CrimeCon Announces 2026 CLUE Awards Host and List of Nominees

Chris Hansen, the Emmy Award-winning investigative journalist and host of Takedown with Chris Hansen, is set to host CrimeCon’s 2026 CLUE Awards, the premiere awards show celebrating excellence and responsible storytelling in true crime content, across television, film, podcasts and publishing. 

Presented by CrimeCon, the world’s largest event for genre consumers, crime experts and professionals, the CLUE Awards will take place Saturday, May 30 at Caesars Palace, during CrimeCon’s annual, three-day flagship event.

Alongside its full list of nominees across true crime content – and its finalists for “People’s Choice: Creator of the Year,” presented by Investigation Discovery – CLUE has unveiled the recipients of its prestigious “Crimefighter of the Year” honor: Jena-Lisa Jones, Haley Robson and Courtney Wild, Jeffrey Epstein survivors and members of The Survivors, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to guiding sexual assault survivors by offering vital resources and personalized life coaching. Previous Crimefighter of the Year recipients include The Black & Missing Foundation, The Gabby Petito Foundation, America’s Most Wanted creator and NCMEC co-founder John Walsh, and the families of Abigail Williams and Liberty German, along with Lt. Jerry Holeman and Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland. 

Additionally, the finalists for CLUE’s “America’s Greatest Detective” award, presented by Law & Crime, have been revealed. This award honors the incredible investigative work of crime-solving law enforcement professionals across the country. The 2026 finalists include: Tara Augustin and Alyson Dupouy, decorated detectives for Maryland’s Montgomery County PD known for their recent contributions in solving the Leslie Preer cold case; Jenn Benjamins, retired sergeant of the Las Vegas Metropolitan PD and founder of law enforcement training company Covert Blue LLC; and Vicki Rains Pearson, sergeant with the Richland County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina, recently featured in Netflix documentary Missing: Dead or Alive.

The CLUE Awards ceremony will close out programming for “Day 2” of CrimeCon 2026. In addition to Hansen, the ceremony’s presenters will include On Patrol: Live analyst Tom Rizzo, CSI Creator Anthony Zuiker and lauded crime scene investigator Sheryl McCollum, among many others.

The 2026 CLUE Award nominees – across TV, podcasting, film and publishing – include:

TV: Outstanding Docuseries

• Death Cap: The Mushroom Murders | (Stan, CNN, Netflix UK) Dreamchaser, Den of Martians and Fifth Season
• Girl on the Run: Hunt for America’s Most Wanted | (Hulu) Plum Pictures and ABC News Studios
• Death of a Showjumper | (Sky) Walk on Air Films and Sky Studios 
• Amy Bradley is Missing | (Netflix) Ample Entertainment
• Betrayal: Under His Eye | (Hulu) ABC News Studios and Glass Entertainment Group

TV: Outstanding Episodic Series

• FEDS | (Investigation Discovery) Orit Entertainment and October Films
• Desert Law | (A&E Network) Twenty Twenty Productions
• 24 Hours in Police Custody: Murder is No Game | (Channel 4) The Garden Productions
• On the Case with Paula Zahn | (Investigation Discovery) Scott Sternberg Productions, Inc. and Weinberger Media
• The Death Investigator with Barbara Butcher | (Oxygen True Crime) Wolf Entertainment, Alfred Street Industries and Universal Television Alternative Studio, a division of Universal Studio Group

TV: Outstanding Scripted Series

• Dark Winds | (AMC) AMC Studios
• Paradise | (Hulu) 20th Television
• Reasonable Doubt | (Hulu) 20th Television and Onyx Collective
• RJ Decker | (ABC) 20th Television
• Only Murders in the Building | (Hulu) 20th Television

Podcast: Outstanding Docuseries

• Burden of Guilt | Glass Podcasts in partnership with iHeart Podcasts
• Hunting the Bogeyman | Perfect Cadence
• Blood is Thicker: The Farris Wheel | 48 Hours (CBS News)
• Shipwreck | Audible and Sugar23
• Betrayal | Glass Podcasts in partnership with iHeart Podcasts

Podcast: Outstanding Episodic Series

• 48 Hours: Post Mortem | 48 Hours (CBS News)
• True Crime Recaps | Jellysmack and Trendly
• Lawless Planet | Audible
• One Minute Remaining | Mashed Pumpkin Productions PTY LTD
• Mind Over Murder | Another Dog Productions and Absolute Zero Productions

Outstanding Documentary Film

• My Father, the BTK Killer | (Netflix) Campfire Studios
• Night in West Texas | (Theatrical) Myths of Monsters, Naked Edge Films and Texas Monthly
• Prince Andrew: On Trial | (Channel 5 / True Royalty) Good TV
• Unknown Number: The High School Catfish | (Netflix) Campfire Studios in association with Terminal B TV
• Ruby Red Handed: Stealing America’s Most Famous Pair of Shoes | (Hulu) Committee Films in association with ABC News Studios

True Crime Book of the Year

• Something Big: The True Story of the Brown’s Chicken Massacre | (Post Hill Press) Written by Patrick Wohl
• Expert Witness | (Grand Central Publishing) Written by Dr. Ann Wolbert Burgess
• Out of the Woods | (Thomas & Mercer, an imprint of Amazon Publishing) Written by Gregg Olsen
• Injustice Town | (Pegasus Books) Written by Rick Tulsky
• Chasing Down the Zombie Hunter | (Pegasus Books) Written by Troy Hillman

People’s Choice: Creator of the Year (Presented by Investigation Discovery)

• Annie Elise (“SERIALously,” “10 to LIFE”)
• Crime Stories with Nancy Grace – Nancy Grace
• Crime Weekly – Stephanie Harlowe, Derrick Levasseur
• Courtroom Confidential – Joshua Ritter
• The Prosecutors – Alice LaCour, Brett Talley

About CrimeCon

CrimeCon is an immersive three-day experience for true crime fans, creators and leading industry professionals. Since its launch in 2017, CrimeCon has connected thousands of true crime enthusiasts with the mysteries, cases and issues that intrigue them. With a heavy focus on education, CrimeCon features speakers, panels, breakout sessions, hands-on experiences and more, allowing fans to completely delve into the world of true crime. Created by fans, for fans, CrimeCon brings together the true crime community for a weekend filled with learning, understanding and advocacy. The event is produced by Red Seat Ventures, a digital media company based in New York City. For more information, visit www.CrimeCon.com.