Three new WSP judges are announced

23rd January, 2017

Three new judges for the £25,000 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction are announced today.  Writers and journalists Kate Figes and Katharine Grant, and art historian James Holloway, join Elizabeth Buccleuch, Elizabeth Laird, James Naughtie, and Chair, Alistair Moffat, on the judging panel for the 2017 Prize.  Find out all about our new Judges here!

Alistair Moffat, Chair of the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction judges, said:

“Given that the wealth of outstanding historical fiction published in 2016 has taken a leap both in quantity and quality, we’re hugely grateful for the fresh and learned opinion of our three distinguished new judges. Their judgements join the advice of our new Academy who have helped us find the best books from across the globe.”

The new judges replace Jackie Kay and Kirsty Wark, who stood down in 2016 due to other commitments.  The panel of seven judges will soon announce the 2017 Walter Scott Prize longlist, and will meet in March to decide on the shortlist, due to be revealed in April.  The prize closes for submissions on 31^st January 2017. The winner of the £25,000 prize is announced at the Borders Book Festival in Melrose, in June.

You can download the 2017 Judges press release here.