Each year the Australian Crime Writers Association recognises and celebrates the achievements and continuing strength of Australian authors.

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.

The Best Debut Crime Fiction Award showcases our newest Australian writers and the diversity of style and stories they bring to the crime fiction genre.

The 2024 debut shortlist is an exciting example of a fresh crop of Australian crime authors. The judging panel’s comments included the books: had a strong sense of time and place, relatable but flawed characters and engaged and held their readers from the opening page.

The settings and storylines in this year's debut shortlist ranges from 1930s Sydney, rural New South Wales, including Mudgee and Byron Bay, and across to our Pacific Ocean neighbour Vanuatu. While there are traditional police investigations, we also have stories led by plucky teenagers, a winemaker, a historian and a mismatched pair of journalists.

The Australian Crime Writers Association is proud to announce the 2024 Ned Kelly Awards Shortlist for Best Debut Crime Fiction:

Four Dogs Missing - By Rhys Gard
Gus and the Missing Boy - By Troy Hunter
Lowbridge - By Lucy Campbell
Murder in the Pacific: Ifira Point - By Matt Francis
The Fall Between - By Darcy Tindale
The Beacon - By P.A. Thomas
Violet Kelly and the Jade Owl - By Fiona Britton

Award categories: Best True Crime, Best Debut, Best International and Best Crime Fiction. Inquiries to: Karina Kilmore: info@austcrimewriters.com (Winners announced September)