Gregory Hughes won the £2,500 (US$4,000) Booktrust teenage prize, which recognizes the best contemporary writing for teenagers, for his "astonishing" debut novel Unhooking the Moon. Hughes told the Guardian "that he wrote the book in Iceland over a period of eight months, writing for six to seven hours every day, in a room so small he could touch both walls when he held out his arms."
Chair of judges Tony Bradman said, "As a writer Gregory Hughes has a genuinely unique voice. Unhooking the Moon is original, poignant and funny and full of terrific characters and gripping storytelling, while also managing to explore the kind of themes teenagers will find engaging. It's also a first novel, so Gregory's achievement is all the more astonishing. I have no doubt that this debut marks the beginning of a great career."
Hughes triumphed over a shortlist that included Marcus Sedgwick's Revolver, Charlie Higson's The Enemy, Jason Wallace's Out of the Shadows, Zizou Corder's Halo and Sarra Manning's Nobody's Girl.