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Scots Language Publication Grant Awardees 2025

The Scots Language Publication Grant supports Scots publishers and encourages Scots writers.

We are pleased to announce the new titles to be supported by the Scots Language Publication Grant in 2025. The Scots Language Publication Grant provides assistance for publishing new work (including translated texts), reprinting existing historical or culturally significant work, and also effective marketing and promotion of existing and new work.

A meid athin da twalmont

by Yvonne Tait

A meid athin da twalmont is an illustrated short story, written in Shaetlan. The story centres around the endearing friendship of a young boy called Billy, and an elderly man, Ivor, who live in the same small community, but meet for the first time on a day which is significant to them both. As their friendship grows, Ivor offers Billy the benefit of his wisdom and experience, while Billy in turn gives Ivor the gift of feeling seen and heard, through his openness and uninhibited kindness. It is a story of friendship and family; grief and loss; hope and human connection.

A gentle, moving and uplifting tale which invites the reader to pause and reflect on the importance of empathy, community and compassion. It is also a celebration of Shetland's distinct, evocative language. The story was the winning entry in the Rhoda Bulter Shetland dialect writing competition in 2024, on the theme of anniversary. The author, Yvonne Tait, subsequently illustrated the story to bring it to life in a short film, commissioned by local dialect group, Shetlandforwirds, and produced by Jonathon Bulter.

'I am delighted, and very grateful tae receive dis support fae da Scottish Book Trust, which will help me immortalise my beloved characters in print. It's a privilege tae share dis story, an tae celebrate Shetland's unique midder tongue; an I hoop dat mony folk will enjoy da narrative, da illustrations an da rich, expressive language.' – Yvonne Tait

Duck Feet, Audiobook – Leith Books

by Ely Percy

Duck Feet is a story that has meaningfully connected with readers of all ages in Scotland and beyond. Written in a Renfrewshire dialect, it follows the life of Kirsty Campbell and her friends, and the changes they encounter from first to sixth year at the fictional high school Renfrew Grammar. At the heart of Duck Feet are characters and a community that are often stereotyped. Percy's novel flips these stereotypes on their heads with great insight and authenticity, dealing with hard-hitting issues such as drugs, bullying, first love, sexuality, and teenage pregnancy with both humour and heart.

In keeping with the authenticity and relatability of this book, the audiobook version will be narrated by the author – a Renfrewshire story in a Renfrewshire accent. With the help of a recording studio and audiobook production service, Percy's novel will be brought to life for listeners, opening the door for a new audience to connect with it.

'We are so delighted to receive this Scots Language Publication Grant. It makes all the difference to a small, independent local publisher like us and will enable us to bring the brilliant story of Duck Feet to a whole new audience in audiobook format.' – Leith Books

'This is just wonderful. I'm incredibly grateful to the Scottish Book Trust for their continued support, and I can't wait to get started on the audiobook.' – Ely Percy

Eagle and Lion – Polish Poems and Scots Translations – Grace Note Publications

A collection of 27 Polish poems and Scots translations

An anthology of Polish poems by twenty-seven poets with a chronological range from the Romantic and modern periods, though the Renaissance and Baroque are also represented. The poets are among the most respected in the national canon including some Nobel prizewinners: examples are Adam Mickiewicz, Juliusz Słowacki, Maria Konopnicka, Bolesław Leśmian, Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński and Wisława Szymborska. The Scots versions are poetic translations, corresponding in style and format to the originals, and are by experienced translators with established reputations in the field: most of them are poets, and most have enough knowledge of Polish to have made their translations directly from the originals.

Each translator has his/her own approach to the use of Scots: most of the translations are in the literary Scots of the twentieth-century Renaissance, but some are in a more vernacular register, and one translator (Sheena Blackhall) has used a North-East dialect. The book also contains a preface by the distinguished Polish scholar Aniela Korzeniowska.

'Grace Note Publications (GNP) is dedicated to creating resources that support Scotland's native languages: Scots and Gaelic. Receiving this grant from the Scottish Book Trust enables GNP to produce a book that not only provides a significant literary resource for speakers, readers and learners of Scots but also encourages Polish speakers to enjoy Scots. The grant enables GNP to take an important step forward in promoting the Scots language beyond Scotland, while supporting Scots writers in building a broader readership.' – GNP

'As Editor and Consulting Editor of Eagle and Lion, we are delighted, and most grateful, at receiving this generous grant. The book is intended not only to demonstrate the richness of the Polish poetic tradition and the resources of the Scots tongue as a medium for translation, but also to proclaim and reinforce the long-standing social and cultural links between Scotland and Poland; and we are now able to look forward confidently to its publication.' – Derrick McClure and Tom Hubbard

Flitcher – Stewed Rhubarb, Tapsalteerie

by Craig Aitchison

Flichter is the debut collection of poetry from prize-winning writer Craig Aitchison. These are poems of the natural world, of loss, love and empathy, and of contemporary crises, all written in a rich Borders Scots that has long been under-represented in literature. Craig Aitchison was one of the poets commissioned by the Scottish Poetry Library to respond to Sir Walter Scott's 250th anniversary. He is a Scottish Mountaineering Creative and his poetry has appeared in Poetry Scotland, Lallans, New Writing Scotland, Nutmeg and the Tapsalteerie collection Sleekit. Recently he was chosen as a winner of the Burrell collection's Hidden Treasures competition. In 2023 he won both the Badenoch Prize and the Wigtown Poetry Prize for Scots and a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award for writing in Scots.

'Stewed Rhubarb are absolutely thrilled to be publishing Flichter, Craig's debut collection of poems. He's a wonderful writer who richly deserves a wide audience for his work - which is now possible thanks to the support of the Scots Language Publication Grant!' – Stewed Rhubarb

'A'm chuffed tae bits tae receive a Scots Language Publication Grant. A'm delightit tae be able to collect auld an new poems intae a collection that will reach a wider audience wi the support o the Scottish Book Trust. Scots is a livin, vibrant leid that can deal wi contemporar issues an universal themes, as A'll hope tae show in ma collection.' – Craig Aitchison

Robert Burns: A Selection of Poems to Share Using Objects and Actions – My Kind of Book

by Robert Burns, Kate Leiper (illustrator) and Ailie Finlay

Robert Burns: A Selection of Poems to Share Using Objects and Actions will be a unique booklet of the poetry of Robert Burns designed to make his poems accessible to children with additional needs in a way they have not been before. It will be illustrated throughout by Kate Leiper and My Kind of Book will receive guidance from the Scots language consultant Stuart McHardy.

Alongside some of the best loved poems of Robert Burns the booklet will contain 'recipes' of objects and actions to use when sharing these. For example, a large fan could create a 'cauld blast' or scent could be used with the smell of a 'red, red rose'. Ailie Finlay will contribute this detailed accessibility guidance to the booklet. These suggestions for the use of sensory props, stimuli and actions will allow parents, teachers and others to create lively and meaningful multi-sensory Burns poetry sessions which all children can enjoy, including those with profound additional needs.

'My Kind of Book are delighted to have received this generous funding which will enable us to create a new and unique booklet of the poetry of Robert Burns designed to make his poems accessible to children with additional needs, including those with profound needs. We know that this is a much needed book and we are so pleased to have been given this opportunity.' – My Kind of Book

'We are very much looking forward to working together on this book which has accessibility and diverse representation at its heart and which will let more children enjoy the poetry of Robert Burns.' – Ailie Finlay and Kate Leiper

Scots Language Zine Commission – Glasgow Zine Library

Authors and makers forthcoming

This project will involve an open call for makers creating Scots language zines. Glasgow Zine Library will commission a Scots language zine, support the chosen maker with access to printing, free arts materials and resources including our collection of 4,000 zines. We'll host their zine launch at Glasgow Zine Library, help with promotion and distribution, and include copies of their zine in our collection for future readers to enjoy for years to come!

'We'd like to thank the Scots Language Publication Grant for enabling Glasgow Zine Library to commission a new Scots language zine for our collection. This is a great opportunity to support a Scots language maker and ensure our collection is more representative our audience and their interests!' – Glasgow Zine Library

Square Baw – Scotland Street Press

by Hamish MacDonald

Square Baw is a collection of football poems in Scots that not only covers personal experience, but takes a deep dive into the history of the Scottish game itself, and thereby goes to the heart of Scottish masculinity. 'Hamish's love of the beautiful game shines like a floodlight in this beezer of a collection. He effortlessly combines the punchy, gallus fever of the terraces with this tender, lyrical, homage to football's past. A master of language, a poet secure in his craft, the Bankies Bard has done it again!' – Julie McNeil, Poet

'Wilson's Ornithology and Burds in Scots by Hamish Macdonald won a Scots Language Publication Grant in 2020 and has gone on to be a strong seller. We are, again, fair chuffed that Hamish's gallus poems have won this publication grant, and look forward to a gurly kick off.' – Jean Findlay, Scotland Street Press

'The award o a Scots Language Publication grant comes as gey guid news as we can noo ettle taewards publication o poetry collection Square Baw, a Stramash o Scottish Fitba Poems. The existence o an award that taks tent o Scots is vital in gien vyce tae literature that micht no itherwise see life in prent, and gaun some wey tae keepin Scotland's rowthie and diverse leids tae the fore.' – Hamish MacDonald

Wirds o Banff: A Doric Glossary o the Wild – Doric Books

by pupils of Banff Academy

Wirds o Banff: A Doric Glossary o the Wild is the result of a year-long creative project led by pupils at Banff Academy, exploring the deep connections between language, place, and nature in North-East Scotland. Young people embarked on a poetic and ecological journey to rediscover endangered Doric words and celebrate the local wildlife they describe. Through fieldwork, research, creative writing, and illustration, pupils created a vibrant glossary that revives forgotten dialect and shines a light on species at risk in the region.

The project was enriched through collaboration with Scotland's Makar, Dr Peter Mackay, who supported pupils' creative development and contributed a foreword to the publication. Working alongside conservationists, artists, and local knowledge keepers, the pupils engaged in a powerful act of cultural and environmental reclamation. The final publication brings together original poems, artworks, and reflections that speak with clarity, humour, and urgency. Wirds o Banff is both a celebration of the North-East's living heritage and a call to protect what's vanishing: words, landscapes, and the wild. It invites readers to reconnect with the natural world through the language that has shaped its stories for generations.

'We're fair trickit to receive this grant to help us publish this wonderful glossary produced by Banff Academy pupils. It is heartening to know that young people are keen to preserve our local heritage - both in terms of language and natural environment. This will be an important addition to our catalogue.' – Doric Books CIC

Govanhill: Wit Aboot Yae? – Greater Govanhill CIC

by Mikael Phillips (Writer/Editor), Devon McCole (Writer/Editor), Iain MacLellan (Photo Editor), Laura Hurst (Creative Director) and Rhiannon J Davies (Editor)

Greater Govanhill, an award-winning multilingual community magazine and social enterprise, will produce a special 44-page print and digital edition written primarily in Glaswegian Scots. This project will directly challenge the stigma often attached to dialect in news media, celebrating and amplifying the everyday lived experience of working-class Glaswegians.

Co-created with the local community, this issue will be supported by writing workshops, a kick-off event in our Community Newsroom, and a live radio show. In line with our multilingual ethos, selected Scots articles will also be translated into other languages spoken in Govanhill (such as Urdu, Czech, Romanian, Slovak, Arabic, Polish). Govanhill: Wit Aboot Yae? aims to celebrate this vibrant, evolving language and act as a tool for inclusion, offering newer residents a unique way to connect with local culture and the project will culminate in a public launch event.

'Greater Govanhill CIC is beyond delighted to be awarded this grant to create an edition of our award-winning magazine focused on Glaswegian dialect. This will be the 21st issue of our magazine and will be an important milestone in our story as a community-focused independent media outlet. It's an opportunity to celebrate the diversity of languages in our neighbourhood and celebrate local culture.' – Greater Govanhill CIC

'Receiving this grant is absolutely incredible. Our magazine is about much more than sharing stories, it's about connection & community, which this grant allows us to build on by shining a light on the Glaswegian dialect and help our newer residents not only understand, but connect with our local culture.' – Mikael Phillips

About the Scots Language Publication Grant

The Scots Language Publication Grant is administered by The Scots Language Resource Network, which meets twice a year to discuss the coordination and publication of new and existing resources (online and in print) that support speakers, readers, writers, teachers, learners and students of Scots. It currently includes representatives from the following organisations:

The publication grant is funded by the Scottish Government and administered by Scottish Book Trust.