Debenham wins 2024 Ampersand Prize

Michael Debenham’s Drowning for Beginners has won the 2024 Ampersand Prize for children’s and YA debut fiction.

Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing (HGCP) publishing director Marisa Pintado said: ‘Michael’s compulsively readable and unbelievably funny middle-grade novel is a sheer delight from beginning to end, and we knew instantly it would be our winner.’

Selected as the winner from nearly 220 submissions and a shortlist of five manuscripts, the fantasy adventure novel follows ‘Becky’s attempts to rescue her estranged father after witnessing his abduction by a gang of vengeful duckmoles (AKA platypuses), while also discovering her surprising new underwater abilities.’

Said Pintado: ‘In a very robust cohort of submissions, his novel about thirteen-year-old Becky, who discovers her estranged father is a merman, shone with heart, humour and a healthy serve of ridiculousness. It charmed the entire judging panel!’

Said HGCP senior editor Luna Soo: ‘The offbeat humour in this novel grabbed my attention right away … but it’s the way it gently pokes fun at stereotypes that really sealed the deal. This is a unique story by a very clever writer, and I can’t wait for everyone to read it!’

‘This is the best news I’ve received all year,’ said Debenham. ‘The road to getting a first novel published can be fairly long and daunting, so enormous thanks to Marisa, Luna and the team at Hardie Grant for running the Ampersand Prize. It was a wonderful surprise to be selected, and I’m deeply grateful for this opportunity to share Becky’s adventures with you all.’

Established in 2012, the biennial prize is open to unpublished manuscripts of children’s and YA fiction, including graphic novels. In 2022, Elisa Chenoweth won the Ampersand Prize for her YA novel Maria Petranelli Is Prepared for Anything (Except This).

Hardie Grant has contracted world rights in all formats for Drowning for Beginners and will publish the novel in 2026.

Category: Awards Local news