The Isle of Wight Book Awards marked the start of the Island's Literary Festival with a prize-giving lunch.
This event took place on Tuesday, October 7, at the Island Sailing Club in Cowes.
The event welcomed entries from any book published in 2024 that was either set on or about the Isle of Wight.
Both professionally published and self-published print books were eligible for entry, with e-books not being accepted.
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Guests at the event enjoyed a three-course meal before the announcement of the winners.
The event began with an opening speech by organiser Paul Armfield, who reiterated that the intention of the awards is to raise the profile of all Island writing.
He also read a poem by the late poet Tony Harrison.
This was followed by a welcome from awards founder Hunter Davies, who paid tribute to his friend, best-selling author Jilly Cooper, who had passed away the previous day.
The awards were divided into three categories: children's, fiction, and non-fiction, each with its own judge.
The winners were as follows: 'There Will Be Blue Skies' by Jo Cooper in the children's category, 'The Devil to Pay' by Katie Daysh in the fiction category, and 'There Is No Second' by Magnus Wheatley in the non-fiction category.
'The Devil to Pay' by Katie Daysh was also named the book of the year.
Each category winner received a £200 prize, with an additional £500 awarded to the overall winner.
The event also had a charitable aspect, with funds raised from a stall selling the judges’ copies of the entrants’ books, as well as a raffle, being donated to Sporting Opportunities IW.
This independent sports charity offers training and competition opportunities to athletes with learning disabilities on the island.
Sponsors of the event included David and Patsy Franks, Isle of Wight Festival, Creative Island, Medina Publishing and Monkton Arts.
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