Writers can now submit their works for consideration in the 2025 Isle of Wight Book Awards.
Now in their 4th year, the awards are open to anyone who had a book published in 2024 which is either about or set on the Island. The author can be living anywhere in the world, so long as their book contains at least some Isle Of Wight related content.
The books can be professionally published or self-published, previous winners have been fairly evenly spread across both types, but the books must have a physical form – they cannot be ebooks.
To enter, authors or publishers need to complete the online application form on the Awards website Isle of Wight Book Awards and drop off two copies of their book either at Medina Bookshop in Cowes, Monkton Arts in Ryde, Babushka Books in Shanklin or Mrs Middeleton’s Bookshop in Freshwater. The closing date is 31st May 2025.
There are three categories Children’s, Fiction and Non Fiction, and this year’s judges are:
- Nicholas Allen (Children’s) Nicholas is the bestselling picture book author/illustrator of brilliant books such as ‘The Queen’s Knickers’ and ‘Father Christmas Needs A Wee’
- Mark Eccleston (Fiction) Former BBC journalist, writing as M.H. Eccleston his superb Island based cosy-crime novel ‘Death On The Isle’ was the winner of the very first IOW Book Awards
- Lucinda Hawksley (Non Fiction) Award winning author, art historian, public speaker & broadcaster specialising in literature, art, history and social history from the 19th and early 20th centuries, Lucinda is the great, great, great grandaughter of Charles Dickens.
This year’s Awards Presentation Lunch will be the first event of the IW Literary Festival and will be held at the Island Sailing Club in Cowes from midday on Tuesday 7th October; it will feature an opening speech by the Awards’ founder Hunter Davies and the judges will be on hand to announce the winners and present the awards.
Sponsored by David and Patsy Franks, The Isle Of Wight Festival, Creative Island, Medina Publishing and Monkton Arts, this year’s prizes are £200 for each of the category winners and an additional £500 for the overall winner of the Book Of The Year Award.
As with previous years, the awards event will have a chosen charity who will give a short presentation on the day and receive all funds raised from a stall selling the judge’s copies of the entrant’s books, as well as a raffle. This year’s selected recipient is Sporting Opportunities IOW, an independent sports charity offering training and competition opportunities to athletes with learning disabilities on the Island. Now officially accredited with Special Olympics Great Britain, they have access to local, regional and national competition’s across the country.
Paul Armfield – who coordinated the awards – says:
“Of course, writing is not a competition, but the ultimate spirit of the awards is to celebrate books about the Island, to raise their profile so that people get to hear of them. They also encourage new writing, and give budding writers something to aim for.
“It’s a fun way to keep the story alive, and by being part of the Literary Festival, it creates a further opportunity for local talent to be included in the bigger picture.”
