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Member only guide to the Australian book industry.
MIN READ
The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) is delighted to announce Kirsty Murray as the 2025 ASA Medal recipient. The ASA Medal is awarded annually to an Australian author or illustrator with a significant body of work who has made an outstanding contribution to Australian literary culture, both as a creator and an advocate.
Kirsty Murray is a multi-award-winning author of more than 20 books for children and young adults including novels, picture books, junior fiction, and non-fiction. Her work has been broadly published and studied in schools and universities – both at home and internationally. She has been a member of the ASA since 1998.
Her unwavering commitment to, and support of, Australian writers and illustrators has been felt across the industry. For six years, Murray served as a Director and Treasurer of the ASA, and she spent three years as a Director on the Copyright Agency Board. Murray showed extraordinary dedication and advocacy while working tirelessly to help secure Lending Rights for her fellow creators, repeatedly making the case for authors’ rights to the government.
ASA Chair Sophie Cunningham says, ‘Kirsty Murray is a stalwart of the Australian publishing industry. Her words, her work, and her support have been instrumental in encouraging young people to engage with books and stories. Both the Australian writing community and the ASA would not be where they are today without her contributions – from her pivotal role in securing Lending Rights, which have boosted the income of thousands of authors and illustrators, to her unrelenting advocacy on behalf of her peers.’
Kirsty Murray says, ‘I was fourteen years old when I first heard of the Australian Society of Authors and imagined, one day, I might be lucky enough to become a member. I could have never imagined how deeply honoured I would feel – fifty years later – to be the 2025 recipient of the ASA Medal. The ASA has supported, encouraged, and fought for the rights of generations of Australian authors. It’s an incredible privilege to be acknowledged by my peers and an organisation that is so intrinsic to the well-being of every Australian author.’
The ASA Board deeply admires Murray’s contribution to young people’s literature, noting her advocacy for school libraries and her roles as a former ambassador for the Victorian Premier’s Reading Challenge, the Stella Prize Authors in Schools Program, and Books in Homes. Since 2008, Murray has spent many months at the Literature Centre in Western Australia conducting workshops with young writers.
As an enthusiastic contributor to the Australian literary community, Murray has judged short story prizes and major literary awards, and served as an assessor on panels awarding grants to writers and artists. During her decades of work, she has spent time as an editor, a mentor, and a teacher of creative writing at schools, institutions, and festivals around Australia and in other parts of the world. She has been a Creative Fellow at the State Library of Victoria, writer-in-residence at the University of Himachal Pradesh, and an Asialink Literature Resident at the University of Madras.
Murray’s works have collected awards and accolades including an Aurealis Award for Best Children’s Book for The Four Seasons of Lucy McKenzie (2013), the NSW Premier’s Young People’s History Prize for India Dark (2011), the WA Premier’s Book Award for Young Adult Writing for A Prayer for Blue Delaney (2006), and the WA Premier’s Book Award in the Children’s Book category for Zarconi’s Magic Flying Fish (2000). She has received several CBCA Notable Book and Honour Book acknowledgements, and her works have made appearances on numerous longlists and shortlists for awards. In 2017 and 2018, Murray was nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for her contribution to children’s literature.
Murray will formally accept the ASA Medal at the ASA’s Colin Simpson Memorial Keynote, which will be held in Melbourne on 12 November 2025.
About the ASA Medal
Since its establishment in 2003, the ASA Medal has been awarded to recipients including Ann James, Helen Garner, Bruce Pascoe, Thomas Keneally, Nadia Wheatley, Valerie Parv, Tim Winton, and Anita Heiss.
Each ASA Medal is handcrafted in sterling silver by Yuwaalaraay-Gamilaraay artist Melissa Stannard. The design was inspired by the estuarine mangrove river systems local to the artist, where fresh and saltwater meet, merge and blend. These mangrove systems provide a haven of safety and serenity, as well as a healing nurturing habitat for fingerlings and the next generation of other new life. The design references the supportive and uplifting work and inspirational contributions of medal recipients. The ASA thanks Melissa Stannard for her beautiful design.
