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Applying for the New Writers Awards

Applications are now closed. This page is for information only.

The awards are free to apply to, all travel expenses are covered and awardees are chosen by a panel of judges. We have an Access Fund to help support our awardees with any barriers they may face. The programme is flexible and we work closely with awardees to help them participate as fully as possible.

How it works

The Awards will run from January 2023–January 2024. During the programme, awardees receive:

The New Writers Awards will only go ahead in 2023 if Scottish Book Trust secure the funding required to run the programme. The retreat is also subject to circumstances and dependent on any applicable travel restrictions.

How do I apply?

Applications are now closed. This page is for information only.

First, check out our category guidelines for help preparing your submission. There are four categories and you can only apply to one category per year.

Entries in all categories are invited in English, Scots and a combination of both.

If you are writing in Scots, you may be interested in applying for our Scots New Writers Award. There are also two awards for Gaelic writers, run in association with the Gaelic Books Council. There are separate application forms for writers interested in applying for Scots and Gaelic awards, you'll be able to choose which category you're writing in when applying in Scots or Gaelic.

Submit your application to the relevant category by noon on Wednesday 13 July, 2022.

Who can apply?

You can apply if you:

Are aged 18 or over

About our access fund

'It's extremely important that writing opportunities such as the New Writers Award have access built in, including an access fund. If access is built in and funding is available, it immediately makes disabled people feel welcome and takes the onus off disabled writers to inquire about access (which is a lot of labour, including worry about how an access enquiry will be met).

Disabled writers often have extra costs they need to budget for, such as assistive equipment (for example, a keyboard with wrist support, dictation software etc.); travel costs (including taxis if public transport isn’t accessible to them); the cost of travel and accommodation for a personal assistant or companion to accompany them; or the disabled writer may need extra overnight accommodation if, for instance, they have an energy impairment, and need time to recover after travelling. Without these access needs and costs factored in, disabled writers might not be able to access opportunities, which marginalises them and impoverishes the publishing industry and writing communities. 

It's fantastic that Scottish Book Trust realise how important an access fund is, and I hope more organisations follow suit.'

Ever Dundas, author and co-founder of Inklusion

Who can't apply?

You can't apply if you:

By submitting your application, you're confirming you meet the criteria to the best of your knowledge. Anyone who doesn't meet the criteria will be deemed ineligible and may be asked to return the award or withdraw their application.

Access fund and support

Equality and Diversity

Privacy