Scottish Book Trust's New Writers Awards 2021 Open for Applications
by Rebecca Raeburn
Communications, Edinburgh
City of Literature Trust
2 June 2020
The Edinburgh-based charity which changes lives through reading and writing has launched the search for new Scottish authors who will follow in the footsteps of Graeme Macrae Burnett of His Bloody Project and Claire Askew of All the Hidden Truths.
The New Writers Awards are run by Scottish Book Trust in association with Creative Scotland, and each year they provide unpublished writers with financial support to enable them to concentrate on developing their work, as well as professional guidance to help them move towards publication.
This year, Scottish Book trust are also introducing a new Access Fund to help support awardees with any barriers they may face. The programme is flexible and the charity works closely with awardees to help them participate as fully as possible. Scottish Book Trust welcomes and supports writers who are carers, unemployed or unable to work for health reasons or who face any other barriers.
Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said:
“Year on year, we receive a high number of applications for the New Writers Awards, underlining the appetite for opportunities such as these, across English, Scots and Gaelic. Scottish Book Trust welcomes applications from all writers in Scotland who are previously unpublished, and we are also able to offer support to ensure the award is as flexible as possible.”
The Awards will run from January 2021 to January 2022. During the programme, awardees receive:
- A £2,000 cash award to support their writing
- Tailored creative development opportunities, which can include mentoring from established writers and industry professionals
- Press and marketing, social media, performance and presentation training
- The opportunity to showcase work to publishers and agents
- A retreat offering time, space and the freedom to create new work in idyllic surroundings (with flexible structure based on each awardees needs)
- A year’s free membership to the Society of Authors and a bespoke training session for awardees on contracts and rights
- The chance to meet and engage with a group of writing peers
There are three categories: Fiction and Narrative Non-Fiction (also known as creative non-fiction), Poetry, and Children’s and Young Adult Fiction. Applications may only submit to one category per year.
Entries are invited in English, Scots and a combination of both. The full eligibility criteria and application for the New Writers Awards is available here.
There are also two awards for Gaelic writers, run in association with the Gaelic Books Council. There is a separate application form for writers interested in applying for a Gaelic award on the Scottish book Trust website.
The deadline for all applications is Wednesday 8 July at noon.
Scottish Book Trust is a national charity changing lives through reading and writing. They inspire and support the people of Scotland to read and write for pleasure through programmes and outreach work that include: gifting books to every child in Scotland to ensure families of all backgrounds can share the joy of books at home; working with teachers to inspire children to develop a love of reading, creating innovative classroom activities, book awards and author events; supporting Scotland’s diverse writing community with their training, awards and writing opportunities; and funding a range of author events for the public to enjoy and promoting Scottish writing to people worldwide.