28th April, 2022
2022 YWSP now open for entries!
The Young Walter Scott Prize – now in its eighth year – has opened for entries for its 2022 award. This unique prize challenges young people to write a piece of short fiction – stories of between 800-2000 words – set in a time before they were born. Entries are judged in two age groups – 11 to 15 years and 16 to 19 years – and the prize welcomes any form of fiction, from prose to poetry, drama to fictional letters or reportage.
The winners in each age group will receive a £500 travel grant and a trip to the Borders Book Festival in Melrose, Scotland, in June 2023, where they will be presented with their prizes. All winning and highly commended writers will see their work published in the special Young Walter Scott Prize anthology published each year.
Stories can now be submitted until the closing date of 31st October 2022. Full details, and a downloadable entry form can be found on our How to Enter page.
The judges said:
“We are excited to kick off this truly unique prize for young writers for the eighth year running, and cannot wait to see what treasures come our way. The hundreds upon hundreds of entries that we have received since the inception of the prize demonstrates not only that the passion for writing historical fiction – in all its forms – is alive and well, but that it is flourishing amongst young people. We are continually grateful to the entrants for their determination to make our jobs as judges so very rewarding and so very difficult!”
On the judging panel this year is award-winning author Elizabeth Laird (Chair); Young Walter Scott Prize director Alan Caig Wilson; literary agent Kathryn Ross; and poet, playwright, performer and director – and Edinburgh’s new Makar – Hannah Lavery, whose debut poetry collection Blood Salt Spring was published by Polygon in March.