SPECIAL MENTION SLOAN PRIZE 2026 Suzy Enoch is a Scottish writer of prose, scripts and screen plays. Her writing is inspired by observations of the absurd and unlikely, writing across timescales to create unlikely pairings of narrators. Suzy began her career in acting and writing for theatre, but found a …
SPECIAL MENTION LEWIS EDWARDS MEMORIAL PRIZE 2026 Albane Mbow is a third year English Language and Literature student who grew up in the United States and currently lives in Switzerland. Her stories explore geographical and temportal alienation, moving, growth, and change. She was co-editor of the 2nd edition of BW*E’s …
SPECIAL MENTION SLOAN PRIZE 2026 From his background in Linguistics, Evan has developed an acute awareness of the different functions and forms of Scots language. As such, he is interested in interrogating its purpose in prose, and expanding its utility. Coloured by his upbringing in West Lothian, he is interested in …
WINNER OF THE SLOAN PRIZE 2026 Catherine Hodge is a 22 year old Master’s student, studying Creative Writing at the University of Aberdeen. A recent graduate of English and Scottish Literature at the University of Edinburgh, she is interested in contemporary Scottish fiction influenced by nineteenth-century Gothic literature and is …
CO-WINNER OF THE LEWIS EDWARDS MEMORIAL PRIZE 2026 My name is Aidan, I am a first-year earth science student, and I love writing as well as music and theatre (especially a well-executed combination of all three). Alongside this prize-winning writing, I wrote and directed a one act play called “Billionaire …
SPECIAL MENTION SLOAN PRIZE 2026 Campbell is a Scottish and English literature student, part time tour guide and writer of bizarre fiction when the inspiration hits. When not busy with that, he likes board games and Doctor Who and is currently learning to juggle, mostly because he seems like the …
SPECIAL MENTION GRIERSON PRIZE 2026 Sally Averbuch is an Archaeology and Social Anthropology student from East Lothian. She was one of Scotland’s Young Makars in 2023, performing her work at the StAnza poetry festival in St Andrews and at Wigtown Book Festival. She was the third place winner of an …
CO WINNER OF THE LEWIS EDWARDS MEMORIAL PRIZE 2026 Maya Le Her is a student and emerging writer based in Edinburgh. In 2022, one of her poems was published in Arlo’s Art Therapy Journal, a journal by Arlo Parks in support of CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) and she was …
SPECIAL MENTION LEWIS EDWARDS MEMORIAL PRIZE 2026 Anna Yarwood is a fourth-year Arabic and Persian student. She is currently working on a very serious Fringe show about bowling (https://www.thespaceuk.com/shows/2026/bucksomly-betrothals). “Thank you for the Special Mention, what a nice surprise! It’s lovely to have been considered!” May 15, 2026
WINNER OF THE GRIERSON PRIZE 2026 Caitlin Palmer is an American-born writer and current master’s student at The University of Edinburgh. Although she studies poetry, she enjoys writing both poetry and prose in her free time. She credits her grandfather for introducing her to the joy of reading and her …
SPECIAL MENTION LEWIS EDWARDS MEMORIAL PRIZE 2026 Hana Wong is a third-year English Literature student at the University of Edinburgh. Her poetry has been featured at the Wells Festival of Literature and published in Voice and Verse, The Prose Poem and other indie magazines. When not writing, she can be …
SPECIAL MENTION LEWIS EDWARDS MEMORIAL PRIZE 2026 Lea Lang is a history student from Munich who recently completed a year at the University of Edinburgh. Her academic work focuses on empire, culture, and the histories people tell about themselves. She writes fiction mostly out of curiosity about language, memory, and …
SPECIAL MENTION GRIERSON PRIZE 2026 Samantha MacNaughton is a Scottish-American writer, born and raised in England. She is currently based in Edinburgh, where she is studying Classics and English Language. At the moment, she is working on an ever-expanding poetry project about women in mythology. “This poem is deeply inspired …
RUNNER-UP OF THE 2025 GRIERSON VERSE PRIZE Kaja Kubickova: ‘I like a lot of things in life. I like fridge poetry, home-cooked dinners with loved ones, climbing rocks and jumping fences, crochet, planting trees, sunny days in the Meadows, running really fast down a hill. I’m a neuroscience student …
cO-WINNER OF THE 2025 LEWIS EDWARDS MEMORIAL PRIZE Grace Murray is a fourth-year literature student, based in Edinburgh and Norfolk. Grace’s debut novel, ‘Blank Canvas’, will be published by ‘Fig Tree’ in January 2026. May 7, 2025
cO-WINNER OF THE 2025 GRIERSON VERSE PRIZE Aoibh Downey is an English literature and History student from the Isle of Man. Their work draws on Irish and Manx folkloric cultures, touching on themes of cultural erasure, memory, loss, queerness and everything in between. Beyond the page, Aoibh is a …
cO-WINNER OF THE 2025 LEWIS EDWARDS MEMORIAL PRIZE Ignacio Gil Pineda is a 1st year History and Politics student from Guatemala. Interested in the ways we repress and connect, Authoritarianism, and all things Latin-America, he normally explores his ideas through essays, poetry, short fiction, and perpetually incomplete novels. May …
RUNNER-UP OF THE 2025 LEWIS EDWARDS MEMORIAL PRIZE Anjali Klinder is a shockingly aerodynamic human woman studying Philosophy and English Literature at the University of Edinburgh, with a special interest in the Philosophy of Physics. She has not published any poetry previously, but has had three short stories published …
WINNER OF THE 2025 SLOAN PRIZE Catherine Hodge is a fourth-year student studying English and Scottish Literature. Primarily focused on Scottish gothic writing of the nineteenth century, she plans on moving to Aberdeen to study an MLitt in Literatures, Environments and Places. She enjoys writing prose (as opposed to …
RUNNER-UP OF THE 2025 SLOAN PRIZE EVAN LAW – After graduating from his Linguistics & English Language degree last year, Evan has been enjoying making the time to rekindle his passion for writing and recalibrating what he wants to express. Coloured by his upbringing in West Lothian, he is …
