Winner Announced! The first Northern Ireland Drewitt Book Award has been won by Derek Landy's The Faceless Ones, the third Skulduggery Pleasant book. After a very close vote, the winner was announced at the grand finale on 24th March.

Derek Landy A Message from Derek Landy
I’m sitting in my hotel room in Australia as I write this, the Sydney harbour stretching out beneath me and the sun streaming in through the window, and the only thing I want right now is to be back home in Ireland, where I could take a train up to you guys and personally tell you what an honour this is. I’ve seen the other books on the shortlist, and I’ve read a few of them, and I’ve loved them. The Graveyard Book is, in my opinion, a ferociously brilliant book, so to even be nominated alongside it was a thrill in itself. I never expected to win, and I’m quite stunned that I did, but this proves that you are obviously readers of tremendous taste and intelligence…!

Thank you so much, and I’m delighted to have won the Northern Ireland Book Award, and I hope to see you soon.

Runner-up was Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book. In third place was Sophie McKenzie's The Medusa Project: The Set Up.

Sophie McKenzie A Message from Sophie McKenzie
I'm thrilled that The Set Up is on the short list for the Northern Ireland Book Award. Being nominated for an award where the titles are chosen and voted for by the readers themselves makes it particularly meaningful. Writing is a very solitary business so, whether I win or not, knowing that other people have enjoyed my story validates all the hard work and makes me feel encouraged to keep on writing!