Saltire_Society_Literary_Awards

Saltire Society Literary Awards

Saltire Society Literary Awards

Scottish literary awards

Not to be confused with Saltire Prize.

Scotland's National Book Awards, formerly known as the Saltire Society Literary Awards, are made annually by the Saltire Society. First awarded in 1937, they are awarded for books by Scottish authors or about Scotland, and are awarded in several categories.

History

The first Saltire Society Book Award was given in 1937, the year after the Saltire Society was established. No awards were given after 1939 due to the Second World War, and the next award was made 1956. The History Book of the Year award was inaugurated in 1965. In 1982 sponsorship was obtained and since then the awards have been made annually. First books have been recognised since 1988, and in 1998 the award for Scottish Research Book of the Year was established.[1]

Until around 2021, the awards were known as the Saltire Society Literary Awards, subtitled Scotland's National Book Awards,[2] but then took on the subtitle as the name covering all of the literary awards that the society awards: Scotland's National Book Awards, and are known by this name as of May 2023.[3]

Description

The awards seek to recognise books which are either by "living authors of Scottish descent or residing in Scotland," or which deal with "the work or life of a Scot or with a Scottish question, event or situation".[4]

As of 2022, the winner in each category receives an award created by artist Simon Baker of Evergreen Studios, based in Inverness; the winners of each literary award receive a cash prize of £2,000, while the winner of the Saltire Society Book of the Year is given a further £4,000.[5]

Categories

A one-off Homecoming Book of the Year award was made in 2009 to celebrate the "Year of homecoming": the award was presented to American professor Donald Worster for his biography of John Muir, A Passion for Nature.[6]

In 2014, the Scottish Literary Book of the Year was awarded,[7] but did not return in subsequent years.

As of 2022, the Saltire Society presents awards in the seven following categories:[5]

  • Saltire Society Scottish Book of the Year Award (formerly "Scottish Book of the Year")
  • Saltire Society First Book of the Year
  • Saltire Society History Book of the Year
  • Saltire Society Research Book of the Year
  • Saltire Society Poetry Book of the Year (introduced in 2014)[7]
  • Saltire Society Fiction Book of the Year (introduced in 2015)[8]
  • Saltire Society Non-Fiction Book of the Year (introduced in 2015)[8]
  • Saltire Society Book Cover Design of the Year
  • Saltire Society Publisher of the Year
  • Saltire Society Emerging Publisher of the Year (awarded in partnership with Publishing Scotland)

In 2019, a Lifetime Achievement Award was introduced, the inaugural prize going to Alasdair Gray.[9][10][11] In 2022, Alexander McCall Smith won the prize.[5]

In addition, an annual student travel bursary is awarded to a creative writing graduate, and the Ross Roy Medal is awarded for the best PhD thesis on a subject related to Scottish literature.[12]

Past winners

Scottish Book of the Year

The Scottish Book of the Year award was established in 1937,[1] and has been given annually since 1982. The award is open to novels, poetry and plays as well as non-fiction works on Scottish subjects.[12]

More information Year, Work ...

Scottish Fiction of the Year

The fiction book of the year award was inaugurated in 2015.

More information Year, Work ...

Scottish First Book of the Year

The first book of the year award was inaugurated in 1988 and recognises an author who has not previously published a book. As with the book of the year, the award is open to novels, plays, poems and non-fiction.[12]

More information Year, Work ...

Scottish History Book of the Year

The award for History Book of the Year was established in 1965 in honour of the historian Agnes Mure Mackenzie (1891–1955).[37]

More information Year, Work ...

Scottish Research Book of the Year

This award was initiated in 1998, and is made jointly by the Saltire Society and the National Library of Scotland. It aims to recognise books which "represent a significant body of research and offer new insight or dimension to the subject".[12]

More information Year, Work ...

See also

References

  1. [1]
    "The Saltire Society Book of the Year Awards: A celebration of twenty five years of literature". Scottish Arts Council. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  2. [2]
    "Literature". Saltire Society. 18 November 2013. Archived from the original on 26 April 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  3. [3]
    "Scotland's National Book Awards". The Saltire Society. 1 September 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  4. [4]
    "Awards". Saltire Society. 18 November 2013. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  5. [5]
    "Scotland's National Book Awards 2022: Winners". The Saltire Society. 8 December 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  6. [6]
    "Saltire Society Literary Awards – Winning Books". Books from Scotland. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  7. [7]
    "2014 Saltire Society Literary Awards Winners". The Saltire Society. Saltire Society Scotland. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  8. [8]
    "2015 Saltire Society Literary Awards Winners". The Saltire Society. Saltire Society Scotland. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  9. [9]
    "Gray awarded inaugural Saltire Society Lifetime Achievement Award | The Bookseller". www.thebookseller.com.
  10. [10]
    "Alasdair Gray wins book award for influence 'running deep within Scotland'". The National.
  11. [11]
    "Lanark author Alasdair Gray gets lifetime achievement honour for his contribution to Scottish literature". www.scotsman.com.
  12. [12]
    "Scottish Book of the Year Winner Announced". Saltire Society. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  13. [13]
    Glass, Rodge (2012). Alasdair Gray: A Secretary's Biography. Bloomsbury. p. 166. ISBN 9781408833353.
  14. [14]
    "Saltire awards ceremony at the library". National Library of Scotland. 12 December 2002.
  15. [15]
    "Saltire book awards announced". National Library of Scotland. 3 December 2004.
  16. [16]
    "Saltire Society awards announced at NLS". National Library of Scotland. 20 November 2005.
  17. [17]
    "Kelman takes top literary prize as Saltire awards get boost" Archived 1 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine, The Herald, Phil Miller, 29 November 2008.
  18. [18]
    "Burns Biography takes Saltire main prize". National Library of Scotland. 27 November 2009.
  19. [19]
    "Salmond's favourite book wins Saltire Society award". The Herald. 30 November 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
  20. [20]
    Brian Ferguson (15 November 2013). "Gaelic science fiction wins literary prize". The Scotsman. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  21. [21]
    "Academic work named Saltire Book of the Year". BBC News. 11 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  22. [22]
    "Saltire Society Scottish Book of the Year Award". Saltire Society Scotland. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
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    "Michel Faber wins Saltire Book of the Year award". BBC News. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
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    "Scotland's National Book Awards 2016". The Saltire Society. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
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    "Scotland's National Book Awards 2017". The Saltire Society. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  26. [26]
    "Scotland's National Book Awards 2021 Winners". The Saltire Society. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
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    "Ely Percy's coming-of-age novel Duck Feet is named 'Scotland's Book of the Year'". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  28. [28]
    "Scotland's National Book Awards 2018: Fiction Shortlist". The Saltire Society. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  29. [29]
    Flood, Alison (9 December 2019). "Book prize judge alleges co-jurors did not finish reading shortlist". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  30. [30]
    Lockerbie, Catherine (29 January 1994). "Saltire award for biography of Burns". The Scotsman. Edinburgh.
  31. [31]
    "Music, in a Foreign Language". Dedalus Books. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  32. [32]
    "Scottish First Book of the Year Award". Saltire Society Scotland. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  33. [33]
    "Scotland's National Book Awards 2016". The Saltire Society. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  34. [34]
    "Scotland's National Book Awards 2017". The Saltire Society. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  35. [35]
    "Scotland's National Book Awards 2018: First Book Shortlist". The Saltire Society. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  36. [36]
    "Scotland's National Book Awards 2019: First Book". The Saltire Society. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  37. [37]
    "Edinburgh Saltire Success". University of Edinburgh. 7 January 2013. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014.
  38. [38]
    "Prestigious prize for Scottish Parliament research". University of St Andrews. 23 April 2003.
  39. [39]
    "Native Lordship in Medieval Scotland". Four Courts Press. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  40. [40]
    "History Book of the Year 2006". Saltire Society. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  41. [41]
    "History Book of the Year 2007". Saltire Society. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  42. [42]
    "History Book of the Year 2008". Saltire Society. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  43. [43]
    "History Book of the Year 2009". Saltire Society. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  44. [44]
    "History Book of the Year 2010". Saltire Society. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  45. [45]
    "History Book of the Year 2011". Saltire Society. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  46. [46]
    "Scottish History Book of the Year Award". Saltire Society Scotland. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  47. [47]
    "Scotland's National Book Awards 2016". The Saltire Society. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  48. [48]
    "Scotland's National Book Awards 2018: History Shortlist". The Saltire Society. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  49. [49]
    "Scotland's National Book Awards 2019: History". The Saltire Society. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  50. [50]
    "Scottish Research Book of the Year Award". Saltire Society Scotland. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  51. [51]
    "Scotland's National Book Awards 2016". The Saltire Society. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  52. [52]
    "Scotland's National Book Awards 2017". The Saltire Society. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  53. [53]
    "Scotland's National Book Awards 2018: Research Shortlist". The Saltire Society. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  54. [54]
    "Scotland's National Book Awards 2019: Research". The Saltire Society. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  • Strachan, Anne (1989) Prizewinning Literature: UK Literary Award Winners Library Association Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-85365-558-8

Further reading

  • Marsden, Stevie (2021). Prizing Scottish Literature: A Cultural History of the Saltire Society Literary Awards. Anthem Studies in Book History. Anthem Press. ISBN 9781785274824.
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