Anomaly wins 2025 VPLA Prize for Writing for Young Adults

So this big, amazing thing happened a couple of weeks ago – and while I plastered the news all over Instagram at the time (possibly to the point of being insufferable) I’ve only just realised I haven’t yet shared it to my (admittedly neglected) website.

So, I’m thrilled to share the awesome, still-somewhat-unbelievable news that Anomaly was awarded the Prize for Writing for Young Adults at the 2025 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards.

Being shortlisted alongside legendary authors Ambelin Kwaymullina (for Liar’s Test) and Barry Jonsberg (for Smoke and Mirrors) was already a wonderful surprise, so I was floored when I found out I’d won (shout out to the lovely Xanthea O’Connor, Programme and Special Projects Producer at the Wheeler Centre, who politely pretended not to notice when I slid into a semi-speechless state mid phone call).

Back (L-R): Chris Ames, me, Amy McQuire, Nathan Maynard.

Front: Susan Hampton, Hon Colin Brooks MP, Robert Skinner, Jeanine Leane, Bruce Gibson.

Photo credit: Laura May Grogan

Congratulations to all the authors – especially Nukgal Wurra author and artist Wanda Gibson, who won the Victorian Prize for Literature for her stunning picture book Three Dresses.

And a huge thank you to the judges, Erin Vincent and everyone at the Wheeler Centre, the Premier, the Hon Colin Brooks MP, and Creative Victoria — it was a fantastic night and I’m still riding the high!

(It has also provided a much-needed boost to morale as I wade through the treacherous, unpleasantly-murky waters of a new first draft…but more on that to come.)

Judges’ report on Anomaly:

A strikingly original debut that expertly pushes the genre boundaries of horror, fantasy and sci-fi. Through skillful employment of first and third person perspectives, disparate temporalities are seamlessly woven together. The moral dilemmas evoked through distinct characterisation add narrative complexity and momentum. Protagonist Piper Manning is at once sharp and considered, allaying discussions on mental health issues with a self-deprecating humour. Lord’s polished, dynamic expression is playfully irreverent, blunt and poetic. In a story where the end of the world offers new beginnings, Anomaly tends to grief with crafted nuance. An elevated, energetic novel of high distinction.