Anne Brown Essay Prize 2024 Shortlist
“It is plain from the calibre of the entry that Scottish writing is in fine shape. As judges, we were impressed by the scope and diversity of the contributions.”
- Brian Taylor; columnist, former BBC political editor and Anne Brown Essay Prize judge.
We're delighted to announce the shortlist for the Anne Brown Essay Prize.
It's a special privilege to be trusted with your work. Thank you to everyone who entered and congratulations to the shortlisters.
The finalists are:
Seeing Starlings
Chris Arthur
Chris is a Belfast-born essayist currently based in St Andrews. He’s author of several essay collections, most recently Hidden Cargoes (2022) and Hummingbirds Between the Pages (2018). Seeing Starlings blends observation of nature with his experiences in Northern Ireland.
Fashioning
Sasha de Buyl
Sasha de Buyl is a writer and literature programmer from Ireland. Their work has been published in The Stinging Fly, Gutter and the Belfield Literary Review, among others. In 2023, they were awarded an Arts Council of Ireland Bursary for Literature and are currently undertaking a DFA at the University of Glasgow. Prior to this, they held roles at Cúirt International Festival of Literature, International Literature Festival Dublin and StAnza International Poetry Festival.
Can You See It Coming Out of the Mist
Alison Irvine
Alison Irvine is the author of This Road Is Red (Luath Press), a novel based on the true stories of residents of Glasgow's Red Road Flats. It was nominated for the Saltire First Book of the Year Award. Her essay is about the rise and fall of Cumbernauld New Town.
The World’s Longest Daisy Chain
Jenny Lindsay
Born in South Ayrshire, Jenny Lindsay is a Scottish poet, performer and memoirist. Her forthcoming book, Hounded, is published by Polity Books. Her essay looks at peer pressure and bullying.
From Our Own Correspondent
Jemma Neville
Jemma is director of the national arts charity Creative Lives and a regular contributor to The Times and BBC Radio Scotland. She was the inaugural Community Fellow at The Institute of Advanced Studies in Humanities, University of Edinburgh. Her essay is a dispatch from the frontline of motherhood and looks at parenthood and bereavement.
Thin Slices
Sarah Whiteside
Sarah was the recipient of one of Scottish Book Trust’s New Writers’ Awards 2024. She has a degree in Creative Writing from St Andrews and lives in Edinburgh. Her essay is a personal story about autism and a critique of flawed social and scientific attitudes.
In addition to the £1500 prize money, the winner will receive an award designed by artist Astrid Jaekel, their entire essay will be published on the festival website and a lengthy excerpt will appear in The Herald.
The Anne Brown Essay Prize commemorates journalist and former Wigtown Book Festival Chair Anne Brown and is supported by her children, Richard and Jo.
The award will be given at a special event, which is free to attend, on 29 September.