Announcing the 2026 Longlist
5th February, 2026
The Abbotsford Trust has announced the Longlist for the seventeenth Prize. The twelve books on the Longlist for the 2026 Walter Scott Prize are: VENETIAN VESPERS John Banville (Faber & Faber) THE TWO ROBERTS Damian Barr (Canongate) EDEN’S SHORE Oisín Fagan (John Murray Press) HELM Sarah Hall (Faber & Faber) THE PRETENDER Jo Harkin (Bloomsbury)… Read More »
The Land In Winter wins the 2025 Walter Scott Prize
12th June, 2025
Andrew Miller has won the 2025 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction for his novel The Land In Winter, which is set in a remote English community during the long, hard winter of 1962/63. The Prize’s definition of ‘historical’ is a book set at least 60 years ago, meaning Miller’s novel fell just within the… Read More »
Shortlist Spotlight: Kevin Barry
5th June, 2025
Our final Shortlist Spotlight is with Kevin Barry, author of The Heart in Winter. Q: How do you feel about being shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction? Do you consider yourself an historical novelist? I work in different forms and different modes all the time so I suppose I define myself by… Read More »
Shortlist Spotlight: Angharad Hampshire
29th May, 2025
This week’s Shortlist Spotlight is on Angharad Hampshire, who tells us more about writing The Mare. Q: How do you feel about being shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction? Do you consider yourself an historical novelist? A: I am over the moon! The Walter Scott Prize is such an important literary award,… Read More »
Shortlist Spotlight: Francesca Kay
22nd May, 2025
The fourth author to feature in our series of Shortlist Spotlights is Francesca Kay, who tells us more about writing The Book of Days. Q: How do you feel about being shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction? Do you consider yourself an historical novelist? A: I feel deeply honoured. It is a… Read More »
Shortlist Spotlight: Ferdia Lennon
15th May, 2025
Ferdia Lennon, shortlisted for Glorious Exploits, answers our questions. Q: How do you feel about being shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction? Do you consider yourself an historical novelist? I feel incredibly honoured. Many of my favourite novels of the past twenty years have been shortlisted for the prize, and my all-time… Read More »
Shortlist spotlight: Andrew Miller
8th May, 2025
Shortlisted author Andrew Miller tells us more about The Land In Winter and how he came to write it. Q: How do you feel about being shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction? Do you consider yourself an historical novelist? Being shortlisted? I couldn’t be more pleased. My third time. I fear I’ve drunk… Read More »
Shortlist spotlight: Yael van der Wouden
1st May, 2025
In the first of our Shortlist Spotlights, Yael van der Wouden answers some of our burning questions about The Safekeep. Q: How do you feel about being shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction? Do you consider yourself an historical novelist? A: It’s a huge honour. I have only barely begun to understand myself… Read More »
2025 Shortlist announced from Abbotsford
15th April, 2025
The six-strong Shortlist for the 2025 Walter Scott Prize has been revealed by way of a treasure hunt video shot at Abbotsford, home to the Prize and to Walter Scott himself. The six books were revealed in the historic walled gardens, entrance hall, and grand library of Abbotsford, with the treasure trail ending in Scott’s… Read More »
Simon Mawer
20th February, 2025
The judges and founders of the Prize were deeply saddened to learn of the death of former winner and shortlistee Simon Mawer. His wonderful novel Tightrope won the Prize in 2016, and he was shortlisted twice, first for The Glass Room in 2010 and then again for Ancestry only two years ago, when he contributed in a typically lively and incisive… Read More »