Hugh sends huge congratulations to Anna Trench, whose graphic novel Florrie: A Football Love Story has won the East Anglian Book Award in the Fiction category.

Founded in 2008, the East Anglian Book Awards recognise and celebrate the books and writers who have been shaped by, and have helped shape, the literary culture of our region. The annual awards are a partnership between the Eastern Daily Press and the National Centre for Writing, in association with the University of East Anglia.

On the prize, Holly Ainley, Head of Programmes & Creative Engagement at the National Centre for Writing, said:

‘The East Anglian Book Awards are about celebrating the extraordinary depth and diversity of writing talent across our region, and their significance feels especially powerful as we look ahead to the Year of Reading 2026. At a time when encouraging a lifelong love of reading has never been more important, these awards shine a light not only on brilliant writers, but on the bookshops and libraries that champion them — the welcoming, creative spaces where stories are discovered, shared and kept alive. Together, they form a vital ecosystem that connects readers, writers and communities across East Anglia.’

The category winners now go forward to compete for the prestigious £1,000 Book of the Year Award, which will be announced at a celebratory event on Thursday 12 February. To find out more, click here.