The History of the Saltire Book Awards - Scotland’s National Book Awards 

 

The Saltire Book Awards have recognised the achievements of Scotland's foremost literary talent since 1937. It is one of the oldest literary prizes in the UK.

 

The first award was made to Neil Gunn for Highland River. A modern Scottish classic, the book follows its protagonist as he walks to the source of the Dunbeath River in his native Caithness, and is a dark and moving exploration of renewal through nature.

 

Renewal is a key theme. The Awards were founded against a context of concern that Scottish artistic and intellectual confidence had been so impacted by the heavy casualties of the First World War, economic downturn and the emerging threat of a new global conflict that the country’s distinctive cultural inheritance stood on the brink of ruin.

 

The roll-call of awardees amply demonstrates that catastrophe was averted. Writers recognised through the years include Edwin Muir, Alasdair Gray, Edwin Morgan, Norman McCaig, Sorley MacLean, Muriel Spark, Dorothy Dunnet, George MacKay Brown, William McIlvanney, Alan Warner, Kate Atkinson, John Burnside, James Robertson, Michel Faber, Ali Smith, Kathleen Jamie, A. L. Kennedy and many more.

 

Past sponsors have included STV, the National Library of Scotland, the Faculty of Advocates, Creative Scotland and many others. Past judges include Professor Ian Campbell, Joyce McMillan, Douglas Gifford and Alan Taylor.

 

Women were underrepresented in the early years of the prize. Our 2024 longlists are dominated by women, reflecting, we believe, positive shifts in publishing and broader literary culture.

 

A sprinkling of prize facts

 

First Book judges have a great track record of picking writers to watch. Past awardees include Ali Smith, A. L. Kennedy, Michel Faber, Louise Welsh, Andrew Crumey and Jackie Kay. Many awardees have gone on to win in the Fiction and/or Book of the Year categories.

 

We rarely award joint winners. Exceptions include First Book in 2016, when Chitra Ramaswamy and Isabel Buchanan won, and 2019 when Clare Hunter and Steven Rutt shared the prize for Threads of Life and Seafarer respectively.

We awarded a one-off Homecoming Book of the Year Award in 2009 to mark the Year of Homecoming, when Scotland celebrated its global diaspora.

 

Lifetime Achievement

 

Our Lifetime Achievement Award was introduced in 2019 to recognise exceptional and sustained contributions to Scottish literary culture. The inaugural winner was Alasdair Gray, followed by Douglas Dunn, Alexander McCall Smith and Liz Lochhead.