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Ned Kelly Awards 2023 winners announced

4 September 2023   Books+Publishing
@booksandpublishing

The Australian Crime Writers Association (ACWA) has announced the winners of the 2023 Ned Kelly Awards.

The 2023 winners are:

Best debut crime fiction

  • Wake (Shelley Burr, Hachette)

Best crime fiction

  • Exiles (Jane Harper, Macmillan)

Best true crime

  • Betrayed (Sandi Logan, Hachette)

Best international crime fiction

  • The Lemon Man (Keith Bruton, Cutting Edge).

The judging panel praised the ‘depth of characters and setting’ of Harper’s Exiles, while describing Burr’s Wake as ‘an astounding achievement for a first-time author’. Judge Ron Blaber singled out the ‘wonderfully original voice’ of Bruton’s The Lemon Man, and, in recognising Logan’s achievement with Betrayed, judge Emily Webb acknowledged the complexity of true crime writing, including the need to ‘tread carefully and respectfully’.

ACWA chair Karina Kilmore, along with congratulating the winners, shared concerns about the impact of generative AI on the creative industries: ‘It’s a tough gig writing a book and it’s never been more important than now to ensure that we continue to support and celebrate Australian authors as the spectre of artificial intelligence threatens the future of human creativity.’

The winners were selected from entries from 163 authors. The shortlist was announced in early August, and the full winner announcement video is available on the ACWA website.

 

Category: Awards Local news