Walter Scott Prize

28/10/2026

Find out what advice our Walter Scott Prize 2026 shortlisted authors have for young aspiring writers of historical fiction 📚

The Young Walter Scott Prize is open for submissions until 31.10.2026 and entries must be submitted by post.

Check out the links to learn more about the Prize and our shortlisted authors 🔗

Advice to Young Writers: https://youtu.be/M_JpOsb0eYQ?si=2XTKixO7nV48bAkq

Young Walter Scott Prize: https://www.walterscottprize.co.uk/home/young-walter-scott-prize/how-to-enter

Alice Jolly – Winner of the Walter Scott Prize 2026: https://www.walterscottprize.co.uk/alice-jolly-wins-2026-walter-scott-prize/

Shortlist 2026: https://www.walterscottprize.co.uk/abbotsford-announces-2026-scott-prize-shortlist/

Winner of the 2026 Prize:
Alice Jolly – THE MATCHBOX GIRL

Shortlisted titles:
Jo Harkin – THE PRETENDER
Graeme Macrae Burnet – BENBECULA
Rachel Seiffert – ONCE THE DEED IS DONE
Benjamin Wood – SEASCRAPER

27/10/2026

‘Look to find a character first’… Benjamin Wood, shortlisted for the 2026 Prize with his mysterious and melodic novel SEASCRAPER, shares his advice to young writers of historical fiction 📕

Entries for the Young Walter Scott Prize are OPEN until Saturday 31st October.

Details on how to enter via the link 🔗 https://www.walterscottprize.co.uk/home/young-walter-scott-prize/how-to-enter/

26/10/2026

Have you entered the Young Walter Scott Prize yet?

Your writing could be featured in the next Young Walter Scott Prize Anthology, alongside a specially commissioned illustration by award-winning artist Tom Morgan-Jones 🎨

Enter via post by 31.10.2026 and check out the link for more information on the Prize: https://www.walterscottprize.co.uk/home/young-walter-scott-prize/how-to-enter

25/10/2026

The deadline for the Young Walter Scott Prize is 31st October - we're delighted to have taken delivery of lots of entries already, and are braced for the final rush this week!

The closing date for this year's Young Walter Scott Prize - 31st October - is approaching.

We're thrilled to have received so many entries already, and look forward to receiving many more over the next few days.

21/10/2026

Benjamin Wood, shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize 2026, discusses his captivating and melodic book SEASCRAPER, in this exclusive interview.

The full interview is now available on our YouTube channel:

Benjamin Wood discusses his novel, SEASCRAPER in this exclusive Int...

20/10/2026

‘Find an event in the archives’… Rachel Seiffert, shortlisted for the 2026 Prize with her thought-provoking book ONCE THE DEED IS DONE, shares her advice to young writers of historical fiction 📕

Entries for the Young Walter Scott Prize are OPEN until Saturday 31st October. Details on how to enter via the link 🔗 https://www.walterscottprize.co.uk/home/young-walter-scott-prize/how-to-enter/

14/10/2026

Walter Scott Prize shortlistee, Rachel Seiffert, discusses her German roots and how she was inspired by her own family members when writing her novel ONCE THE DEED IS DONE 📕

The full exclusive interview is now available on our YouTube channel:

Rachel Seiffert, shortlisted for the 2026 Walter Scott Prize for Hi...

13/10/2026

‘The characters themselves, are not historical to themselves’… Graeme Macrae Burnet, shortlisted for the 2026 Prize with his thrilling and bone chilling book BENBECULA, shares his advice to young writers of historical fiction 📕

Entries for the Young Walter Scott Prize are OPEN until Saturday 31st October.

Details on how to enter via the link 🔗 https://www.walterscottprize.co.uk/home/young-walter-scott-prize/how-to-enter/

12/10/2026

The deadlines for both the Walter Scott Prize and the Young Walter Scott Prize are fast approaching 📣

Enter by the end of October and check out the links for more information 🔗

Young Walter Scott Prize: https://www.walterscottprize.co.uk/home/young-walter-scott-prize/how-to-enter

Walter Scott Prize: https://www.walterscottprize.co.uk/the-2027-prize

About the Young Walter Scott Prize ✍️

If you are aged between 11 and 19 and interested in history and writing, then you’ve come to the right place! We are the UK’s only creative writing prize specifically for budding historical fiction writers.

You could win a £500 travel grant, tickets to one of the UK’s best book festivals, and the chance to see your own work in print in a special anthology. Stories must be between 800 and 2,000 words, and set in a time before you were born.

About the Walter Scott Prize 📕

Awarded at the Borders Book Festival in Melrose, Scotland, in June every year, the £25,000 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction is managed by The Abbotsford Trust, the independent Scottish Charity responsible for Sir Walter Scott’s extraordinary Borders home of Abbotsford.

Deadline for both Prizes is 31.10.2026 📚

Image shows Sophie Berry author of THE RED ROAD and winner of the Young Walter Scott Prize 2025 (16 - 19 category), with Andrew Miller author of THE LAND IN WINTER and winner of the Walter Scott Prize 2025 🏆

Honouring the achievements of the founding father of the historical novel, the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction is one of the most prestigious literary prizes in the world.

08/10/2026

The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction is delighted to announce that award-winning journalist and broadcaster Martha Kearney is joining the judging panel for 2027.

On joining, Martha said:

“Being plunged into the lives of people and places from the past is one of the greatest pleasures for a reader. I have loved historical fiction since I was a child, so I was delighted to be asked to be a judge for the Walter Scott Prize 2027. I have read many of the winners in the past and so I really applaud the way the Prize celebrates ambition, innovation and originality.”

The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction is open for submissions until 31st October 2026.

For more information on the Prize, our judging panel, and on how to enter, follow the links:

Martha Kearney: https://www.walterscottprize.co.uk/the-2026-prize/2027-judges 🔗

Enter: https://www.walterscottprize.co.uk/the-2027-prize/ 🔗

Photo credit: Sarah Lee