Henderson wins 2025 Australian Fiction Prize
Troy Henderson has won the Australian Fiction Prize for his unpublished crime thriller River City.
The novel follows the violent struggle of “warring factions, loose-cannon allies and a city on the brink” triggered by the disappearance of a Brisbane crime boss. According to organisers, River City “explores themes of loyalty, betrayal, and the murky line between good and evil”.
Presented by the Australian and HarperCollins, the annual prize is open to all Australian writers for an unpublished, book-length work of fiction. Winners receive $20,000 in prize money and a $15,000 advance.
Henderson’s first book, Head Grenade (Hawkeye, 2023), was shortlisted for the Hawkeye Publishing Manuscript Development Prize and the Queensland Writers Centre’s Adaptable and Publishable programs. He was raised in Brisbane and holds a Bachelor of Popular Music and a master’s degree in journalism.
His short stories have been longlisted in the Australian Writers’ Centre’s Furious Fiction competition and placed in the GenreCon Short Story competition and FLEUR Flash Fiction Contest.
Henderson said, “This is life-changing. […] The years of writing and rewriting were worth it, and I’m so grateful River City resonated with the judges, giving me this opportunity to reach more readers and spend more time creating.”
Literary agent and judge Samuel Bernard said, “River City roars to life with the action, grit, and swagger of Brisbane’s underbelly, delivering a cinematic crime story that never takes its foot off the accelerator. With razor-sharp dialogue, magnetic Aussie humour, explosive set pieces, and a thumping pulse, it announces a bold new voice in crime fiction.”
HarperCollins fiction publisher Anna Valdinger said, “This is exactly the kind of crime fiction that I love – propulsive, energetic, gritty and tremendous fun. With his ragtag cast of cops and criminals awash in banter, blood and betrayals, Troy Henderson has created a vivid world that will hook readers from the first page.”
Last year’s winner was Katherine Johnson for A Wild Heart. Johnson’s manuscript, now named Every Wild Soul, was the prize’s inaugural winner and is set for publication in April 2026.
River City is slated for publication in early 2027.
Category: Awards Local news
