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Books+Publishing, in partnership with the Australian Publishers Association, are thrilled to announce the winners of the 2025 Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIAs). The highly anticipated winners, including the prestigious Book of the Year were revealed at a glittering gala event hosted by Myf Warhurst in Melbourne’s CBD on Wednesday 7 May.

Celebrating 25 years since their inception, the ABIAs honour the best books, publishers, and industry professionals across the Australian literary landscape.  In terms of awards, the ABIAs are the literary equivalent of the Australian Record Industry Awards (the ARIA) and the Australian Film Industry’s Awards the AFIs.  The ABIA are truly the night of nights for all who work in the Australian book industry.

“We are delighted to celebrate the 2025 Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA), presented for the first year in partnership with Books+Publishing. The ABIA is different to other book awards as the book industry celebrates not only the authors but the people and the publishing houses behind their books. The industry judges cast their eagle eyes over the whole process of bringing books to consumers - from editing the manuscript through to the sales, marketing and publicity,” said Patrizia Di Biase-Dyson, CEO, Australian Publishers Association.

Australian music legend John Farnham and filmmaker Poppy Stockell are the big winners of the 2025 awards, taking home the Overall Book of the Year Award, Audiobook of the Year and Biography of the Year for The Voice Inside. 

Joe Aston’s scathing exposé of Qantas’ ethical failings, The Chairman’s Lounge, wins General Nonfiction Book of the Year. Dervla McTiernan’s What Happened to Nina? prevails as General Fiction Book of the Year; a testament to the popularity of suspenseful whodunnit’s. Robbie Arnott takes Literary Fiction of the Year for his evocative spin on the Western.

2024 co-Australian of the year Richard Scolyer, wins Social Impact Book of the Year for Brainstorm; an extraordinary retelling of his fight against brain cancer. 

Nagi Maehashi wins Illustrated Book of Year for the second time, with her record-breaking second cookbook RecipeTin Eats: Tonight. Tonight broke the record for highest first-week sales of a non-fiction title in Australia, selling over 78,000 copies. Alone Australia-star Gina Chick wins The Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year with her powerful and moving account of her life, We are the Stars. 

Deborah Frenkel and Danny Snell’s poignant story about immigration, identity and the meaning of home, The Truck Cat, has continued its CBCA shortlist and National Simultaneous Storytime selection success, by winning Children’s Picture Book of the Year.

Elizabeth Bay’s beloved indie bookshop, PottsPoint Book Shop, owned and managed by former Miles Franklin Judge Anna Low, has won Bookshop of the Year. University of Queensland Press wins Small Publisher of the Year. 

Head of Children’s Publishing at Hachette, Jeanmarie Morosin, wins Commissioning Editor/Publisher of the Year. Penguin Random House is also crowned Publisher of the Year for the fourth time in the last five years. 

The 2025 ABIA winners are:

Audiobook of the Year
The Voice Inside, John Farnham with Poppy Stockell; narrated by John Farnham, Jill Farnham, Gaynor Wheatley (Squaresound); produced by Squaresound

Biography Book of the Year
The Voice Inside, John Farnham with Poppy Stockell (Hachette)

The John Marsden Book of the Year for Older Children (ages 13+)
My Family and Other Suspects, Kate Emery (A&U)

Book of the Year for Younger Children (ages 7–12)
Wurrtoo, Tylissa Elisara, illustrated by Dylan Finney (Lothian)

Children’s Picture Book of the Year (ages 0–6)
The Truck Cat, Deborah Frenkel, illustrated by Danny Snell (Bright Light)

General Fiction Book of the Year
What Happened to Nina?, Dervla McTiernan (HarperCollins)

General Non-fiction Book of the Year
The Chairman’s Lounge, Joe Aston (Scribner)

Illustrated Book of the Year
RecipeTin Eats: Tonight, Nagi Maehashi (Pan Macmillan)

International Book of the Year
The Ministry of Time, Kaliane Bradley (Sceptre)

Literary Fiction Book of the Year
Dusk, Robbie Arnott (Picador)

Small Publishers’ Adult Book of the Year
All I Ever Wanted Was to Be Hot, Lucinda Price (Pantera)

Small Publishers’ Children’s Book of the Year
Leo and Ralph, Peter Carnavas (UQP)

Social Impact Book of the Year
Brainstorm, Richard Scolyer with Garry Maddox (A&U)

The Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year
We Are the Stars, Gina Chick (Summit)

The 2025 Industry Award Winners are: 

Bookshop of the Year: 
Potts Point Bookshop

Book Retailer of the Year: 
QBD Books

Multicategory Retailer of the Year: 
BIG W

Commissioning Editor/Publisher of the Year: 
Jeanmarie Morosin

Marketing/Publicity Campaign of the Year: 
Penguin Random House for the Personal Penguin campaign

Publisher of the Year: 
Penguin Random House Australia

Small Publisher of the Year: 
University of Queensland Press

Children's Publisher of the Year: 
Allen & Unwin Australia

Lloyd O'Neil Award: 
Ross Gibb

Pixie O'Harris Award: 
Rachel Bin Salleh

The ABIAs are distinctive in being judged by over 50 industry peers across nine specialist panels, including publishers, booksellers, librarians, distributors, literary agents, and media. This year’s awards mark a quarter of a century of championing the voices and stories that shape Australia’s literary culture.

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