Each year the Australian Crime Writers Association recognises and celebrates the achievements and continuing strength of crime authors in Australia and overseas.
The Ned Kelly Awards for crime writing are among Australia’s oldest and most recognised awards. They are a highlight of the Australian publishing and literary calendar with more than 160 entries this year.
The Best International Crime Fiction Award is for crime writers from beyond Australia’s shores who also published their books in Australia and we celebrate these writers alongside our local authors.
The judging panel commented that the books offered a strong highlight of this year’s wide variety of international releases.
The Australian Crime Writers Association is proud to announce the 2026 Ned Kelly Awards Shortlist for Best International Crime Fiction:
Lucky Thing by Tom Baragwanath
Benbecula by Graeme Macrae Burnet
The Proving Ground by Michael Connelly
The Death of Us by Abigail Dean
Award categories: Best True Crime, Best Debut, Best International and Best Crime Fiction. Inquiries to: Karina Kilmore: info@austcrimewriters.com (Winners announced September)