Alice Jolly wins 2026 Walter Scott Prize
12th June, 2026
Alice Jolly has won the £25,000 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction for her novel The Matchbox Girl, which tells the story of Adelheid Brunner, a patient of Dr Hans Asperger in the now-infamous Vienna Children’s Hospital during the 1930s, while the city is under Nazi occupation. Alice received her prize from Walter Scott’s great-great-great-great grandson, Matthew… Read More »
Shortlist Spotlight: Benjamin Wood
9th June, 2026
Our final Shortlist Spotlight is on Benjamin Wood, author of Seascraper. In this exclusive Q&A, he tells us about the origins and settings of his novel. 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 immensely proud and… Read More »
Shortlist Spotlight: Rachel Seiffert
2nd June, 2026
Read shortlisted author Rachel Seiffert’s fascinating account of how she researched Once The Deed Is Done and how it was inspired by real people and accounts. Q: How do you feel about being shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction? Do you consider yourself an historical novelist? Thrilled! It’s a special award, run… Read More »
Shortlist Spotlight: Graeme Macrae Burnet
26th May, 2026
In our third Shortlist Spotlight interview, Graeme Macrae Burnet talks about his novel Benbecula. Q: How do you feel about being shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction? Do you consider yourself an historical novelist? I couldn’t be more thrilled to be on the shortlist for the Walter Scott Prize. It’s tremendously gratifying… Read More »
Shortlist Spotlight: Alice Jolly
19th May, 2026
Alice Jolly, author of The Matchbox Girl, talks to us about her research and inspirations for her novel. Q: How do you feel about being shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction? Do you consider yourself an historical novelist? Thank you so much! I am absolutely thrilled to be shortlisted for the prize.… Read More »
Shortlist Spotlight: Jo Harkin
12th May, 2026
The first of our Shortlist Spotlights is on Jo Harkin, who talks to the WSP about her first historical novel The Pretender. Q: How do you feel about being shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction? Do you consider yourself an historical novelist? I’m incredibly thrilled to have been shortlisted for such a… Read More »
Abbotsford announces 2026 Scott Prize shortlist
16th April, 2026
The shortlist for the £25,000 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction has been announced from Abbotsford, the home of Sir Walter Scott and the Prize, in a video narrated by James Naughtie. For the first time in the Prize’s seventeen-year history, there are five books on the shortlist, all by British authors. The shortlisted titles… Read More »
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 »