Australian Book Industry Awards Explained

The Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) are publishers' and literary awards held by the Australian Publishers Association annually in Sydney "to celebrate the achievements of authors and publishers in bringing Australian books to readers". Works are first selected by an academy of more than 200 industry professionals, and then a shortlist and winners are chosen by judging panels.^[1]

The inaugural event was held in July 2006.^[2]

2018 winners

The 2018 ABIA winners were announced on 3 May, with Jessica Townsend's Nevermoor receiving three awards:^[3]

• ABIA Book of the Year: Nevermoor, Jessica Townsend
• Biography of the Year Award: Working Class Man, Jimmy Barnes
• General Fiction Book of the Year: The Secrets She Keeps, Michael Robotham
• General Non-fiction Book of the Year: The Trauma Cleaner, Sarah Krasnostein
• Literary Fiction Book of the Year: See What I Have Done, Sarah Schmidt
• Illustrated Book of the Year: Maggie's Recipe for Life, Maggie Beer and Ralph Martins
• International Book of the Year: Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo
• Small Publisher adults Book of the Year: The Australian Bird Guide, Peter Menkhorst, Danny Rogers, Rohan Clarke et al
• Small Publisher children’s Book of the Year: It's OK to Feel the Way You Do, Josh Langley
• The Matt Richell Award for new writer of the Year: Nevermoor, Jessica Townsend
• Book of the Year for older children (ages 13+): Begin, End, Begin: A #LoveOzYA Anthology, edited by Danielle Binks
• Book of the Year for younger children (ages seven to 12): Nevermoor, Jessica Townsend
• Children's picture Book of the Year (ages up to six): No One Likes a Fart, Zoë Foster Blake
• Audiobook of the Year: The 91-Storey Treehouse, Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton, narrated by Stig Wemyss
• The Lloyd O'Neill hall of fame Award for services to the Australian book industry: Suzy Wilson
• The Pixie O'Harris Award for outstanding commitment to children's literature: Jane Covernton
• Publisher of the Year: HarperCollins
• Small Publisher of the Year: Thames & Hudson Australia
• National book retailer of the Year: Dymocks
• Independent book retailer of the Year: Readings
• Rising star Award: Shalini Kunahlan, marketing manager at Text Publishing

2019 winners

Trent Dalton's Boy Swallows Universe picked up four awards in the 2019 ABIA awards. Winners were:^[4]

• ABIA Book of the Year: Boy Swallows Universe, Trent Dalton
• Biography of the Year Award: Eggshell Skull, Bri Lee
• General Fiction Book of the Year: The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, Holly Ringland
• General Non-fiction Book of the Year: , Behrouz Boochani, Omid Tofighian (translator)
• Honourable mention for Non-fiction Book of the Year: Any Ordinary Day, Leigh Sales
• Literary Fiction Book of the Year: Boy Swallows Universe, Trent Dalton
• Illustrated Book of the Year: Family: New vegetable classics to comfort and nourish, Hetty McKinnon
• International Book of the Year: Less, Andrew Sean Greer
• Small Publisher adults Book of the Year: Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia, Dr Anita Heiss (ed.)
• Small Publisher children's Book of the Year: Whisper, Lynette Noni
• The Matt Richell award for new writer of the Year: Boy Swallows Universe, Trent Dalton
• Book of the Year for older children (ages 13+): Jane Doe and the Cradle of All Worlds, Jeremy Lachlan
• Book of the Year for younger children (ages seven to 12): The 104-Storey Treehouse, Andy Griffiths, Terry Denton
• Children's picture Book of the Year (ages up to six): All the Ways to be Smart, Davina Bell and Allison Colpoys
• Audiobook of the Year: Boy Swallows Universe, Trent Dalton, Narrator Stig Wemyss
• The Lloyd O'Neill hall of fame award for services to the Australian book industry: Richard Walsh
• The Pixie O’Harris award for outstanding commitment to children’s literature: Kathy Kozlowski
• Publisher of the Year: Pan Macmillan Australia
• Small Publisher of the Year: Affirm Press
• Honourable mention: Magabala Books
• National book retailer of the Year: Booktopia
• Independent book retailer of the Year: Mary Martin Bookshops
• Rising star award: Ella Chapman, head of marketing communications at Hachette Australia

2020 winners

The 2020 awards were announced at a virtual event hosted by Casey Bennetto on 13 May. Winners were:^{[5] [6]}

• ABIA Book of the Year: Bluey: The Beach, Ludo Studio, BBC Studios and PRH Australia
• Biography of the Year award: When All is Said & Done by Neale Daniher
• General Fiction Book of the Year: Bruny, Heather Rose
• General Non-fiction Book of the Year: Kitty Flanagan’s 488 Rules for Life, Kitty Flanagan
• Literary Fiction Book of the Year: The Weekend, Charlotte Wood
• Illustrated Book of the Year: The Whole Fish Cookbook, Josh Niland
• International Book of the Year: The Testaments, Margaret Atwood
• Small Publisher adults Book of the Year: Sand Talk, Tyson Yunkaporta
• Small Publisher children's Book of the Year: Love Your Body, Jessica Saunders, illustrated by Carol Rossetti
• The Matt Richell award for new writer of the Year: Your Own Kind of Girl, Clare Bowditch
• Book of the Year for older children (ages 13+): Welcome To Your Period, Yumi Stynes and Melissa Kang
• Book of the Year for younger children (ages seven to 12): The 117-Storey Treehouse, Andy Griffiths, Terry Denton
• Children's picture Book of the Year (ages up to six): Bluey: The Beach, Ludo Studio, BBC Studios and PRH Australia
• Audiobook of the Year: No Friend But the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison, Behrouz Boochani. Narrators: Benjamin Law, Omid Tofighian, Isobelle Carmody, Janet Galbraith, Mathilda Imlah, Geoffrey Robertson, Richard Flanagan, Sarah Dale, Thomas Keneally and Yumi Stynes
• The Lloyd O'Neill hall of fame award for services to the Australian book industry: Helen Garner
• The Pixie O'Harris award for outstanding commitment to children’s literature: Erica Wagner
• Publisher of the Year: Allen & Unwin
• Small Publisher of the Year: Magabala Books
• Bookshop of the Year: Books Kinokuniya
• Book retailer of the Year: Readings
• Rising star award: Hazel Lam, senior book designer at HarperCollins

2021 winners

The 2021 awards were announced at Carriageworks on 28 April at an in-person and virtual event hosted by Casey Bennetto. Winners were:^[7]

• ABIA Book of the Year: Phosphorescence, Julia Baird
• Biography of the Year award: The Happiest Man on Earth, Eddie Jaku
• General Fiction Book of the Year: The Dictionary of Lost Words, Pip Williams
• General Non-fiction Book of the Year: Phosphorescence, Julia Baird
• Literary Fiction Book of the Year: A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing, Jessie Tu
• Illustrated Book of the Year: In Praise of Veg, Alice Zaslavsky
• International Book of the Year: Such a Fun Age, Kiley Reid
• Small Publisher adults Book of the Year: The Animals in That Country, Laura Jean McKay
• Small Publisher children's Book of the Year: Bindi, Kirli Saunders, illustrated by Dub Leffler
• The Matt Richell award for new writer of the Year: The Coconut Children, Vivian Pham
• Book of the Year for older children (ages 13+): The Left-Handed Booksellers of London, Garth Nix
• Book of the Year for younger children (ages seven to 12): The Grandest Bookshop in the World, Amelia Mellor
• Children's picture Book of the Year (ages up to six): Our Home, Our Heartbeat (Adam Briggs, Kate Moon and Rachael Sarra
• Audiobook of the Year: Tell Me Why, Archie Roach, narrated by the author
• The Lloyd O'Neill hall of fame award for services to the Australian book industry: Mandy Macky
• The Pixie O'Harris award for outstanding commitment to children’s literature: Maryann Ballantyne
• Publisher of the Year: Penguin Random House Australia
• Small Publisher of the Year: University of Queensland Press
• Bookshop of the Year: Avid Reader, Brisbane
• Book retailer of the Year: Readings
• Rising star award: Pooja Desai, head of design at Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing

2022 winners

The 2022 shortlist was announced on 25 May 2022, and the awards ceremony took place at ICC Sydney on 9 June 2022.^[8]

The winners were:^{[9] [10] [11]}

• Small Publisher of the Year: University of Queensland Press (UQP)
• Publisher of the Year: Penguin Random House Australia
• Bookshop of the Year: Avenue Bookstore, Albert Park, Melbourne
• Book Retailer of the Year: Harry Hartog Bookseller, Burnside Village, Adelaide
• Audiobook of the Year: Devotion by Hannah Kent; narrated by Emily Wheaton (Macmillan)
• Biography Book of the Year: My Adventurous Life by Dick Smith (Allen & Unwin)
• Book of the Year for Older Children: The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni (Penguin Random House Australia)
• Book of the Year for Younger Children: The First Scientists: Deadly Inventions and Innovations from Australia's First Peoples by Corey Tutt (Hardie Grant Publishing)
• Picture Book Of The Year (Ages 0-6): Somebody's Land: Welcome to Our Country by Adam Goodes and Ellie Laing, illustrated by David Hardy (Allen & Unwin)
• General Fiction Book of the Year: Before You Knew My Name by Jacqueline Bublitz (Allen & Unwin)
• General Non-Fiction Book of the Year: She's on the Money by Victoria Devine (Penguin Random House Australia)
• Illustrated Book of the Year: Everything I Love to Cook by Neil Perry (Murdoch Books)
• International Book of the Year: The Storyteller by Dave Grohl (Simon & Schuster)
• Literary Fiction Book of the Year: Love & Virtue by Diana Reid (Ultimo Press)
• Small Publishers' Adult Book of the Year: Dropbear by Evelyn Araluen (University of Queensland Press)
• Small Publishers' Children's Book of the Year: The Edge of Thirteen by Nova Weetman (UQP)
• Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year: The Mother Wound by Amani Haydar (Pan Macmillan Australia)
• Rising Star Award: Emily Hart, Commissioning Editor, Hardie Grant Books
• Hall of Fame Awards - Lloyd O'Neil Award: Sandy Grant, CEO Hardie Grant
• Hall of Fame Awards - Pixie O'Harris Award: Libby Hathorn

2023 winners

The 2023 shortlist was announced on 19 April 2023,^[12] and the awards ceremony took place in Sydney on 25 May 2023.^[13]

The winners were:^[14]

• Small Publisher of the Year: University of Queensland Press (UQP)
• Publisher of the Year: Allen & Unwin
• Bookshop of the Year: Matilda Bookshop
• Book Retailer of the Year: Big W
• Audiobook of the Year: The Whitewash by Siang Lu (Wavesound)
• Social Impact Book of the Year: The Boy from Boomerang Crescent by Eddie Betts (Simon & Schuster)
• Biography Book of the Year: My Dream Time by Ash Barty (HarperCollins)
• Book of the Year for Older Children: Blood Traitor by Lynette Noni (Penguin)
• Book of the Year for Younger Children: Runt by Craig Silvey, illustrated by Sara Acton (Allen & Unwin)
• Picture Book of the Year (Ages 0-6): What to Say When You Don’t Know What to Say by Davina Bell and Hilary Jean Tapper (Lothian)
• General Fiction Book of the Year: Dirt Town by Hayley Scrivenor (Macmillan)
• General Non-Fiction Book of the Year: Bulldozed by Niki Savva (Scribe)
• Illustrated Book of the Year: RecipeTin Eats: Dinner by Nagi Maehashi (Macmillan)
• International Book of the Year: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Gamus (Doubleday UK)
• Literary Fiction Book of the Year: Horse by Geraldine Brooks (Hachette)
• Small Publishers' Adult Book of the Year: The Dreaming Path by Paul Callaghan (Pantera)
• Small Publishers' Children's Book of the Year: Off to the Market by Alice Oehr (Scribble)
• Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year: WAKE by Shelley Burr (Hachette Australia)
• Commissioning editor of the Year: Jane Palfreyman (Allen & Unwin)
• Marketing strategy of the Year: Stolen Focus by Johann Hari (Bloomsbury)
• Hall of Fame Awards - Lloyd O'Neil Award: Tim Winton
• Hall of Fame Awards - Pixie O'Harris Award: Lisa Berryman

2024 winners

The 2024 awards ceremony took place in Melbourne on 9 May 2024.^[15]

The winners were:^[16]

• ABIA Book of the Year: The Voice to Parliament Handbook, by Thomas Mayo and Kerry O'Brien (Hardie Grant Publishing)
• Audio Book of the Year: The Teacher's Pet, written and narrated by Hedley Thomas (Macmillan Australia Audio, Pan Macmillan Australia)
• Biography Book of the Year: Wifedom: Mrs Orwell's Invisible Life, by Anna Funder (Hamish Hamilton, Penguin Random House Australia)
• Book of the Year for Older Children (ages 13+): Welcome to Sex, written by Melissa Kang and Yumi Stynes, illustrated by Jenny Latham (HGCP Non- Fiction, Hardie Grant Children's Publishing)
• Book of the Year for Younger Children (ages 7–12): It's the Sound of the Thing, by Maxine Beneba Clarke (HGCP Older Readers, Hardie Grant Children's Publishing)
• Children's Picture Book of the Year (ages 0–6): A Life Song, written by Jane Godwin, illustrated Anna Walker (Puffin, Penguin Random House Australia)
• General Fiction Book of the Year: The Bookbinder of Jericho, by Pip Williams (Affirm Press)
• General Non-Fiction Book of the Year: The Voice to Parliament Handbook, by Thomas Mayo and Kerry O'Brien (Hardie Grant Explore, Hardie Grant Publishing)
• Illustrated Book of the Year: Australian Abstract, by Amber Creswell Bell (Thames & Hudson Australia, Thames & Hudson)
• International Book of the Year: Fourth Wing, by Rebecca Yarros (Piatkus, Hachette Australia)
• Literary Fiction Book of the Year: Lola in the Mirror, by Trent Dalton (4th Estate, HarperCollins Publishers)
• Small Publishers' Adult Book of the Year: Edenglassie, by Melissa Lucashenko (University of Queensland Press)
• Small Publishers' Children's Book of the Year: Artichoke to Zucchini: an alphabet of delicious things from around the world, by Alice Oehr (Scribble, Scribe Publications)
• Social Impact Book of the Year: The Voice to Parliament Handbook, Thomas Mayo and Kerry O'Brien (Hardie Grant Explore, Hardie Grant Publishing)
• The Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year: Green Dot, by Madeleine Gray (Allen & Unwin)
• Lloyd O'Neil Hall of Fame Award: Fiona Stager, co-owner of Avid Reader and Where the Wild Things Are
• Pixie O'Harris Award: Jane Godwin
• Commissioning Editor of the Year: Catherine Milne (HarperCollins Publishers)
• Marketing Strategy of the Year: The Bookbinder of Jericho (Affirm Press)
• Small Publisher of the Year: Magabala Books
• Publisher of the Year: Penguin Random House Australia
• Bookshop of the Year: Fullers Bookshop, Hobart Tasmania

Further reading

• Books + Publishing: Tag abia (Earlier lists and winners are available via links from this search.)

Notes and References

1. Web site: About. ABIA. 6 May 2019.
2. Web site: Industry awards . Books and Publishing. 1 August 2006. 7 May 2019.
3. Web site: 2018-05-04. HarperCollins and Thames & Hudson win at 2018 ABIAs, 'Nevermoor' named Book of the Year. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20190507125709/https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2018/05/04/107021/harpercollins-and-thames-hudson-win-at-2018-abias-nevermoor-named-book-of-the-year/ . 7 May 2019 . 2020-12-12. Books+Publishing. en-AU.
4. News: The Guardian. 'Extraordinary and beautiful storytelling': Boy Swallows Universe wins ABIA book of the year. Alexandra . Spring. 2 May 2019. 6 May 2019. 0261-3077.
5. Web site: 'Bluey: The Beach' wins 2020 ABIA Book of the Year. 2020-05-13. Books+Publishing. en-AU. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200523224902/https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2020/05/13/150527/bluey-the-beach-wins-2020-abia-book-of-the-year/ . 23 May 2020 . 2020-05-14.
6. Web site: ABIA 2020 shortlists announced. 2020-04-28. Books+Publishing. en-AU. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200507075254/https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2020/04/28/149671/abia-2020-shortlists-announced/ . 7 May 2020 . 2020-05-05.
7. Web site: 2021-04-28. 'Phosphorescence' wins 2021 ABIA Book of the Year. live. 2021-04-29. Books+Publishing. en-AU. https://web.archive.org/web/20210429004421/https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2021/04/28/185653/phosphorescence-wins-2021-abia-book-of-the-year/ . 29 April 2021 .
8. Web site: Sloan . Jodie . Diana Reid, Anita Heiss, and Hannah Kent get nods as ABIA announces 2022 shortlist . . 25 May 2022 . 13 December 2023.
9. Web site: 2022 Archives . ABIA . 20 June 2022 . 13 December 2023.
10. Web site: 2022 ABIA winners announced . Australian Publishers Association . 9 June 2022 . 13 December 2023.
11. Web site: ‘Love & Virtue’ wins ABIA book of the year 2022 . Books+Publishing . 10 June 2022 . 13 December 2023.
12. Web site: 2023-04-19 . ABIA 2023 shortlists announced . 2023-12-13 . Books+Publishing.
13. Web site: 2023-05-25 . ‘RecipeTin Eats: Dinner’ wins 2023 ABIA book of the year . 2023-12-13 . Books+Publishing.
14. Web site: 2023-05-31 . ABIAs: This year’s winners on their books, and the industry that produced them . 2023-12-13 . Books+Publishing.
15. News: 2024-05-09 . Critics tried to ban this kids' book in Australia. Now it's a winner at the 2024 book industry awards . 2024-05-10 . ABC News . en-AU.
16. Web site: ABIA . 2024-05-09 . Australian Book Industry Award Winners 2024 . 2024-05-10 . ABIA . en-AU.