The Australian Crime Writers Association is dedicated to promoting greater recognition for crime, thriller and mystery writing in Australia and to protect the general professional interests of all creators of crime and mystery works.
2026 Ned Kelly Awards are closed.
Thank you for all your entries, our judging panels are excited to read your books. Approximate timeline: Shortlists August 2026, Winners September 2026.
(The next awards are due to open 1 March 2027.)
Latest News
The Australian Crime Writers Association is proud to launch the 2026 Ned Kelly Awards for Australian crime writers.
The Louie Award for fast fiction crime writing for 2026 is Richard Morton for his story - Low Tide. And our two highly commended writers: Teresa Ammirato for her story, Limoncello and Travis Reid for his story, Hands Beneath Hosier.
Flex those fingers! Entries are open for the Australian Crime Writers Association’s annual fast fiction crime writing competition - The Louie Award.
New Releases
A selection of new titles written and published by Australian Crime Writers Association members.
Fire was only the beginning. Two men. Two infernos. Twenty-one dead. Both were serial arsonists. One would later return to court as a sexual predator.
Publisher: Big Sky Publishing
Published: 30 June, 2026
When betrayed political adviser Francis McGuire is thrust into a world of corruption and organised crime, she uncovers a deadly secret that links to the highest office in the land ... a secret the powerful will kill to keep buried.
Publisher: Ventura Press
Published: 26 May, 2026
The incredible exploits of Peter Grimes, the most audacious con artist of the twentieth century, reads like a wildly far-fetched Jazz Age novel, but it is all true. Given life’s gifts in abundance, he used those gifts in all the wrong ways. Would the piper eventually have to be paid?
Publisher: Silver Moon Press
Published: 1 May, 2026
After serving twenty years behind bars for the murder of her daughter, Ashley, Olivia struggles to piece her life back together; wracked with guilt and haunted by memories. When Ashley’s old journals come to light, they plunge Olivia into a devastating nightmare where history seems set to repeat itself.
Publisher: MJ Judge
Published: 7 March 2026
When a jaded Sydney investment banker is blamed for the failure of a gold mine on a remote island, his plans to regain control get out of hand.
Murders in a flooded Australian town, vendetta in the Sumatran jungle, drama on the high seas, no one is to be trusted.
Publisher: Hawkeye Publishing
Published: November 2025
