The Port Fairy author was awarded the inaugural Staunch Book Prize last week for his novel On the Java Ridge.

The UK-based prize is awarded to the author of a novel in the thriller genre in which no woman is beaten, stalked, sexually exploited, raped or murdered.

Entries were received over five months from across the globe.

Published and unpublished writers of thrillers were invited to submit their work.

On the Java Ridge, Serong’s third novel, was published in 2017.

Told primarily through the eyes of a nine year-old, the book is about a group of Australian surfers on a luxury trip out of Indonesia who inadvertently become involved in the attempted rescue of a boat load of refugees.

Serong took home $3550 and a glass trophy for his win, the first of its kind.