Publishing Prize

The Winners

Finlay Lloyd Publishers and the 20/40 Judging Panel are delighted to announce the Winners for 2025.

Get the Winning Books

— NONFICTION WINNER —

Kim Kelly
Touched

Comments from the Judging Panel

Why this book is different
Documenting the damaging role of anxiety in our lives is hardly new, but Touched takes us inside the destabilising riot of a three-day panic attack with such insight, honesty and humour that the perspective we gain is revelatory and overwhelmingly hopeful.

Why we liked it
This book has a wonderful breadth of understanding—of the author’s own crazily complex family, of the wider issue of anxiety across society, and of her own voyage as a highly competent yet vulnerable being in a worryingly unhinged world.

Review Comments

'This book has a wonderful breadth of understanding... I devoured (it) in one sitting and then sat for almost as long again contemplating it."
— Theresa Smith Writes

— FICTION WINNER —

Angus Gaunt
Anna

Comments from the Judging Panel

Why this book is different
Winter is only beginning to thaw in a remote forest as Anna treks for her survival, accompanied by someone she cannot trust. With distilled clarity, this short novel carries the reader on a journey from victimhood to self-possession.

Why we liked it
The extreme circumstances of this story are written with a quiet yet incisive humanity that invites us to understand whether it is possible to come to terms with the irreconcilable, the unforgiveable.

Review Comments

"Now in its third year, the Twenty/Forty Prize has already unearthed some pretty great books. This year’s (fiction) winner, Anna by Angus Gaunt, is the best yet. And damn it’s good."
— Bram Presser

"There is much richness contained in this short book that explores power dynamics, survival, human resourcefulness and frailty with continual dramatic tension and beautiful writing that makes Anna a joy to read even at its most disturbing."
— Compulsive Reader

"Anna is a remarkable book... thought-provoking reading indeed."
— ANZ LitLovers

About the Winning Authors

Kim Kelly

Kim is a novelist whose Ladies’ Rest and Writing Room won an inaugural 20/40 Prize for fiction in 2023. Kim has also written short stories and essays, both creative and scholarly, and is completing a PhD in Literature at Macquarie University. As a book editor, she is known as Kim Swivel. She lives and works on Wiradjuri and Eora lands, in central west NSW and Sydney. Find out more about her at kimkellyauthor.com.

Angus Gaunt

Angus was born and educated in England and came to Australia in 1987. He now lives in Dharug/Guringai country at the northern edge of Sydney. He has mainly worked in IT, disability care, and second-hand books. His work has been published and nominated for awards in Australia, England and Ireland. His novel, Black Rabbit, was published in 2020.

Comment from the Publisher, Julian Davies

‘The success of last year’s winning books has given our tiny band of volunteers at Finlay Lloyd a feeling that 20/40 is building some momentum. And now, our enthusiasm for providing this publication opportunity for fiction and non-fiction writing contained within the scope of 20,000 to 40,000 words has been reinforced by the quality of the 2025 winners.

‘At the heart of most valuable thinking and writing is the ability to step beyond our own circumstances with perceptiveness and empathy. Both winning books make such bridges. In Touched, Kim Kelly turns her own experience of intense panic attacks into a lively and profound reflection on the role of anxiety in all our lives. And in Anna, Angus Gaunt steps with deep insight into the place of a girl who has little more than her own inner resources to deal with sustained privation and the threat of violence.

‘Our ethos of collaborating at length with our writers throughout the editing process to support them in finding the best possible version of their book, was further confirmed by working with Kim and Angus. Again, it has been a delight to help bring these very different but equally vital books to Australian readers.’

Interview with the Winning Authors

Julian Davies, publisher and editor at Finlay Lloyd and member of the Judging panel, interviews Kim and Angus about their works.

Get the Winning Books from our online store

A 10% discount applies to this year's Winning Books, and all past Winners, for a limited time only.

Get the Winning Books

The 20/40 Publishing Prize is overseen by an expert advisory board:

Dr Christine Balint

John Clanchy

Donna Ward

Dr Meredith McKinney

Emeritus Professor Kevin Brophy AM

With assistance from

Strategic Adviser: Dr Bidda Jones AM

Technical Adviser: James Smith

The 20/40 Publishing Prize is overseen by an expert advisory board: