The winner of the 2024 Ampersand Prize for children’s and YA debut fiction is Drowning for Beginners, by Melbourne novelist Michael Debenham.
‘Michael’s compulsively readable and unbelievably funny middle-grade novel is a sheer delight from beginning to end, and we knew instantly it would be our winner,’ says Marisa Pintado, Publishing Director at Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing. ‘In a very robust cohort of submissions, his novel about thirteen-year-old Becky, who discovers her estranged father is a merman, shone with heart, humour and a healthy serve of ridiculousness. It charmed the entire judging panel!’
Hardie Grant has contracted world rights in all formats for Drowning for Beginners and will publish Debenham’s debut novel in 2026. Selected as the winner from nearly 220 submissions and a shortlist of five manuscripts, the fantasy adventure follows Becky’s attempts to rescue her estranged father after witnessing his abduction by a gang of vengeful duckmoles (AKA platypuses), while also discovering her surprising new underwater abilities.
'This is the best news I've received all year,’ says Debenham. ‘The road to getting a first novel published can be fairly long and daunting, so enormous thanks to Marisa, Luna and the team at Hardie Grant for running the Ampersand Prize. It was a wonderful surprise to be selected, and I'm deeply grateful for this opportunity to share Becky's adventures with you all.'
The judging team praised Michael’s manuscript for its humour, originality and utter charm.
‘The o_beat humour in this novel grabbed my attention right away,’ says Senior Editor Luna Soo, ‘but it’s the way it gently pokes fun at stereotypes that really sealed the deal. This is a unique story by a very clever writer, and I can’t wait for everyone to read it!’
‘Michael’s writing is just delicious,’ agrees Pintado. ‘Drowning for Beginners sparkles with comedy, action, silliness and genuine stakes, and we are so delighted to be publishing it. This is truly one of the great joys of running the Ampersand Prize – it’s a tremendous privilege to play a role in launching the publishing careers of brilliant new Australian writers for young readers.’
The Ampersand Prize was established in 2012, and winners and shortlistees alike have published numerous beloved and critically acclaimed books for children and young adults, many of which have sold internationally. Recent highlights include the multi-award-winning YA novel Completely Normal (and Other Lies) by shortlistee Bi_y James, and 2022 winner Elisa Chenoweth’s YA romcom, Maria Petranelli is Prepared for Anything (Except This).