ABIA Awards 2019: All the Winners, All the Books

Awards have been announced, winners toasted, writers celebrated, ample libations shouted, hangovers earned, and history made… The Best of, The 2019 Australian Book Industry (ABIAs) were announced last night at a red carpet Oscars-for-the-bookish event in the Grand Ballroom of Sydney’s International Convention Centre, hosted by Casey Bennetto. The 2019 shortlist included some of the biggest names in the Australian book industry (which publishes over 7,000 new books annually) and this year’s winners are a top-shelf showcase of high profile authors and amazing new talent.

Trent Dalton cleaned up this year. Boy Swallows Universe broke ABIA records, being the first book ever to win four awards.

• Book of the Year
• Literary Book of the Year,
• The Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year
• Audio Book of the Year (Wavesound, narrated by Stig Wemyss).

Behrouz Boochani won the General Non-Fiction Book of the Year for his memoir tapped out on a mobile phone from Manus Island, No Friend But the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison (Pan Macmillan Australia), translated from the Farsi by Omid Tofighian.

Better Reading sponsored the General Fiction Book of the Year award, and the shortlist was filled with community favourites, all found on our Top 100. We’re thrilled that the award went to Holly Ringland for The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart (HarperCollins Publishers).

The Book of the Year for Younger Children (ages 7-12) went to perennial favourites Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton for The 104-Storey Treehouse (Pan Macmillan Australia).

I could go on… a little like the after party did. Congratulations to all the winners listed below:

Australian Book Industry Award Winners 2019:

ABIA Book of the Year

• Boy Swallows Universe, Trent Dalton (HarperCollins Publishers)

Biography of the Year Award (Sponsored by Borrow Box)

• Eggshell Skull, Bri Lee (Allen & Unwin)

General Fiction Book of the Year (Sponsored by Better Reading)

• The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, Holly Ringland (HarperCollins Publishers)

General Non-Fiction Book of the Year (Sponsored by Copyright Agency)

• No Friend But the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison, Behrouz Boochani, Omid Tofighian (translator) (Pan Macmillan Australia)

Honourable Mention for Non-Fiction Book of the Year

• Any Ordinary Day, Leigh Sales (Penguin Random House Australia)

Literary Fiction Book of the Year

• Boy Swallows Universe, Trent Dalton (HarperCollins Publishers)

Illustrated Book of Year

• Family: New vegetable classics to comfort and nourish, Hetty McKinnon (Pan Macmillan Australia)

International Book of Year 

• Less, Andrew Sean Greer (Hachette Australia)

Small Publisher Adults Book of the Year

• Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia, Dr Anita Heiss (ed.) (Black Inc Books)

Small Publisher Children’s Book of the Year

• Whisper, Lynette Noni (Pantera Press)

The Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year (Sponsored by Simpsons Solicitors)

• Boy Swallows Universe, Trent Dalton (HarperCollins Publishers)

Book of the Year for Older Children (ages 13+)

• Jane Doe and the Cradle of All Worlds, Jeremy Lachlan (Hardie Grant Egmont)

Book of the Year for Younger Children (ages 7-12)

• The 104-Storey Treehouse, Andy Griffiths, Terry Denton (Pan Macmillan Australia)

Children’s Picture Book of the Year (ages 0-6)

• All the Ways to be Smart, Davina Bell and Allison Colpoys (Scribble Kids’ Books)

Audio Book of the Year 

• Boy Swallows Universe, Trent Dalton, Narrator Stig Wemyss (Wavesound)

Lloyd O’Neil Hall of Fame Award

• Richard Walsh

Pixie O’Harris Award

• Kathy Kozlowski

2019 Business Award Winners:

Publisher of the Year (Sponsored by Media Super)

• Pan Macmillan Australia

Small Publisher of the Year (Sponsored by Ovato)

• 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