompanied by the Book Ambassadors of Afev, will vote for their favourite French-language youth crime novel of the year from the following selection of five titles.

• Comme dans un film, Rémi Courgeon – Éditions Seuil Jeunesse
• Les Folles lectures d’Archibald Bloomer – Le Manoir du Monstre, Rod Marty – Auzou Éditions
• Les Arsène, La clé aux 3 joyaux, Bertrand Puard – Poulpe fictions
• Mortel Tandem, Marie-Agnès Vermande-Lherm – Éditions Sarbacane / Pépix
• Jasper et la brigade du flair – La Première mission, Elisa Villebrun – Rageot

In previous editions, the prize was awarded to Séverine Vidal, Drôle d’évasion (2015), Jean-Christophe Tixier, Dix minutes à perdre (2016), Aurélie Neyret et Joris Chambain, Les carnets de Cerise T4 – La déesse sans visage (2017), Anne-Gaëlle Balpe, Le mystère Vandam Pishar (2018), Jean-Claude Mourlevat, Jefferson (2019), Claire Renaud, Les Mamies attaquent (2020), Anaïs Vachez, Les élèves de l’ombre (2021), Richard Petitsigne, La Cité des squelettes (2022), Anne Schmauch, Rose Asphalte, enquêtrice de l’étrange – Tome 1, La colo des zombis (2023).

For the tenth consecutive year, the SCELF – Polar en Series Award rewards a French-language crime novel, thriller, or detective story for its intrinsic qualities and potential for adaptation into an audiovisual series. It was created with the support of SCELF – Civil Society of French Language Publishers, as part of the professional programme Polar Connection, to foster links between literature and audiovisual media.

• Le quatorzième stratagème, Louis Berger, Nouveau Monde éditions, 2023
• L’affaire Sylla, Solange Siyandje, Gallimard, 2024
• La Théorie des ondes, Pascale Chouffot, Editions du Rouergue, 2024
• Crépuscule à Casablanca, Melvina Mestre, Points (inédit), 2023
• La situation, Karim Miské, Les Avrils, groupe Delcourt, 2023
• SkilledFast (volumes 1, 2, 3), Hachin, Nouvelle Hydre, 2023

The authors exchange on specific issues regarding adaptation. The audiovisual rights managers of the publishing houses are invited to come and talk during these meetings with directors and programmers who will be present on site.

The jury, who will have to determine which one of the 6 final titles would give the best scenario to a TV series, is composed of:

• Michel ABOUCHAHLA, Director of Écran Total
• Mathieu BELGHITI, Producer, What’s Up Films
• Camille COUASSE, Screenwriter
• Eric GEAY, Artistic Producer, SND – groupe M6
• Carole LE BERRE, Program advicer, Unité Fiction, France Télévision
• Xavier LEHERPEUR, Journalist, film and series Critic (France Inter), co-programmer of the festival Marseille Series Stories
• Frédéric MERMOUD, Director, Screenwriter
• Véra PELTEKIAN, Vice-President in charge of French original productions, HBO Max, chez Warner Media International

This Polar en Séries prize will be awarded in Lyon during Polar Connection. The finalist titles will be presented in the form of pitches by their publishers before the awarding of the prize to the author.

In previous editions, the prize was awarded to Sophie Hénaff , Poulets grillés (2015), Hervé Le Corre, Après la guerre (2015), Jérémy Fel, Les loups à leur porte (2016), Colin Niel, Seules les bêtes (2017), Laurent Galandon, Frank Giroud et Frédéric Volante, L’Avocat (2018) and Dominique Manotti, Racket (2019), Stéphane Servant, Félines (2020), Marin Ledun, Leur âme au diable (2021), Jean-Charles Chapuzet, Du bleu dans la nuit (2021), Noémie Adenis, Le loup des ardents (2022) and Gérard Lecas, Le sang de nos ennemis (2023).

Established in collaboration with the Lyon Judicial Court and in partnership with Libération, the Noir and Justice Award will be bestowed upon a non-fiction literary work – investigation, true crime, testimony – with a connection to justice and crime stories. The jury will consist of magistrates from the Lyon Judicial Court and legal professionals, alongside Alexandra Schwartzbrod, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Libération, a representative from Quais du Polar, and Alice Géraud, the guest of honour. The nominated titles are:

• L’Encyclopédie du crime au cinéma, Alain Bauer – Éditions Grund
• Dulcie, Benoît Colombat and Grégory Mardon – Futuropolis
• Black Music Justice, Fabrice Epstein – La Manufacture de livres
• Dans le cerveau du tueur : L’affaire Michel Fourniret et Monique Olivier, Michelle Fines – Éditions Fayard
• Mémoires, François Molins and Chloé Triomphe – Éditions Flammarion
• L’Affaire Emmett Till, J.-M. Pottier – 10-18
• Le Livre de Daniel, Chris De Stoop – Éditions Globe

In previous editions, the prize was awarded to Sambre, Alice Géraud (Éditions JC Lattès) (2023).

The bookstore Expérience, France 3 Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, and Quais du Polar have joined forces to award the Crime Comic Award at the festival. Titles on the running for 2024 :

• La Brute et le divin, Léonard Chemineau – Éditions Rue De Sèvres
• Le Passeur de lagunes, Christophe Dabitch and Piero Macola – Futuropolis
• Au nom du fils, Jean-Blaise Djian, Pauline Djian and Sébastien Corbet – Éditions Rue De Sèvres
• Une nuit avec toi, Maran Hrachyan – Glénat
• Contrition, Keko and Carlos Portela, traduction Alexandra Carrasco – Éditions Denoël
• Je suis leur Silence, Jordi Lafebre, traduction Geneviève Maubille – Éditions Dargaud
• Speedball, Florian Pigé and Étienne Gerin – Éditions Sarbacane

In previous editions, the prize was awarded to Peeters & Dragon, RG (2008), Maseboone & Mau, Au revoir Monsieur (2009), Chabouté, Terre Neuvas (2010), Ed Brubaker & Sean Philips, Criminal T5 (2011), Arnaud Malherbe & Vincent Pierrot, Belleville story, Marc-Antoine Matthieu, 3’’ (2012), Laurent Astier, Cellule poison (2013), Fabien Nury & Brüno, Tyler Cross (2014), Antonio Altarriba & Keko, Moi, Assassin (2015), Julie Rocheleau & Olivier Bocquet, La colère de Fantômas (2016), Olivier Berlion, Le Juge: la république assassinée (2017), and Matz & Léonard Chemineau, Le travailleur de la nuit (2018) and Borris, Charogne (2019), Gaët’s & Julien Monier, RIP T2 (2020) and Robin Recht & Matthieu Angotti, La Cage aux cons (2021), Elizabeth Colomba and Aurélie Levy, Queenie (2022) and RUN and Florent Maudoux, A Short Story – La véritable histoire du Dahlia Noir (2023).

Quais du Polar is once again partnering with the Municipal Libraries of the City and Metropolitan Area of Lyon. Invested in the festival through meetings, activities, and highlighting collections, librarians have picked a selection of crime novels from their favourites of the year, and will reward their favourite title published between September 1, 2022, and August 31, 2023. Titles on the running for 2024 :

• La Colère, S. A. Cosby, translation Pierre Szczeciner – Éditions Sonatine
• Celles qu’on tue, Patricia Melo, translation Elodie Dupau – Buchet Chastel
• Étude en noir, José Carlos Somoza, translation Marianne Millon – Actes Sud
• La Vorace, Chelsea G. Summers, translation Jessica Shapiro – Éditions Mazarine