Congratulations to our 2025 Ned Kelly Awards Shortlist - Best Crime Ficton. Other Award categories coming soon. Winners announced September.
Read more2025 Ned Kelly Awards Shortlist, Best International Crime Fiction
Congratulations to our 2025 Ned Kelly Awards Shortlist - Best International Crime Ficton. Other Award categories coming soon. Winners announced September.
Read more2025 Ned Kelly Awards Shortlist, Best True Crime
Congratulations to our 2025 Ned Kelly Awards Shortlist - Best True Crime. Other Award categories coming soon. Winners announced September.
Read more2025 Ned Kelly Awards Shortlist, Best Debut Crime Ficton
Congratulations to our 2025 Ned Kelly Awards Shortlist - Best Debut Crime Fiction. Other Award categories coming soon. Winners announced September.
Read moreThe Ned Kelly Awards Crime Writing Competition Opens 15 March
The Australian Crime Writers Association is proud to launch the 2025 Ned Kelly Awards for Australian crime writers.
Read moreThe winner: 2025 Louie Awards
The winner of The Louie Award 2025 is KT Major for her story - Bitter. And our two highly commended writers: Simon Rowe for his story - Taut, and Heidi Catherine for her story - Exposed.
Read more2024 Ned Kelly Awards Winners
Presenting the 2024 Ned Kelly Award Winners.
Read more2024 Ned Kelly Awards Winners, You're Invited!
Please join us for the announcement of the 2024 Ned Kelly Awards and to raise a glass with us to celebrate Australian crime writing.
Read more2024 Ned Kelly Awards Shortlist, Best Crime Fiction
Congratulations to our 2024 Ned Kelly Awards Shortlist - Best Crime Ficton. Other Award categories coming soon. Winners announced September.
Read more2024 Ned Kelly Awards Shortlist, Best International Crime Fiction
Congratulations to our 2024 Ned Kelly Awards Shortlist - Best International Crime Ficton. Other Award categories coming soon. Winners announced September.
Read more2024 Ned Kelly Awards Shortlist, Best True Crime
Congratulations to our 2024 Ned Kelly Awards Shortlist - Best True Crime. Other Award categories coming soon. Winners announced September.
Read more2024 Ned Kelly Awards Shortlist, Best Debut Crime Ficton
Congratulations to our 2024 Ned Kelly Awards Shortlist - Best Debut Crime Fiction. Other Award categories coming soon. Winners announced September.
Read moreThe winner: 2024 Louie Awards
The winner of the The Louie Award 2024 is Brydon Coverdale for his story - Good Old Collingwood Forever. Congratulations Brydon!
Read moreThe Louie Award Fast Fiction Crime Writing Competition Opens 30 November
THE LOUIE AWARD
Fast Fiction Crime Writing
Rev those keyboards! Entries for the Australian Crime Writers Association’s annual fast fiction crime writing competition - The Louie Award - open November 30, 2023.
The Louie Award is for fast fiction -- a story of less than 500 words. As well as being in the crime genre, each year entries must also feature or incorporate a specific theme or word.
The theme for the 2024 award is: Artificial Intelligence (AI). We hope it inspires many plot ideas and interpretations! Entries close December 30, 2023.
The Louie Award is open to all Australian crime writers. We hope young and emerging writers particularly take this opportunity to jump into crime writing. The Award is sponsored by Dr Antonio Di Dio in celebration of his late father Luigi.
The 2024 award the winner will receive a $500 cash prize and the two highly commended writers will receive a $125 cash prize each. All three writers will receive a certificate and their stories will be published on the Australian Crime Writers Association website and promoted through our newsletter.
The Louie Award compliments the long standing and highly recognised The Ned Kelly Awards for crime writing. The Ned Kelly Awards are Australia’s oldest and most prestigious recognition honouring crime fiction and true crime writing. The Ned Kelly Awards began in 1995 and the first award was made in 1996.
The Australian Crime Writers Association is dedicated to promoting Australian crime, thriller and mystery writing. The recent addition of The Louie Award hopes to raise even more awareness of the strength of the Australian crime writing scene and bring a new audience of readers and writers to the crime genre.
For entries and further information click here.
The Winners: 2023 Ned Kelly Awards
Australian Crime Writers Association chair Karina Kilmore congratulates all 163 authors who entered the awards this year, up from 135 last year.
Read moreThe Shortlist: 2023 Ned Kelly Awards
We are proud to report that Aussie crime writing continues to grow in strength and identity, as demonstrated in today’s announcement of the 2023 Ned Kelly Awards shortlists.
Read moreThe winner: 2023 Louie Awards
The winner of the 2023 The Louie Award for fast fiction crime writing is Tegan Huntley for her story - Birth Day. Congratulations Tegan!
Read moreThe Winners: 2022 Ned Kelly Awards
The Australian Crime Writers Association received 135 entries for the 2022 Ned Kelly Awards, in another strong year of crime writing. The entries were narrowed to a shortlist of 19 books. Read more …
Read moreThe Shortlist: 2022 Ned Kelly Awards
Our judging panels and committee members have spent the past three months reading, discussing and debating the 135 entries to this year’s competition. We are proud to report that Aussie crime writing continues to grow in strength and identity.
Read moreThe winner: 2022 Louie Awards
Announcing this year’s inaugural competition winner, Hayley Young, her story I’m Not Telling chosen from 92 entries. Read Hayley's story and those of the two highly commended writers, Dinuka McKenzie and Stephen Hickman.
Read more