Kelpies Prize
Literary award / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Kelpies Prize is a literary award sponsored by Floris Books presented to writers of middle-grade books set in Scotland. The award is sponsored by Floris Books.
The award was established in 2004.[1] Between 2010 and 2019, the winner received a £2,00 prize, as well as a publishing deal with Floris Books' Kelpies imprint.[2]
In 2019, Floris Books updated the award. Instead of presenting the award to an author who had already written a middle-grade children's book, they presented it to an author who showed promise in the field. As such, the prize included "a year of mentoring with the editorial team at Floris Books, along with a publication deal, £1,000 (about $1,215) and a week-long writing retreat".[3]
In 2014, Floris Books introduced the Kelpies Prize for Illustration, then known as the Kelpies Design & Illustration Prize. At its onset, the award focused on cover design. When the company revamped the Kelpies Prize in 2019, they also updated the Kelpies Prize for Illustration by asking artists interested in a career in illustration to submit potential illustrations appropriate for a children's book.[4] Winners received "a year of mentoring with the Floris Books design team, as well as a publication deal, £1,000 and a ticket to this year’s Picture Hooks conference".[3] In 2022, the award was reduced to a £500 cash prize, with 9 months of mentoring. In 2023, Floris Books paused the Kelpies Prize for Illustration to focus on their Pathways into Children’s Publishing programme.[5]