Scottish Book Trust name New Writers Award winners

The Scottish Book Trust have named the eleven winners of this year's New Writers Awards for unpublished fiction, non-fiction and poetry authors.

Each of the eleven winners, chosen from over 450 entries, receive a £2,000 cash award, mentoring from industry experts, and a week-long writers' retreat at Cove Park. Previous winners of the Scottish Book Trust's New Writers Award include Fishnet author Kirstin Innes, poet William Letford and The Gracekeepers author Kirsty Logan.

Greg Whelan, Iain Bain, Karen Ashe, Sarah Urwin Jones and Vicky MacKenzie are winners in the Fiction & Narrative Non Fiction category, while Jen Cooper, Louise Peterkin and Rachel Plummer are awarded for their poetry. P.M. Freestone, Robert McGinty (Children’s and Young Adult Fiction) and Karyn Dougan (Callan Gordon Award) complete the winners' list.

Announcing this year's winners, Caitrin Armstrong of the Scottish Book Trust said: “It’s a tricky world out there for an unpublished writer. For the majority of people finding the time to write is increasingly difficult and making it out of the slush pile can be almost impossible. The New Writers Awards give talented writers a leg up, freeing time, providing an introduction to the writing community and getting them noticed. The 2016 writers are a talented bunch and we are really looking forward to seeing where this year will take them.”