Supporting writers with time to write
Non-fiction author Howard Amos, novelist and non-fiction writer Sarah Moss and novelist Chris Kohler are the recipients of support for their new works under our 2026 bursary scheme. The scheme is linked to The Saltires: Scotland’s National Book Awards and is funded and supported by Creative Scotland.
Challenging conditions for writers
The Saltire Writer Bursaries represent a pilot programme specifically aiming to support in a context of significant challenge for writers. Writer income in the UK is in crisis, and rapid technological advance further threatens copyrights. Scotland does not operate a public funding portfolio with specific bursary schemes for writers, unlike other territories including Ireland, and writers’ core practice is likely to align poorly with criteria focused on public engagement in general schemes. In this context, we were able to secure funding to support some of the cohort of writers shortlisted for The Saltires with time to write their next work, thereby helping them to capitalise on the benefit of the awards.
About the writers and their planned work
Howard Amos is the author of Russia Starts Here (Bloomsbury Continuum), shortlisted for Non-Fiction Debut of the Year 2025. Howard’s bursary award will support a new work of non-fiction, again uncovering untold stories of the former Soviet territories. He said, ‘this generous and timely grant will be crucial in helping me getting off to a flying start with my second book’.
Sarah Moss is a writer of fiction and non-fiction and won Non-Fiction Books of the Year 2025 for her memoir My Good Bright Wolf. Sarah’s bursary award will support her with time to write her next novel. Sarah said, ‘Art in interesting times can be a form of care, a way of insisting and remembering that humans are not things or machines, and so time to write is time to care for readers.’
Chris Kohler is a novelist who won Fiction Debut of the Year 2025 for Phantom Limb. Chris’s bursary award will support him with time to write a new novel in a similarly inventive vein. Chris said, ‘Thanks to the generous support of the Saltire Society I’ll be able to set aside more time to work on my next book.’
We congratulate all of the awardees and very much look forward to sharing more about their books as these are announced and published.
