Ned Kelly Awards

The Ned Kelly Awards (named for bushranger Ned Kelly) are Australia's leading literary awards for crime writing in both the crime fiction and true crime genres. They were established in 1996 by the Crime Writers Association of Australia to reward excellence in the field of crime writing within Australia.

Ned Kelly Awards
Awarded for	Excellence in Australian Crime fiction & true crime
Country	Australia
Presented by	Crime Writers Association of Australia
First award	1996
Website	http://www.nedkellyawards.com

The genre of crime writing has long been popular, but it was not until the early 1990s that a local growth of writing within the genre occurred in Australia. By the middle of the decade support for the field had grown sufficiently that it was decided to establish the Ned Kelly Awards.

The awards are affectionately referred to as 'The Neddies' within the community.

Categories

• Best First Novel
• Best True Crime
• Best Novel
• Best Teenage/Young Adult
• Readers Vote
• Best Non-Fiction
• Lifetime Achievement Awards

Winners

1990s

1990s Ned Kelly Award winners^[1]

Year	Best Novel	Best First Novel	Best Non-Fiction	Lifetime Achievement	Ref.
1996	The Malcontenta by Barry Maitland	Dark Angel by John Dale	—	Jon Cleary	[2]
	Inside Dope by Paul Thomas
1997	The Brush-Off by Shane Maloney	Bad Debts by Peter Temple[3]	How to Write Crime edited by Marele Day	Alan Yates (aka Carter Brown)	[4]
		Get Rich Quick by Peter Doyle
1998	—	—	—	—	—
1999	Amaze Your Friends by Peter Doyle	The Last Days by Andrew Masterson	—	Peter Corris	[5]

2000s

2000s Ned Kelly Award winners^[1]

Year	Best Novel	Best First Novel	Best True Crime	Best Teenage /Young Adult	Reader's Vote	Lifetime Achievement	Ref.
2000	Shooting Star by Peter Temple[3]	The Wooden Leg of Inspector Anders by Marshall Browne	(tie) Huckstepp: A Dangerous Life by John Dale Underbelly 3 by Andrew Rule and John Silvester	—	—	—	[6]
2001	(tie) Dead Point by Peter Temple[3] The Second Coming by Andrew Masterson	Last Drinks by Andrew McGahan	Broken Lives by Estelle Blackburn	—	Bleeding Hearts by Lindy Cameron	Stephen Knight	[7]
2002	Death Delights by Gabrielle Lord	(tie) Apartment 255 by Bunty Avieson Who Killed Angelique? by Emma Darcy	(tie) Razor by Larry Writer The Hanged Man by Mike Richards	Blue Murder by Ken Catran	Apartment 255 by Bunty Avieson	Patrick Gallagher	[8]
2003	White Dog by Peter Temple[3]	Blood Redemption by Alex Palmer	Blood Stain by Peter Lalor	—	—	Kerry Greenwood	[9]
2004	Degrees of Connection by Jon Cleary	(tie) The Walker by Jane R. Goodall Junkie Pilgrim by Wayne Grogan	Killing Juanita by Peter Rees	—	—	Bob Bottom	[10]
2005	Lost by Michael Robotham	A Private Man by Malcolm Knox	(tie) Joe Cinque's Consolation by Helen Garner Mr Big by Tony Reeves	—	—	Stuart Coupe	[11]
2006	(tie) Crook as Rookwood by Chris Nyst The Broken Shore by Peter Temple[3]	Out of the Silence by Wendy James	Packing Death by Lauchlin McCulloch	—	—	Andrew Rule and John Silvester	[12]
2007	Chain of Evidence by Garry Disher	Diamond Dove by Adrian Hyland	(tie) Written On The Skin by Liz Porter Killing For Pleasure: The Definitive Story of the Snowtown Murders by Debi Marshall	—	—	Sandra Harvey and Lindsay Simpson	[13]
2008	Shatter by Michael Robotham	The Low Road by Chris Womersley	Red Centre, Dark Heart by Evan McHugh	—	—	Marele Day	[14]
2009	Deep Water by Peter Corris and Smoke and Mirrors by Kel Robertson	Ghostlines by Nick Gadd	The Tall Man by Chloe Hooper	—	—	Shane Maloney	[15]

2010s

2010s Ned Kelly Award winners^[1]

Year	Best Novel	Best First Novel	Best True Crime	Lifetime Achievement	Ref.
2010	Wyatt by Garry Disher	King of the Cross by Mark Dapin	Pitcairn: Paradise Lost by Kathy Marks	Peter Doyle	[16]
2011	The Diggers Rest Hotel by Geoffrey McGeachin	Prime Cut by Alan Carter	Abandoned - The Sad Death of Dianne Brimble by Geesche Jacobsen	NA	[17][18]
2012	Pig Boy by J. C. Burke	The Cartographer by Peter Twohig	Sins of the Father: The Untold Story Behind Schapelle Corby's Ill-Fated Drug Run by Eamonn Duff	Gabrielle Lord	[19]
2013	Blackwattle Creek by Geoffrey McGeachin	The Midnight Promise by Zane Lovitt	The People Smuggler by Robin de Crespigny	NA	[20]
2014	In the Morning I'll Be Gone by Adrian McKinty	Hades by Candice Fox	Murder in Mississippi by John Safran	NA	[21]
2015	Eden by Candice Fox	Quota by Jock Serong	This House of Grief: The Story of a Murder Trial by Helen Garner	NA	[22][23]
2016	Before It Breaks by Dave Warner	Resurrection Bay by Emma Viskic	Certain Admissions by Gideon Haigh	NA	[24]
2017	Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly by Adrian McKinty	The Dry by Jane Harper	(tie) Getting Away With Murder by Duncan McNab The Drowned Man by Brendan James Murray	NA	[25][26]
2018	Crossing the Lines by Sulari Gentill	The Dark Lake by Sarah Bailey	Unmaking a Murder: The Mysterious Death of Anna-Jane Cheney by Graham Archer	Garry Disher	[27][28]
2019	The Lost Man by Jane Harper	The Rúin by Dervla McTiernan	Eggshell Skull by Bri Lee	Bob Bottom	[29][30]

2020s

2020s Ned Kelly Award winners^[1]

Year	Best Novel	Best First Novel	Best True Crime	Best International Crime	Ref.
2020	The Wife and the Widow by Christian White	Present Tense by Natalie Conyer	Bowraville by Dan Box	The Chain by Adrian McKinty	[31][32]
2021	Consolation by Garry Disher	The Second Son by Loraine Peck	Stalking Claremont by Bret Christian	We Begin at the End by Chris Whittaker	[33][34]
2022	The Chase by Candice Fox	Banjawarn by Josh Kemp	Banquet: The Untold Story of Adelaide's Family Murders by Debi Marshall	The Maid by Nita Prose	[35][36]
2023	Exiles by Jane Harper	Wake by Shelley Burr	Betrayed by Sandi Logan	The Lemon Man by Keith Bruton	[37][38]
2024	Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth	Murder in the Pacific: Ifira Point by Matt Francis	Crossing the Line by Nick McKenzie	The Only Suspect by Louise Candlish	[39]

Shortlists

Best Crime Novel

2010s

2010s Best Crime Novel winners and finalists^[1]

Year	Author	Title	Result	Ref.
2010	Garry Disher	Wyatt	Winner	[16]
	Lenny Bartulin	The Black Russian	Finalist	[40]
	Michael Robotham	Bleed For Me
2011	Geoffrey McGeachin	The Diggers Rest Hotel	Winner	[17][18]
	Angela Savage	The Half-Child	Finalist
	Chris Womersley	Bereft
2012	J. C. Burke	Pig Boy	Winner	[19]
	Malcolm Knox	The Life	Finalist	[41]
	Barry Maitland	Chelsea Mansions
2013	Geoffrey McGeachin	Blackwattle Creek	Winner	[20]
	Robert Gott	The Holiday Murders	Finalist	[42]
	Katherine Howell	Web of Deceit
	Adrian McKinty	I Hear The Sirens In The Street
	Malla Nunn	Silent Valley
2014	Adrian McKinty	In The Morning I'll Be Gone	Winner	[21]
	Garry Disher	Bitter Wash Road	Finalist	[43][44]
	Kathryn Fox	Fatal Impact
	PM Newton	Beams Falling
	Stephen Orr	One Boy Missing
	Angela Savage	The Dying Beach
2015	Candice Fox	Eden	Winner	[22][23]
	Peter Docker	Sweet One	Finalist	[45]
	Sulari Gentill	A Murder Unmentioned
	Barry Maitland	Crucifixion Creek
	Adrian McKinty	Gun Street Girl
	Malla Nunn	Present Darkness
2016	Dave Warner	Before It Breaks	Winner	[24]
	Mark Dapin	R&R	Finalist	[46]
	Garry Disher	The Heat
	Candice Fox	Fall
	Barry Maitland	Ash Island
	Adrian McKinty	Rain Dogs
2017	Adrian McKinty	Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly	Winner	[25][26]
	Candice Fox	Crimson Lake	Finalist	[47]
	Wendy James	The Golden Child
	Emily Maguire	An Isolated Incident
	Jock Serong	The Rules of Backyard Cricket
	Ann Turner	Out of the Ice
2018	Sulari Gentill	Crossing the Lines	Winner	[27][28]
	Alan Carter	Marlborough Man	Finalist	[48]
	Garry Disher	Under Cold Bright Lights
	Candice Fox	Redemption Point
	Anna George	The Lone Child
	Iain Ryan	The Student
2019	Jane Harper	The Lost Man	Winner	[29][30]
	Garry Disher	Kill Shot: A Wyatt Thriller	Finalist	[49][50]
	Candice Fox	Gone by Midnight
	Kerry Greenwood	The Spotted Dog
	Michael Robotham	The Other Wife
	Sue Williams	Live and Let Fry

2020s

2020s Best Crime Novel winners and finalists^[1]

Year	Author	Title	Result	Ref.
2020	Christian White	The Wife and the Widow	Winner	[31][32]
	Pip Drysdale	The Strangers We Know	Finalist	[51]
	Nick Gadd	Death of a Typographer
	Dervla McTiernan	The Scholar
	Dave Warner	River of Salt
	David Whish-Wilson	True West
2021	Garry Disher	Consolation	Winner	[33][34]
	Candice Fox	Gathering Dark	Finalist	[52]
	Sulari Gentill	A Testament of Character
	Jane Harper	The Survivors
	Dervla McTiernan	The Good Turn
	J P Pomare	Tell Me Lies
	Michael Robotham	When She Was Good
	Sarah Thornton	White Throat
2022	Candice Fox	The Chase	Winner	[35][36]
	Tim Ayliffe	The Enemy Within	Finalist	[53]
	Mark Brandi	The Others
	B M Carroll	You Had it Coming
	Jack Heath	Kill Your Brother
	Debra Oswald	The Family Doctor
	Kyle Perry	The Deep
2023	Jane Harper	Exiles	Winner	[37][38]
	Aoife Clifford	When We Fall	Finalist	[54]
	Chris Hammer	The Tilt
	Sally Hepworth	Soulmate
	Katherine Kovacic	Seven Sisters
	Michael Robotham	Lying Beside You
	Emma Viskic	Those Who Perish
	Greg Woodland	The Carnival Is Over
2024	Sally Hepworth	Darling Girls	Winner	[39]
	Tim Ayliffe	Killer Traitor Spy	Finalist	[55]
	Ashley Kalagian Blunt	Dark Mode
	Shelley Burr	Ripper
	Megan Goldin	Dark Corners
	Chris Hammer	The Seven
	Amanda Hampson	The Tea Ladies
	Benjamin Stevenson	Everyone On This Train is a Suspect

Best Debut Crime Novel

2010s

2010s Best Debut Crime Novel winners and finalists^[1]

Year	Author	Title	Result	Ref.
2010	Mark Dapin	King of the Cross	Winner	[16]
	Robin Adair	Death and the Running Patterer	Finalist	[40]
	Andrew Coome	Document Z
2011	Alan Carter	Prime Cut	Winner	[17][18]
	P.M. Newton	The Old School	Finalist
	David Whish-Wilson	Line of Sight
2012	Peter Twohig	The Cartographer	Winner	[19]
	Claire Corbett	When We Have Wings	Finalist	[41]
	Kim Westwood	The Courier's New Bicycle
2013	Zane Lovitt	The Midnight Promise	Winner	[20]
	Paul Anderson	The Robbers	Finalist	[42]
	Andrew Grimes	The Richmond Conspiracy
	Steve Lewis and Chris Uhlmann	The Marmalade Files
	Sue Williams	Murder with the Lot
2014	Candice Fox	Hades	Winner	[21]
	Peter Cotton	Dead Cat Bounce	Finalist	[43][44]
	Alex Hammond	Blood Witness
	Ellie Marney	Every Breath
2015	Jock Serong	Quota	Winner	[22][23]
	Nigel Bartlett	King of the Road	Finalist	[45]
	Anna George	What Came Before
	Nicholas J. Johnson	Chasing the Ace
2016	Emma Viskic	Resurrection Bay	Winner	[24]
	Tania Chandler	Please Don't Leave Me Here	Finalist	[46]
	J. M. Green	Good Money
	Mark Hollands	Amplify
	Gary Kemble	Skin Deep
	Iain Ryan	Four Days
2017	Jane Harper	The Dry	Winner	[25][26]
	Ron Elliott	Burn Patterns	Finalist
	Andy Muir	Something for Nothing
	Anna Snoekstra	Only Daughter
	Holly Throsby	Goodwood
	Laura Elizabeth Woollett	The Love of a Bad Man
2018	Sarah Bailey	The Dark Lake	Winner	[27][28]
	Mark Brandi	Wimmera	Finalist	[48]
	Megan Goldin	The Girl in Keller's Way
	Sarah Schmidt	See What I Have Done
2019	Dervla McTiernan	The Rúin	Winner	[29][30]
	Katherine Kovacic	The Portrait of Molly Dean	Finalist	[49][50]
	Emily O'Grady	The Yellow House
	Ben Stevenson	Greenlight

2020s

2020s Best Debut Crime Novel winners and finalists^[1]

Year	Author	Title	Result	Ref.
2020	Natalie Conyer	Present Tense	Winner	[31][32]
	Susan Hurley	Eight Lives	Finalist	[51]
	Karina Kilmore	Where the Truth Lies
	R W R McDonald	The Nancys
	Petronella McGovern	Six Minutes
	Sarah Thornton	Lapse
2021	Lorraine Peck	The Second Son	Winner	[33][34]
	Rae Cairns	The Good Mother	Finalist	[52]
	Kyle Perry	The Bluffs
	Greg Woodlands	The Night Whistler
2022	Josh Kemp	Banjawarn	Winner	[35][36]
	Bryan Brown	Sweet Jimmy	Finalist	[53]
	Suzanne Frankham	Shadow Over Edmund Street
	Margaret Hickey	Cutters End
2023	Shelley Burr	Wake	Winner	[37][38]
	Jo Dixon	The House of Now and Then	Finalist	[54]
	Joanna Jenkins	How to Kill a Client
	Kerryn Mayne	Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder
	Hayley Scrivenor	Dirt Town
	Matthew Spencer	Black River
	Emma Styles	No Country for Girls
	James McKenzie Watson	Denizen
2024	Matt Francis	Murder in the Pacific: Ifira Point	Winner	[39]
	Fiona Britton	Violet Kelly and the Jade Owl	Finalist	[55]
	Lucy Campbell	Lowbridge
	Rhys Gard	Four Dogs Missing
	Troy Hunter	Gus and the Missing Boy
	Darcy Tindale	The Fall Between
	P. A. Thomas	The Beacon

Best International Crime Novel

Best International Crime Novel winners and finalists^[1]

Year	Author	Title	Result	Ref.
2020	Adrian McKinty	The Chain	Winner	[31][32]
2021	Chris Whitaker	We Begin at the End	Winner	[33][34]
	Lucy Foley	The Guest List	Finalist	[52]
	Charity Norman	The Secrets of Strangers
	Sara Sligar	Take Me Apart
	Don Winslow	Broken
2022	Nita Prose	The Maid	Winner	[35][36]
	Graeme Macrae Burnet	Case Study	Finalist	[53]
	Ann Cleeves	The Heron's Cry
	Hans Rosenfeldt	Cry Wolf
2023	Keith Bruton	The Lemon Man	Winner	[37][38]
	Tom Baragwanath	Paper Cage	Finalist	[54]
	Nicci French	The Favour
	Gerwin van der Werf	The Hitchhiker
2024	Louise Candlish	The Only Suspect	Winner	[39]
	Claire Baylis	Dice	Finalist	[55]
	Eleanor Catton	Birnam Wood
	Michael Connelly	Resurrection Walk
	Hannah Richell	The Search Party
	Ruth Ware	Zero Days

Best True Crime

Best True Crime winners and finalists^[1]

Year	Author	Title	Result	Ref.
2010	Kathy Marks	Pitcairn: Paradise Lost	Winner	[16]
	Peter Doyle	Crooks like Us	Finalist	[40]
	Robert M. Kaplan	Medical Murder: Disturbing Cases of Doctors Who Kill
2011	Geesche Jacobson	Abandoned: The Sad Death of Dianne Brimble	Winner	[17][18]
	Ross Honeywill	Wasted	Finalist
	Lindsay Simpson and Jennifer Cooke	Honeymoon Dive
2012	Eamonn Duff	Sins of the Father	Winner	[19]
	Michael Duffy	Call Me Cruel	Finalist	[41]
	Liz Porter	Cold Case File
2013	Robin de Crespigny	The People Smuggler	Winner	[20]
	Belinda Hawkins	Every Parent's Nightmare	Finalist	[42]
	Steve Lillebuen	The Devil's Cinema
	Derek Pedley	Dead by Friday
	Mark Tedeschi	Eugenia
2014	John Safran	Murder in Mississippi	Winner	[21]
	Paul Dale	Disgraced?	Finalist	[43][44]
	John Kidman and Denise Hofman	Forever Nine
	Eleanor Learmonth and Jenny Tabakoff	No Mercy
	Colin McLaren	JFK: The Smoking Gun
	Duncan McNab	Outlaw Bikers in Australia
2015	Helen Garner	This House of Grief: The Story of a Murder Trial	Winner	[22][23]
	Amy Dale	The Fall	Finalist	[45]
	Debi Marshall	The Family Court Murders
	Kate McClymont and Linton Besser	He Who Must Be Obeid
	David Murray	The Murder of Allison Baden-Clay
	Liam Pieper	The Feel-Good Hit of the Year
2016	Gideon Haigh	Certain Admissions	Winner	[24]
	Kate Kyriacou	The Sting	Finalist	[46]
	Martin Mckenzie-Murray	A Murder Without Motive
	Rebecca Poulson	Killing Love
	Mark Tedeschi	Kidnapped
2017	Duncan McNab	Getting Away with Murder	Winner	[26]
	Brendan James Murray	The Drowned Man
	Colin Dillon	Code of Silence	Finalist
	Duncan McNab	Roger Rogerson
	Terry Smyth	Denny Day
	Mark Tedeschi	Murder at Myall Creek
2018	Graham Archer	Unmaking A Murder: The Mysterious Death of Anna Jane Cheney	Winner	[27][28]
	Mark Abernethy	The Contractor	Finalist	[48]
	Tanya Bretherton	The Suitcase Baby
	Gabriella Coslovich	Whiteley on Trial
	Campbell McConachie	The Fatalist
2019	Bri Lee	Eggshell Skull	Winner	[29]
	Chloe Hooper	The Arsonist	Finalist	[49][50]
	Deborah Snow	Siege: Inside the Lindt Cafe
	Kate Wild	Waiting for Elijah
2020	Dan Box	Bowraville	Winner	[31][32]
	Kate McClymont	Dead Man Walking: The murky world of Michael McGurk and Ron Medich	Finalist	[51]
	Phillip Roope and Kevin Meagher	Shark Arm
	Angela Williams	Snakes and Ladders
2021	Bret Christian	Stalking Claremont: Inside the hunt for a serial killer	Winner	[33][34]
	Tanya Bretherton	The Husband Poisoner	Finalist	[52]
	Mark Dapin	Public Enemies
	Tom Doig	Hazelwood
	Louise Milligan	Witness
2022	Debi Marshall	Banquet: The untold story of Adelaide's family murders	Winner	[35][36]
	Caroline Graham and Kylie Stevenson	Larrimah	Finalist	[53]
	Amani Haydar	The Mother Wound
	Drew Rooke	A Witness of Fact
2023	Sandi Logan	Betrayed	Winner	[37][38]
	Officer A	Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!	Finalist	[54]
	Ellis Gunn	Rattled
	Megan Norris	Out of the Ashes
	Geoff Plunkett	Death Row at Truro
2024	Nick McKenzie	Crossing the Line	Winner	[39]
	Michael Adams	The Murder Squad	Finalist	[55]
	Marele Day	Reckless
	David Marr	Killing for Country
	Hedley Thomas	The Teacher's Pet

See also

• List of Australian literary awards