Hello, would-be murder mystery hosts! So, you have decided to host a Murder Mystery Party, whether in-person or virtually. That is fantastic – and we just know you and your guests are going to love it!
We get many questions about hosting, and one question we get asked more often than not by first-time murder mystery hosts is - should I give out prizes at the end of a murder Mystery Game? While many hosts choose to end the game at the villain’s unveiling, another memorial way to end the game is with awards and prizes.
Examples of Awards and Prizes for Murder Mystery Games
Whether you choose to play virtually or in-person murder mystery, finishing off your night with some awards or prizes is a fantastic way to end the night for your guests and you! Some examples of prizes you may award at the end of a murder mystery game include:
- Best Detective
- Best Liar/Villain
- Most Untrustworthy Character
- Most Valuable Player(s)
- Best Costume
- Best Performer
- Best Accent
- Best Themed Dish
- Best Zoom Backdrop
- Theme-related awards
- Other awards Prizes for mini competitions and games
Some of these awards are self-explanatory, while others may need a little more explanation. It is important to note that some of these prizes are better suited to playing the game, while others are better suited as voted by the players.
- Best Detective (first person to name the murderer and motive)
- Best Liar/Villain (for the villain, if no one guessed the solution)
- Most Untrustworthy Character (for guests who were wrongly accused)
- Most Valuable Player(s) (as voted by the players)
- Best Costume (as voted by the players)
- Best Performer (as voted by the players)
- Best Accent (as voted by the players)
- Best Dish (for murder mystery potluck dinners, as voted by the players)
- Best Zoom Backdrop (for virtual murder mystery games)
Awarding & Voting For Prizes
Best Costume For The Haunting of Monster Mansion Murder mystery game.
At Masters of Mystery, we think it is more fun to award prizes as voted by the players.
To make voting easy, we encourage you to include a voting form with each of your character booklets. The voting form should have a list of all the categories that the guests can vote. You can choose to include as many categories as you wish.
If guests get this voting list beforehand, it will also inspire more creativity and competitiveness for an even greater night!
At the time of voting, collect the game voting ballots and your prize voting form separately and count them! We also think it is good to have a few spares if one of your guests forgets to bring them along.
Once the villain is revealed, start the awards. Prizes add a fun element to a murder mystery party and help draw the event to a satisfactory close.
Prizes Ideas
Some of these prizes are more suited to real-life games rather than online murder mystery games. However, you can decide which type of prize suits your particular guests.
- Alcohol prizes
- A paper certificate
- Sweets or Chocolate
- A themed goody bags (this can be fun to create and can also act as party favours for all guests)
- A theme-related Knick knacks
- Detective equipment – hat, spyglass, magnifying glass, pen, and notepads
- Online gift certificates
- Murder Mystery Game Gift Cards
Murder Mystery Gift Card Prizes
Masters of Mystery offers gift cards that are suitable as gifts or as host, or as great prizes for murder mystery party awards. You can pass the hosting role to your next friend and have another fun, mystery-filled evening – maybe in person this time or again virtually.
Other Mini-Games You May Want to Include
Some murder mystery hosts also like to include other puzzles and party games alongside the actual game. Many of these party games relate to the murder mystery party theme, and in this way, resembles almost an escape room experience. Either way, these are other great opportunities to give out small prizes to your guests.
Some common party games are:
- Scavenger hunt
- Game of Truth and Lies
- Puzzles
- Personal Jeopardy
- A decade or Pop culture Trivia
- Casino gambling games
A typical mini-game that is easily embedded into a James Bond themed or Casino-themed murder mystery games are gambling and card games. Using fake money or chips, guests start the night with the same amount of cash, and the guests who end the night with the most money wins a prize.
Other common mini-games are scavengers and trivia’s that relate to the theme of the party. For some fun mini-game themes for murder mystery parties, consider some of these blogs:
It’s important to remember that these mini-games are not essential to a murder mystery game but rather an extra. Many veteran murder mystery hosts may choose to incorporate these extra games, but you want to ensure that you don’t take away from the murder mystery game itself.
Whether you choose to give prizes at your murder mystery party or include mini-games or not, you can be sure your guests are going to have a fantastic time!
