Bluefish carried the day this year at the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby, with two men taking home the grand prizes for bluefish caught from the shore and from a boat.

Preston Butler is victorious after winning grand derby prize, 2014 Chevy Silverado, for his boat-caught bluefish. — Alison Mead

At the derby awards ceremony Sunday, Michael J. Mulcahy, a Somerville police lieutenant, won the Eastern 22 Sisu courtesy of Eastern Boats with his 15.2-pound shore-caught bluefish, while Vineyard Haven resident Preston Butler won the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado, courtesy of Clay Family Dealerships, with a 15-pound boat-caught blue.

Suspense was high as derby president Ed Jerome determined the winners from among the eight finalists. Following derby tradition, Mr. Jerome arranged the finalists by random drawing, with each having a key. Only one key for each division would open a large padlock. Mr. Mulcahy was first in line for the shore leaders and his key immediately opened the lock, with ecstatic cheering from the audience.

“I guess it’s true: The 23rd time is the charm,” he said. Mr. Mulcahy had pushed on through the derby despite having torn calf muscles and a sprained ankle — injuries he sustained while fishing. “I fish hard,” he said.

Mr. Butler, 23, only had one thing to say after hearing the lock pop open and celebrating his victory: “I need a truck like it’s nobody’s business.”

The 69th derby awards ceremony, held under a tent at the Farm Neck Golf Club Sunday afternoon, attracted an overflow crowd even larger than usual. Derby organizers said this year’s award ceremony broke every record for attendance and a raffle for a scholarship fund received a record amount of financial support.

Committee member Phil Horton, who was counting proceeds from the raffle on Sunday afternoon, said it was hard to say how many raffle tickets had sold, but that it was a lot. “We’re overwhelmed,” he said. “We are pretty impressed.”

Junior anglers, including Xavier Clock, Aubrey Warburton, Paige Smith and Sawyer Schaefer, figured prominently in this year's derby. — Alison Mead

This year’s derby set a record with 3,282 registrants. Last year there were 3,146. A total of 2,305 fish were entered in the contest, compared to 2,000 last year.

“Today is a celebration of the past 35 days, and it has been a particularly successful and wonderful derby,” committee chairman John Custer said.

Within 30 minutes of the derby’s opening bell on Sept. 14, all four species — bluefish, bonito, false albacore and striped bass — had been weighed in, setting the tone for the rest of the derby. “Fishing was better, weather was better, and people were happy,” Mr. Custer said on Sunday.

Other notable winners were father-and-son team David and Dylan Kadison, who each took home several awards, including first place for team fishing for the boat division. Each one also won first place in the grand slam category, and Top Rod awards for the most catches in a single day (David with 10 and Dylan with seven).

David fished almost every day of this year’s contest. Dylan, 12, joined him on the weekends. David’s advice to people hoping to improve their derby skills is to be patient. Some people move on to a new spot if they don’t catch a fish in the first 10 minutes, he said. “Wait for the fish to come.”

“You can’t just give up on the first time, you’ve got to keep trying,” said Dylan, who has been fishing most of his life. “Sometimes just try something new, and try different poles, different styles.”

W. Brice Contessa won several awards in the fly rod category, including a grand slam from shore, the first of its kind in the derby since 1995. He was awarded large print of a jumping fish that was commissioned for the grand slam (shore) category in 1995 but was never awarded.

The prizes included fishing rods and accessories, artwork and plaques. There were prizes for heaviest fish in each division, as well as several memorial awards. Mason Warburton, a mini-junior fisherman and grand leader, won a bicycle donated by the Cutler Bike Shop in Edgartown. In the kayak contest, Joseph P. Canha won a Jackson sea kayak for his 28.81-pound bass that he caught from a kayak.

All-tackle shore grand slam winners at awards ceremony Sunday. — Alison Mead

All the prizes and raffle items are donated, with the exception of the boat and truck, for which the derby committee pays a nominal fee, Mr. Custer said.

Eastern Boats owner Bob Bordeau spoke briefly about his impressions of the derby. Although his company has sponsored the derby for a few years, it was his first time on the Vineyard. He admired the efforts of the committee and the many volunteers that make the events possible. “You can count on us being back,” he said.

Fran and Bob Clay of Clay Family Dealerships, which supplied the Chevrolet pickup truck, also attended the ceremony.

Artwork, CDs, fishing rods, a boat engine, jackets, hats, coolers and many other items were donated for the raffle, which took place after the awards. Proceeds from the raffle go toward college scholarships for Island high school students. Mr. Custer said the scholarship program provides about $30,000 per year to Island students.

Photo gallery: With Hugs and Celebration, 69th Derby Comes to a Close.