Huge congratulations to Anna Trench, whose graphic novel Florrie: A Football Love Story has won the East Anglian Book Award in the Fiction category and the East Anglian Book of the Year.

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.’ To find out more, click here.

The category winners then go forward to compete for the prestigious £1,000 Book of the Year Award, where Anna’s win was announced at a celebratory event. The judging panel praised Florrie for its ‘pertinent’ themes and ‘exquisite’ illustrations, commending its accessibility as a graphic story for adults and young people.

On receipt of the award, Anna said: ‘I am thrilled that my graphic novel, Florrie: A Football Love Story, has won Book of the Year at the East Anglian Book Awards 2025. Florrie is a novel about football, first love and friendship in the early twentieth century. North Norfolk is an essential part of Florrie’s life: she runs to Cley beach, bird and seal-watches at Blakeney Point, braves the North Sea with her teammates, and sends a magical hag-stone to her lover. My grandmother lived in North Norfolk and it has always been a special, evocative place for me. I loved immersing myself in it again through drawings and words when I created this book – the landscape unlocked so much for me. I’m very grateful to the judges for recognising Florrie: I was delighted to be shortlisted, and I’m overjoyed to have won.’

To find out more, click here.