Writer development: Scottish Book Trust New Writers Awards 2025

There are five categories in the Scottish Book Trust New Writers' Awards 2025:

• Fiction and narrative non-fiction

• Poetry

• Spoken word

• Children's and young adult fiction

• Scots

There are also two awards for Gaelic writers, a Callan Gordon Award for young writers of poetry or short fiction aged 18-35, and a Next Chapter Award to support an emerging writer over 40 in any of the five categories.

All applicants need to provide a details of writing experience, a personal statement, a proposal and a writing sample

Applicants for the New Writers' Awards must be over 18, based in Scotland, and committed to developing a career in writing. They must not have published a novel, narrative non-fiction book or collection of stories or poems, and must not currently be in formal education. Entries may be in English, Scots, or a combination of both. There are also two awards for Gaelic writers.

The closing date to apply is 31 July.

For full details, see the website.

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