The Kelpies Prize for Writing

Enter the Kelpies Prize for Writing 2027 now!

The deadline for entries is Sunday 7 March 2027 at midnight.

To enter the Kelpies Prize for Writing, you must send us the following using our online entry form.

1. 1. The first five chapters of a book for children, either fiction or non-fiction,
   OR a whole picture book story
2. 2. A synopsis or summary of the book
3. 3. A short piece of writing (1,000–3,000 words) for children that includes ONE of the following phrases at any point in the piece:
   • Cats are famously curious.
   • ________________  was completely unlike everyone’s description.
   • I was sitting beside the loch when the strangest thing happened…
4. 4. Some information about you

We welcome entries to the Kelpies Prizes from people whose backgrounds are not well represented in children’s books, including under-represented ethnic backgrounds, disabled, neurodivergent, LGBTQIA+, minority faith, care-experienced, working class or low income backgrounds. (Note: entrants must live in Scotland.)

Read our guidelines for full details of what we’re looking for, and don’t forget to check the terms and conditions, which includes a new section on AI and the Kelpies Prize for Writing.

The Kelpies Prize for Writing recognises and celebrates the unique value of human-created work. Entries to the Kelpies Prize must be the original work of the author. Writing generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools is neither original nor your own work and cannot be entered.

The deadline for entries is Sunday 7 March 2027 at midnight.

We look forward to receiving your entries!

The Kelpies Prize for Writing 2026

Massive congratulations to Christine Irvine, the winner of the Kelpies Prize for Writing 2026!

As well as receiving a £500 cash prize, Christine now embarks on 9 months of mentoring with the Floris Books editorial team. We’re excited to see her skills and creativity develop during this process!

History of the Kelpies Prize

The Kelpies Prize was launched in 2004 to find the best new Scottish writing for children. Our very first winner, Mike Nicholson, continues to be one of our best-loved authors to this day, and many more of our winners and shortlisters have gone on to have sparkling writing careers.

In 2019, we changed the format of the prize to reflect our new aims of nurturing and developing children’s writers in Scotland, asking entrants to submit a selection of writing samples as opposed to a complete manuscript. In addition, we introduced an all-new prize package including a mentoring programme with our experienced editorial team.

Find out more about our past Kelpies Prize winners.