Submissions for the East Anglian Book Awards, which celebrate the outstanding literary culture of our region, are now open.

Now in their 15th year, the East Anglian Book Awards recognise the books and writers who have been shaped by, and have helped to shape, the culture of the east of England.

Since the awards began, they have highlighted the work of more than 150 authors, 200 titles and 100 publishers.

Last year's winner was The Stubborn Light of Things by Suffolk-based multi-award-winning author and nature columnist Melissa Harrison.

Compiled from Harrison’s beloved Nature Notebook column in The Times, it maps her relocation from London to rural Suffolk and her joyful engagement with the natural world.

The judging panel praised the book for its uplifting writing and deep passion for the Suffolk countryside and described it as "a book with a mission that stands well for this moment."

Other previous winners include the celebrated writer and naturalist Mark Cocker and Sarah Perry, who went on to win the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction.

Her novel The Essex Serpent became a Waterstones Book of the Year and has just been adapted for Apple TV+ starring Claire Danes and Tom Hiddleston.

The award partners are the Norwich-based National Centre for Writing, Jarrold and the Eastern Daily Press.

The awards are kindly supported by the University of East Anglia Faculty of Arts and Humanities and the PACCAR Foundation.

The shortlisted books will be announced in autumn 2022, with the winning titles celebrated in spring 2023.

Flo Reynolds, programme manager at the National Centre for Writing, said: "It’s another exciting year for the East Anglian Book Awards, and we look forward to celebrating and sharing with the world the wonderful stories being told from and about our region.

"Following two difficult pandemic years when books have brought comfort to so many, it feels like the perfect time to share the power of stories to shine through dark times with writers and readers across East Anglia.

"We’ve therefore extended the timetable of this year’s awards so that our judges and readers have more time to read, enjoy and discuss the entries, before we celebrate together with a special event in spring 2023.

"We hope you’ll join us in reading and talking about the very special books we’re sure to find.

“We wish all the entrants the very best of luck!"

Rebekka Emond-Humphreys, book buyer at Jarrold, said: "It is our pleasure to be involved in the wonderful process of sharing stories, knowledge and experiences.

"As well as celebrating and nurturing, creative talent from across East Anglia, we are proud supporters of our incredibly gifted, local writing community, and very much look forward to seeing those voices represented and celebrated in the East Anglian Book Awards"

Emma Lee, of Archant, who returns to the judging panel this year, said: "As a book lover, reading the East Anglian Book Awards shortlist has become a highlight of my year.

"I am always blown away by the breadth of writing talent here in the region, and the way in which writers bring the place we call home to life on the page, and it's wonderful to be able to celebrate that."

The awards feature six categories: Fiction, Poetry, General Non-Fiction, History and Tradition, Biography and Memoir and The Mal Peet Children’s Award.

The prize for the overall Book of the Year is £1,000, courtesy of the PACCAR Foundation.

This year will also see the return of the Exceptional Contribution Award, which goes to an individual or organisation who have made an outstanding impact on local story and publishing culture.

For the purposes of the awards, East Anglia is defined as Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, and the area of Fenland District Council.

Works must have been published for the first time between July 31 2021 and August 5 2022, and must have been commercially available in physical bookshops.

They must also be set largely in this area or be written by an author living in the region to qualify.

To enter, books must be submitted digitally in PDF, EPUB and MOBI format.

The deadline for submissions is 12 noon on August 5, 2022.

For full details and frequently asked questions visit the National Centre for Writing website nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/east-anglian-book-awards/

Previous winners

2021 - The Stubborn Light of Things: A Nature Diary, by Melissa Harrison (Faber&Faber).

2020 - The House of One Hundred Clocks, by A.M Howell (Usborne)

2019 - A Claxton Diary: Further Field Notes from a Small Planet, by Mark Cocker (Jonathan Cape)

2018 - The East Country: Almanac Tales of Valley and Shore, by Jules Pretty (Cornstock)

2017 - Lapwing and Fox: Conversations between John Berger and John Christie, by John Christie (Objectif)

2016 - The Crime Writer, by Jill Dawson (Hodder & Stoughton)

2015 – Threads: The Delicate Life of John Craske, by Julia Blackburn (Jonathan Cape)

2014 – After Me Comes The Flood, by Sarah Perry (Serpent’s Tail)

2013 – Masterpieces: Art and East Anglia, edited by Ian Collins (East Publishing / SCVA)

2012 – The Last Hunters, by Candy Whittome (Full Circle Editions)

2011 – Edith Cavell, by Diana Souhami (Quercus)

2010 – The Widow’s Tale, by Mick Jackson (Faber and Faber)

2009 – Building Norfolk, by Matthew Rice (Frances Lincoln)

2008 – Scapegallows, by Carol Birch (Virago)