The Gaelic Literature Awards 2026 – Open to submissions
Posted on 2 March 2026 in Latest News
The Gaelic Books Council has announced that the Gaelic Literature Awards 2026 are open for submissions from Scottish Gaelic writers and publishers. Prizes of £750 to the author and £750 to the publisher will be awarded for books published between 1st May 2025 and 30th April 2026 in a number of categories:
- Poetry – The Derick Thomson Prize
- Fiction – The Highland Society of London Prize
- Non-fiction – The Donald Meek Award
- Children age 0-7
- Children age 8+
This year, two competition categories have been established for children’s books, creating separate prizes for books for younger children aged 0-7, and books for children aged 8 and above. Previous editions of the Awards only had the one prize for all books aimed at children and young people.
In addition to published books, there is also an opportunity for writers to submit unpublished manuscripts for children and for adults, with prizes of £500-£1,000 for the winners. As part of the prize, the winner of the best manuscript for children will have the opportunity to develop their book with the publisher Acair.
The deadline for submissions is 5.00pm, Friday 1st May 2026. Information on how to submit an entry and the competition terms and conditions can be found here. The winners will be announced at a ceremony at Cottiers Theatre, Glasgow on Tuesday 15th September 2026.
