The latest instalment of a Cumbrian book awards has been launched as readers and writers are asked to vote for their favourite.
Entries are now open for the 2022 Lakeland Book of the Year Awards, which can include any book published in 2021 set in – or featuring – Cumbria.
Founded by Hunter Davies OBE almost four decades ago – supported by Cumbria Tourism and main sponsors James Cropper – the Lakeland Book of the Year are now in their 38th year and celebrate the amazing variety and quantity of writing that the Lake District, Cumbria inspires.
The finalists are whittled down from around 70 books each year across six main categories, with the overall winner receiving the ultimate accolade of Lakeland Book of the Year 2022:
- The Zeffirellis Prize for People and Business
- The Striding Edge Prize for Guides and Places
- The Bill Rollinson Prize for Landscape and Tradition
- The Latitude Press Prize for Illustration and Presentation
- The Bookends Prize for Art and Literature
- The Gilpin Hotel & Lake House Prize for Fiction
- OVERALL WINNER: The Hunter Davies Lakeland Book of the Year 2022
The judging panel with the task of reading all entries and selecting the shortlist and final winner are:
- Head judge and founder Hunter Davies OBE (prolific author and regular contributor to a range of national press outlets)
- Eric Robson OBE DL (broadcaster, President of Cumbria Tourism, Chairman of The Wainwright Society)
- Fiona Armstrong (ITV and BBC newscaster, author, journalist and Lord Lieutenant of Dumfries).
All seven prizes will be presented at a charity awards event on July 12. Attended by authors, publishers and book lovers from throughout Cumbria and beyond, this annual ceremony has previously raised thousands for well-deserving local charities including The Stroke Association, St. Mary’s Hospice & Save the Children.
Judge Eric Robson OBE DL said: “The Lakeland Book of the Year Awards – now in their 38th year and still thriving – are one of the most distinguished awards in the country and I am proud to be a long-term supporter.
“Cumbria and the Lake District are home to some of the most inspiring scenery in the world and each year I am blown away by the staggering range and quality of entries we receive – it’s an honour and a privilege to read every single one of them.”
