Now in their 18th year, the awards are presented by the National Centre for Writing, in partnership with the Eastern Daily Press and East Anglian Daily Times and Norwich UNESCO City of Literature, with support from UEA’s Faculty of Arts and Humanities.

This year marks an exciting expansion, with eligibility widened to include books and writers from Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. The broader scope reflects East Anglia’s reputation as a region of “big skies and bold stories” – celebrating the voices, books and ideas born from East Anglia’s rich literary and cultural landscape.

Peggy Hughes, CEO of the National Centre for Writing, said: “Big skies, bold stories — and, with the introduction of a new City of Literature Award and expanded eligibility criteria, an even broader celebration of East Anglian writers and publishers than ever before. We are proud and delighted to present this year’s shortlists, confident that the tapestry of words and ideas emerging from our region is richer than ever. My heartfelt congratulations to all those shortlisted; I can’t wait to read your work!”

East Anglian Book Awards 2025 shortlist

Fiction

• Sweat by Emma Healey (Hutchinson Heinemann)

• Poppyland by DJ Taylor (Salt)

• Florrie: A Football Love Story by Anna Trench (Jonathan Cape)

(Image: Emily Gray Photography)

Poetry

• To Make People Happy by John Osborne (Mariscat Press)

• Buying the Farm by Eliza O’Toole (Shearsman Books)

• Kiss My Earth by Alice Willitts (Blue Diode Press)

History and Tradition

• Finding the Wayfarer: Physical, Spiritual and Poetic Survival by Emma Rose Barber (Tandem Publishing Ltd)

• To the Eel Island: An Evening Journey by Charles Moseley (Merlin Unwin Books)

• Broadland: Shaping Marsh and Fen by Tom Williamson and Alison Yardy (University of Hertfordshire Press)

(Image: National Centre for Writing)

Biography and Memoir

• Named: A Story of Names and Reclaiming Who We Are by Camilla Balshaw (Bedford Square Publishers)

• I Love You, Byeee by Adam Buxton (HarperCollins)

• No Country for a Woman: The Adventurous Life of Lady Dorothy Mills, Explorer and Writer by Jane Dismore (The History Press)

General Non-Fiction

• Neurodivergent, By Nature by Joe Harkness (Bloomsbury)

• Flint Country: A Stone Journey by Laurence Mitchell (Saraband)

• Go West by Steve Silk (Summersdale)

Children’s Books

• Ghost Tide by Jim Cockin (Eye Books)

• A Symphony of Stories: Musical Myths and Tuneful Tales by James Mayhew (Otter-Barry Books Ltd)

• Trouble at the Bug Hotel by Kathryn Simmonds (Walker Books)

Debut Novels

• Silver Harvest by Daryl Fraser (Story Machine)

• The Eights by Joanna Miller (Fig Tree)

• Season by George Harrison (Eye Books)

Among the shortlisted authors is Adam Buxton, the much-loved comedian, podcaster, actor and director. His memoir, I Love You, Byeee, has been shortlisted in the Biography and Memoir category.

Adam said: “I’m delighted to have been nominated for an East Anglian Book Awards for I Love You, Byeee. The book, like my podcast which for 10 years has started and ended with me talking to listeners on walks in the fields outside Norwich with my dog friend Rosie, has East Anglian life in its DNA, so it feels great to get the nod from my East Anglian peers!”

Also shortlisted is Suffolk-based writer James Mayhew, who has been creating books for children for over 30 years. His latest title, A Symphony of Stories, has been nominated in the Children’s Book category.

(Image: Contributed by National Centre for Writing)

He said: “East Anglia has always been home, and to be shortlisted for this particular prize means a great deal to me. At a time when the arts and music are often hard to access, especially in rural communities, I am really happy that A Symphony of Stories has been recognised as a book that can help inspire children to explore stories, through music and illustration.”

Category winners will be announced in the Eastern Daily Press and East Anglian Daily Times in January 2026, followed by the Overall Book of the Year and City of Literature Awards, presented at a special event at the National Centre for Writing in Norwich on Thursday February 12, 2026. Tickets are on sale now.

City of Literature Award 2025

Also announced is the shortlist for the first-ever City of Literature Award, supported by Norwich UNESCO City of Literature. This new award honours individuals and organisations making an outstanding contribution to the region’s literary life through community engagement, publishing innovation or literary advocacy.

The nominees are:

• George Szirtes, acclaimed poet, translator and mentor, known for his lifelong contribution to East Anglian writing.

• Lotte L.S., founder of red herring press in Great Yarmouth, championing local writers and community creativity.

• Mai Black, poet and founder of the Suffolk Writers Group, a welcoming space for writers to share work and inspiration.

• Poets in the Cellar, a grassroots poetry community which hosts events at The Bicycle Shop in Norwich and has now published its first zine.

• The Norfolk Reading Project, a volunteer-run charity supporting literacy in Norfolk’s primary schools.

(Image: National Centre for Writing)

Mai Black said: “A Norwich girl by birth, I moved to Suffolk in 2011 and founded Suffolk Writers Group four years later. It means a lot to have my work recognised like this and I’m so proud to be part of our thriving literary community.”

The winner of the City of Literature Award 2025 will be decided by public vote, open now at nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/eaba until Friday 12 December 12, 2025.

Celebrating regional bookshops

In addition to recognising writers and publishers, the East Anglian Book Awards also celebrate the vital role of independent bookshops in sustaining the region’s literary culture.

Henry Layte, founder and owner of The Book Hive and independent publisher Propolis, won the Exceptional Contribution Award at the East Anglian Book Awards 2024.

He said: “The East Anglian Book Awards is the most prestigious recognition of the breadth of literary work taking place in this part of the country. Unlike other similar awards they are not about regional self-congratulation and glitzy pomp; instead, they select and highlight the very best in writing and publishing and shout about it on a national platform. They help cultivate and celebrate excellence, for which readers, booksellers and writers alike should be grateful for.

“On a personal note, I am extremely honoured to have had several books I have published be shortlisted or winners in various categories, and last year I was given the Exceptional Contribution award. I can testify to the very positive impact of being a recipient of recognition at the East Anglian Book Awards!”

To qualify for this year’s awards, works must be set predominantly in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk or Suffolk or authored by someone living in the region.

Books must have been published for the first time between August 6 2024 and August 5 2025. They must have been commercially available in physical bookshops.

For full details, visit the National Centre for Writing website: nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/eaba.

Since its inception, the East Anglian Book Awards have honoured more than 150 authors, 200 titles and 100 publishers. Past winners include The Meaning of Geese by Nick Acheson, Iron Man by Lynne Bryan, The House of One Hundred Clocks by A.M. Howell, and After Me Comes The Flood by Sarah Perry, who later won the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction.