12th September, 2019

All the fun of the festival

A ball was had by all when the two winners of the 2018 Young Walter Scott Prize attended the Baillie Gifford Borders Book Festival in June.

Joseph Burton, from Folkestone in Kent, who took first prize in the 16-19 years category, joined Edinburgh-based 11-15 years category winner Jenny O’Gorman in Melrose, Scotland to receive their prizes and take part in festival activities.

Before receiving their Prizes live on stage, Joseph and Jenny met YWSP director Alan Caig Wilson and administrator Lindsey Fraser, and its judges, eminent children’s writers Elizabeth Laird and Eleanor Updale and literary agent Kathryn Ross.

They attended several Borders Book Festival events, including historian/novelist Natalie Haynes’ Troy Story event, the Walter Scott Prize shortlist panel discussion, and the world premiere of Dandie Dinmont: an operetta, which was written by Alexander McCall Smith to celebrate the Walter Scott Prize’s 10th anniversary.  Jenny also enjoyed some public speaking training to help her read her work in public, courtesy of Walter Scott Prize reader and presentation skills trainer Bridget McCann.

The two young winners were thrilled to meet local actor Jack Lowden, fresh from his film roles in Mary Queen of Scots and The Long Song, who handed over their certificates and £500 travel grant cheques with Prize sponsor the Duke of Buccleuch, in front of an audience of some 500 attending the Walter Scott Prizegiving event on Saturday 17th June 2019.

The morning after the event, Joseph and Jenny attended a special brunch at Bowhill House, the home of the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch, where they met a host of other authors and notable speakers who were performing at the Borders Book Festival.  See what they had to say in this video:

This year’s Young Walter Scott Prize writing competition closes on 31st October 2019 – find out how to enter here!