2026 Longlist Announcement
The judges have been busy reading and have selected their Longlists. Many congratulations to all of our longlisted authors and publishers. The shortlists will be announced in the week beginning 12th October. The Awards ceremony will take place at Central Hall, Edinburgh on Wednesday 18th November.
Fiction
The Two Roberts by Damian Barr [Canongate]
The Man on the Endless Stair by Chris Barkley [Birlinn]
The Malt Whiskey Murders by Natalie Jayne Clark [Birlinn]
The Last Witch by C.J. Cooke [Harper Collins]
Havoc Shore by Maureen Cullen [Ringwood]
Hey Man by Andrew Meehan [Muswell Press]
A Fire in Their Hearts by Philip Paris [Bonnier]
Gunner by Alan Parks [John Murray Press]
The Vanishing Place by Zoe Rankin [Viper]
Cat Wumman by Gerda Stevenson [Luath Press]
Non-Ficion
Drystone by Kristie de Garis [Birlinn]
The Savage Landscape by Cal Flynn [Harper Collins]
The Unfragile Mind by Gavin Francis [Profile]
Making Matters: In Search of Creative Wonders by Clare Hunter [Hodder]
Caledonia Screaming by Grant McPhee [Into Creative]
To See Ourselves by Alastair Moffat [Birlinn]
On Friendship by Andrew O’Hagan [Faber]
Upon a White Horse by Peter Ross [Headline]
Hold Fast by Catherine Simpson [Saraband]
Witches by Stephen Veerapen [Birlinn]
Poetry
Some Things I Do Not Know by Arthur Allen [Shearsman]
Glasgoscopy by Vicky Husband [Vagabond Voices]
Everything Everyday by Hannah Lavery [Polygon]
Woman Plant Language by Agata Maslowska [Bad Betty Press]
Goonie by Michael Mullen [Little Brown]
Vulnerability of Precious Things by Tom Pow [Mariscat Press]
Weathershaker by Stewart Sanderson [Tapsalteerie]
Afterbody by Medha Singh [Blue Diode]
Devour Everything by Sarah Stewart [Tapsalteerie]
Get Closer by Ryan Van Winkle [Polygon]
Research
Scotland, the Wars of the Roses and European Politics by Michael Brown [Boydell and Brewer]
The Archaeology of Finlaggan by David Caldwell [Society of Antiquaries of Scotland]
A Mirror of Great Britain by Clare Jackson [Penguin]
The Saga of the Earls of Orkney by Judith Jesch [Birlinn]
Conflict and Loyalty by Allan Macinnes [Reaktion]
An Odious Campaign by Rob McInroy [Tippermuir]
A Spy Among Us by Marc Mierowsky [Yale University Press]
Nocturnes and the Fascination of Night Music by Susan Tomes [Yale University Press]
Transatlantic Threads by Sally Tucket [Edinburgh University Press]
The Life of Thomas Reid by Paul Wood [Edinburgh University Press]
Celebrating the best Scottish books since 1937
The Saltire Society exists to champion Scottish culture, and we know that the literature of any country is key to preserving its cultural memory and constructing its national identity. Literature brings joy, helps us make sense of the world, and acts as a catalyst for social and political change.
The Book Awards are held annually, with prizes for Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry and Research judged by panels drawn from the literature sector (and the university sector for Research). Within Fiction, Non-fiction and Poetry, we also make an award for debut work.
Every year, books published between 1 June of the previous and 31 May of the current year, are eligible for submission for one of our awards. The deadline for 2026 submissions is now passed and submissions for the 2027 Saltires will be invited in June 2027.