“The task of the writer is to take the past out of the archive and relocate it in a body.” Hilary Mantel, Reith Lecture 2017 

THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE

 I've loved historical fiction all my life. When I was a child, Geoffrey Trease was my favourite author and I thrilled to the stories of courage and comradeship in the Roman novels of Rosemary Sutcliffe.

 I was honoured to be invited to join the judging panel when the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction was established by the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch in 2009, and I've remained a judge ever since.

 The prize has its base at Abbotsford in the Scottish Borders, the romantic home of Sir Walter Scott, whose legacy the prize celebrates. It's awarded every year in June at the Borders Book Festival in Melrose. But although its roots are in Scotland, the prize has a world-wide reach, being open to books first published in the previous year in the UK, Ireland or the Commonwealth. Every year, a rich and fascinating mix of stories from many parts of the world is set before the judges. It's never easy to choose between them.

the 2026 winner of the walter Scott prize is…

THE MATCHBOX GIRL tells the story of Adelheid Brunner, a patient of Dr Hans Asperger in the now-infamous Vienna Children’s Hospital during the 1930s, while the city is under Nazi occupation.

The judges said:

“Originality, innovation, ambition – THE MATCHBOX GIRL not only more than fulfils the judging criteria for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, it confronts a topic of immense complexity in a gripping tour de force. With the skill of a cubist painter, Alice Jolly has altered the angle from which events in Vienna in 1934, and particularly in the Vienna Children’s Hospital, are observed, and a story we think we know is disrupted by a heroine who is speechless yet speaks with disturbing energy. THE MATCHBOX GIRL may be the most unusual book you read this year. For its honesty, power and storytelling dexterity, our 2026 winner will also be one of the most important.”

To find out more, go to http://www.walterscottprize.co.uk

THE YOUNG WALTER SCOTT PRIZE

If you are aged between 11 and 19 and are interested in history and writing, the YWSP is ready to take you on an adventure. We are the UK’s only creative writing prize specifically for budding historical fiction writers. Stories must be between 800 and 2,000 words, and set in a time before you were born. Check out the details here: https://www.walterscottprize.co.uk/young-walter-scott-prize/

the winners of the young walter scott prize 2025 have been announced!

The winners of the 2025 Young Walter Scott Prize have been announced! First place in the 11-15 years category is Tasbih Sharuar (above left), whose delightful story The Man From Drury Lane takes us to Covent Garden in the early 1800s as the ‘muffin man’ of nursery rhyme lore delivers warm bakes and compassion to people on the streets. First place in the 16-19 years category is Erica Lockett-Yeung (above right), whose masterful story The Porcelain Dragon is based on the real-life character of Dorothea Lange, a photographer commissioned to document the relocation of Japanese Americans rounded up for internment in San Francisco after the US declared war on Japan in 1941.

The two winners each receive a £500 travel grant, their stories are published in this year’s Young Walter Scott Prize Anthology, and they will be special guests at the Borders Book Festival in Melrose, Scotland, in June, to be presented with their prizes.

You can see the full list of all 33 winners, runners-up and highly commended young writers on the Walter Scott Prize website. Go to: https://www.walterscottprize.co.uk. Click on The Young Walter Scott Prize, then choose News. All the stories will feature in the Anthology which will be available for free from mid-June, by contacting the Walter Scott Prize with your postal address.

Many congratulations to Tasbih and Erica, and all the runners-up!