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

The 2025 awards mark an exciting new chapter, extending eligibility to include Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, and Hertfordshire alongside longstanding members Norfolk and Suffolk.

Peggy Hughes, CEO of the National Centre for Writing, says: "For almost two decades, the East Anglian Book Awards have celebrated the books, writers and publishers who shape, and are shaped by, this extraordinary region. With our new categories and expanded geography, we’re thrilled to acknowledge the breadth of literary talent across the East of England.

"This is a region of wide skies and wider imaginations, from urban centres to rural coastlines, steeped in history and creativity. We’re proud to champion the East as a place of words, readers, and radical ideas."

(Image: Andi Sapey)

This year introduces seven core categories, including a new award for debut novelists, further supporting emerging talent:

Fiction
Poetry
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