Submissions are now open for the 2019 Ned Kelly Awards.

The Ned Kelly Awards are Australia’s oldest and most prestigious awards that recognise the best crime fiction by new and established authors and true crime. The awards began in 1995 after a group of renegade crime writers, academics, publishers and journalists hatched a plan over a rather long lunch in Sydney to recognise the crime genre. They named the awards after Australia’s most infamous bushranger and criminal, Ned Kelly.

Over twenty years later and the Neds, as they are known, have recognised some of the greats of Australian crime writing including Helen Garner, Peter Temple, Garry Disher, Candice Fox, John Silvester and Chloe Hooper. To win a Neddy is a major achievement for any author and the Neds have done much to raise awareness worldwide of Australia’s great crime fiction and true-crime authors.

Submissions are now open for the 2019 Ned Kelly Awards on the Australian Crime Writers’ Association new look website. As in previous years, submissions are called for in three categories – best crime, best first crime and best true crime. Entries will close on the 31st of March 2019.

The winners will be announced at the Ned Kelly Awards night in September. Stay tuned for more information about this exciting event where writers, fans and publishers come together to celebrate the best in Australian crime writing.

The Ned Kelly Awards are proudly sponsored by Booktopia.